Moths of North Carolina
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Cherokeea Members:
11 NC Records

Cherokeea attakullakulla Sullivan and Quinter, 2014 - No Common Name

Cherokeea attakullakullaCherokeea attakullakulla
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: NoctuinaeTribe: ApameiniP3 Number: 932361.5 MONA Number: 9454.70
Comments: The sole member of this genus, which is entirely confined to the Southern Appalachians (Quinter and Sullivan, 2014). Previously considered a form or species related to the Oligia semicana complex, which has now been revised by Troubridge and Lafontaine (2002), who placed most of the group in a new genus, Neoligia. Only Neoligia crytora of that group is known to occur in North Carolina.
Species Status: DNA barcoding indicates that this species and genus are distinct from related species in the Ampameini, including other cane-feeding species in this tribe (Quinter and Sullivan, 2014).
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Quinter and Sullivan (2014)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium sized Noctuid, with somewhat elongated and pointed wings. The ground color of the forewings is a dull gray-brown, with the hindwings an even paler, unmarked gray. Two slightly different forms exist, one with a more mottled, strongly marked forewing pattern, the other more obscurely marked (Quinter and Sullivan, 2014). In strongly marked specimens, a black basal dash and a black bar in the median area that connects the antemedian and postmedian lines are both conspicuous; a subapical dark triangle on the costa aned anal dash or triangle located on the lower outer margin may also be present. The antemedian and postmedian lines, when well-developed, are double and black, with pale gray filling. The orbicular and reniform spots are also filled with the same pale gray shade. Quinter and Sullivan note possible confusion with worn specimens of the similar-sized Protodeltote muscosula, which usually has a strong dark shade between the orbicular and reniform which is missing in Cherokeea. While some members of Neoligia have similar markings to Cherokeea, Neoligia crytoria-- our sole species -- is quite different, with forewings strongly divided between a dark inner half and whitish outer half.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae and other early stages have not yet been observed in the wild or reared in captivity. However, Quinter and Sullivan (2014) predict that the larvae will turn out to be endogenous feeders (i.e., borers) in the stems or rhizomes of Hill Cane.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
Flight Comments: Univoltine with adults flying from the 8th through the 24th of June (Quinter and Sullivan, 2014)
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: All of our records for this species come from sites supporting populations of Hill Cane (Arundinaria appalachiana) (Quinter and Sullivan, 2014). Unlike the more widespread River Cane (A. gigantea) and Switch Cane (A. tecta), which grow in wet, low-lying habitats, Hill Cane grows on well-drained, often rocky slopes, usually in the understory of Southern Mountain Pine-Oak Forests and other forest types composed of a mixture of pines, oaks, and heaths; the moisture regime ranges from mesic to fairly dry.
Larval Host Plants: Probably monophagous on Hill Cane (Arundinaria appalachiana) (Quinter and Sullivan, 2014). - View
Observation Methods: Appears to come fairly well to blacklights. Like other cane-feeding moths, it may be easier to find by direct searching in canebrakes at night, for both larvae and adults (Quinter and Sullivan, 2014).
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Montane Cane Thickets
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: SR
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G2? S2
State Protection: Listed as Significantly Rare by the Natural Heritage Program. That designation, however, does not confer any legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This species has a very small global range and probably merits a Global Rank of at least G2G3. All known populations are associated with Hill Cane, a species that itself has a small global range and has apparently suffered as much as a 50-90% decline (NatureServe Explorer, 2016), probably due to the suppression of the natural fire regime. As in several other species of cane-feeding Lepidoptera, populations of Cherokeea may be far more localized than those of its host plant. As an extreme specialist on an uncommon and declining habitat type and as a species that is nearly endemic to North Carolina, Cherokeea clearly should be given a high degree of conservation concern in this state.

 Photo Gallery for Cherokeea attakullakulla - No common name

Photos: 2

Recorded by: Bo Sullivan on 2002-06-10
Swain Co.
Comment: Strongly marked form		Recorded by: Bo Sullivan on 2002-06-10
Swain Co.
Comment: Non-contrasting form