Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Tarache Members: 41 NC Records

Tarache aprica (Hübner, [1808]) - Exposed Bird-dropping Moth

Tarache apricaTarache apricaTarache aprica
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Acontiinae		Tribe:
Acontiini		P3 Number:
931343		 MONA Number:
9136.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984; as Acontia aprica); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Tarache apricaAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Almost all records where this species has been found in North Carolina come from pond, lake, and river shorelines.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on species of the Malvaceae, including Hibiscus, cultivated Hollyhock (Alcea rosea), and presumably other native mallows (Wagner et al., 2011). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Shoreline Shrublands
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G4G5 SNR [S3S4]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Tarache aprica - Exposed Bird-dropping Moth

 46 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Tarache aprica
Recorded by: Salman Abdulali on 2025-09-02
Pitt Co.
Comment: 		Tarache aprica
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2025-07-20
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment:
Tarache aprica
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2025-07-20
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Tarache aprica
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-09-04
Orange Co.
Comment:
Tarache aprica
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-11
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Tarache aprica
Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-07-30
Orange Co.
Comment:
Tarache aprica
Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-07-03
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Tarache aprica
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-06-28
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Tarache aprica
Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-05-28
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Tarache aprica
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2021-07-28
Durham Co.
Comment:
Tarache aprica
Recorded by: Salman Abdulali on 2021-07-10
Pitt Co.
Comment: 		Tarache aprica
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2021-05-25
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Tarache aprica
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-09-13
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Tarache aprica
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-09-13
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Tarache aprica
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-09-01
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Tarache aprica
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-08-22
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Tarache aprica
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-08-22
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Tarache aprica
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-08-04
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Tarache aprica
Recorded by: Lior Carlson on 2020-07-25
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Tarache aprica
Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2020-07-18
Orange Co.
Comment:
Tarache aprica
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-07-01
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Tarache aprica
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2020-07-01
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment:
Tarache aprica
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2020-07-01
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Tarache aprica
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2020-07-01
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment:
Tarache aprica
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-05-15
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Tarache aprica
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-05-15
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Tarache aprica
Recorded by: L. M. Carlson on 2019-07-30
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Tarache aprica
Recorded by: L. M. Carlson on 2019-07-30
Orange Co.
Comment:
Tarache aprica
Recorded by: L. M. Carlson on 2019-07-30
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Tarache aprica
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2019-07-13
Guilford Co.
Comment: