Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Macronoctua Members: 11 NC Records

Macronoctua onusta Grote, 1874 - Iris Borer Moth

Macronoctua onustaMacronoctua onustaMacronoctua onustaMacronoctua onusta
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Noctuinae		Tribe:
Apameini		P3 Number:
932442		 MONA Number:
9452.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); 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.
Macronoctua onustaAlamance 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.
Immature 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: immatures.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: In the Fall-line Sandhills, our records come from beaver pond habitats where Iris virginica is the likely host. In the Piedmont and Mountains, records come from residential areas where the hosts are probably cultivated species.
Larval Host Plants: Larval feed on members of the iris family (Iridaceae), including Iris and Gladiolus (Wagner et al.,2001). Our only feeding record in North Carolina is for non-native Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus). - View
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: [W-PK]
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S2S3]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Macronoctua onusta - Iris Borer Moth

Photos: 10
Macronoctua onustaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-15
Madison Co.
Comment: A large larva (ca. 3 cm) that was boring in the rhizome of Iris pseudacorus (Yellow Iris). 		Macronoctua onustaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-10-09
Madison Co.
Comment:
Macronoctua onustaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-10-09
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Macronoctua onustaRecorded by: tom ward on 2021-09-22
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Macronoctua onustaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2020-10-24
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Macronoctua onustaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2020-10-24
Madison Co.
Comment:
Macronoctua onustaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-10-04
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Macronoctua onustaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-10-04
Madison Co.
Comment:
Macronoctua onustaRecorded by: Vin Stanton on 2018-09-25
Buncombe Co.
Comment: A garden with a large number of Irises is located nearby		Macronoctua onustaRecorded by: Vin Stanton on 2018-09-25
Buncombe Co.
Comment: