Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Amphipoea Members: 107 NC Records

Amphipoea americana (Speyer, 1875) - American Ear Moth

Amphipoea americanaAmphipoea americana
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Noctuinae		Tribe:
Apameini		P3 Number:
932447		 MONA Number:
9457.00		 Other Common Name:
American Borer
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Very similar in color and markings to Amphipoea interoceanica, but is larger and not as stocky (Forbes, 1954).
Wingspan: 30-35 mm (Forbes, 1954)
Forewing Length: 16 mm (J.B. Sullivan, pers. obs.)
Adult Structural Features: Males are best distinguished by the length and shape of the digitus: "long, pointed, projecting far beyond the lower edge of valve" in americana but "short, obliquely truncate, not projecting beyond edge of valve" in A. interoceanica (described and illustrated by Forbes, 1954). The antennae are somewhat serrate in the males, with the serrations longer in americana than in A. interoceanica (J.B. Sullivan, pers. obs.).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Amphipoea americanaAlamance 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: Our records come mainly from high elevation forests and semi-natural grasslands, but also from wet meadows and bogs. One isolated Piedmont record comes from a residential area adjacent to both fields and bottomlands.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae reportedly feed on sedges and grasses, including corn, but have also been recorded on iris (Wagner et al., 2011). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Montane Forests and Fields
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S4S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Amphipoea americana - American Ear Moth

Photos: 9
Amphipoea americanaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-05
Mitchell Co.
Comment: 		Amphipoea americanaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-05
Mitchell Co.
Comment:
Amphipoea americanaRecorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-06-23
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Amphipoea americanaRecorded by: K. Bischof on 2023-06-13
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Amphipoea americanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2019-07-20
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Amphipoea americanaRecorded by: David L. Heavner on 2019-06-28
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Amphipoea americanaRecorded by: David L. Heavner on 2019-06-28
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Amphipoea americanaRecorded by: Darryl Willis on 2019-06-20
Cabarrus Co.
Comment:
Amphipoea americanaRecorded by: Paul Scharf,B. Bockhahn, K. Kittelberger on 2012-07-25
Ashe Co.
Comment: