Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Papaipema Members: 10 NC Records

Papaipema polymniae Bird, 1917 - Cup Plant Borer Moth

Papaipema polymniaePapaipema polymniae
view caption 		Papaipema polymniae
view caption
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Noctuinae		Tribe:
Apameini		P3 Number:
932490		 MONA Number:
9469.00
Comments: One of 44 species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010, 2015), 30 of which have been recorded in North Carolina
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: 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.
Papaipema polymniaeAlamance 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: Piedmont records come from rich, wet-to-mesic forests. Mountain records come from cove forests and also from a high elevation site that has extensive open fields as well as stands of hardwood forests.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae appear to be monophagous on Hairy Leafcup (Smallanthus uvedalia) (Wagner et al., 2011), which has been confirmed as the host in North Carolina. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Rich Wet-Mesic Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: W-PK
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G4? S2S4 [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 Papaipema polymniae - Cup Plant Borer Moth

Photos: 9
Papaipema polymniaeRecorded by: Tony McBride, Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-07-23
Madison Co.
Comment: Large larvae were common on Smallanthus uvedalia; stems had swollen nodules and larvae were in or near these.		Papaipema polymniaeRecorded by: Tony McBride, Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-07-23
Madison Co.
Comment: Large larvae were common on Smallanthus uvedalia; stems had swollen nodules and larvae were in or near these.
Papaipema polymniaeRecorded by: Darryl Willis on 2021-09-15
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Papaipema polymniaeRecorded by: Tony McBride, Jim Petranka, and Becky Elkin on 2021-07-08
Swain Co.
Comment: A larvae that was boring in the lower stem of Hairy Leafcup (Smallanthus uvedalia).
Papaipema polymniaeRecorded by: Tony McBride, Jim Petranka, and Becky Elkin on 2021-07-08
Swain Co.
Comment: A larvae that was boring in the lower stem of Hairy Leafcup (Smallanthus uvedalia).		Papaipema polymniaeRecorded by: Tony McBride, Jim Petranka, and Becky Elkin on 2021-07-08
Swain Co.
Comment: A larvae that was boring in the lower stem of Hairy Leafcup (Smallanthus uvedalia).
Papaipema polymniaeRecorded by: Tony McBride, Jim Petranka, and Becky Elkin on 2021-07-08
Swain Co.
Comment: A weakened area of the lower stem where a larva was boring in Smallanthus uvedalia (see companion photo of the bore hole that was about 10-15 cm above this point).. 		Papaipema polymniaeRecorded by: Tony McBride, Jim Petranka, and Becky Elkin on 2021-07-08
Swain Co.
Comment: A bore hole on the lower stem where a larva was boring in Smallanthus uvedalia.
Papaipema polymniaeRecorded by: Darryl Willis on 2020-09-01
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: