Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Protapamea Members: 13 NC Records

Protapamea louisae Quinter, 2009 - Louisa's Cane Cutworm

Protapamea louisaeProtapamea louisaeProtapamea louisaeProtapamea louisae
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Noctuinae		Tribe:
Apameini		P3 Number:
932361		 MONA Number:
9454.30		 MONA Synonym:
Apameine, New Genus 1, Species 2
Comments: One of two species in this recently described genus (Quinter, 2009), both of which occur solely in eastern North America and have been recorded in North Carolina.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Quinter (2009)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Quinter (2009)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-sized noctuid. The two species of Protapamea are very similar in overall forewing pattern, but the ground color is typically much darker in P. louisae and less warm brown than in danieli, with the ground color ranging from violet-gray to nearly black and nearly all markings obscured (Quinter, 2009). In the most clearly marked specimens, the reniform is a bright white that strongly contrasts with the darker ground color; the orbicular also is present at least as a slightly paler shade. Both the antemedian and postmedian lines are double, consisting of a light line bordered by black. The antemedian is undulating but the postmedian is smoother, with smaller dentations. The two lines converge towards the inner margin and there is a dark bar that connects the two approximately at the fold, with a paler area located between the bar and the inner margin. Black patches also occur on the basal sides of both the reniform and orbicular lines. In darker phase individuals, only traces of these patterns may be visible. Hindwings in both species are fuscous and paler than the forewings. Due to the variability but overlapping patterns of the wing markings, Quinter recommends that the species are best identified based on genitalic or larval features.
Wingspan: 29-30 mm (measured from illustrations in Mikkola et al., 2009)
Adult Structural Features: Quinter (2009) described this genus based on genitalic features that set it apart from other members of the Apameini. In particular, the sacculus and digitus of the two valves are asymmetrical, the corona is absent and the cucullus is reduced to a small membranous lobe (see other differences in both male and female genitalia that are described and illustrated in Quinter, 2009). Male P. louisae differ from P. danieli in possessing a larger, more triagonal cucullus and in having a prominent cluster of long spines in the vesica of the aedeagus. Females differ in the degree and pattern of the scerlotization of the bursae (see Quinter, 2009, for details).
Genitalia and other structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Eggs overwinter and larvae hatch in the following spring once new growth of cane begins to emerge. Larvae feed externally on the developing axillary shoots of cane, hiding during the day in the leaf sheaths or in the litter on the ground near their host plants (Quinter, 2009). They also pupate on the ground just below the leaf litter. Larvae of both species of Protapamea can be found feeding on the same plant. Quinter describes a number of features that can be used to distinguish between them; most prominently, P. danieli has a strongly marked black spot with white borders located on the prothoracic shield that is missing or weakly developed in P. louisae; P. louisae conversely possess strong dark blotches along the side of the body that are not developed in P. danieli (Quinter, 2009). Larvae have been collected on Giant Cane (Arundinaria gigantea) during May along the French Broad River and along secondary streams where the cane lines the streambanks.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Adults have been recorded in North Carolina at seven sites in the southern Mountains. All other records are from west of the Appalachians (see map provided by Quinter, 2009). Surveys for larvae have yielded several new populations in Madison and northern Buncombe Cos.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Protapamea louisaeAlamance 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 Hanover 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.