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

Papaipema rigida (Grote, 1877) - Rigid Sunflower Borer

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: NoctuinaeTribe: ApameiniP3 Number: 932505.00 MONA Number: 9503.00
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: Covell (1984)Online Photographs: 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.
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: We have records from both montane wet meadows and high elevation fields. Several records also come from cove forests and high elevation hardwoods.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on composites, particularly Sunflower species, including Jerusalem Artichoke and Paleleaf Sunflower (Robinson et al., 2010). Other composites that are reportedly used include Common Sneezeweed and Heliopsis helianthoides; Robinson et al. also mention Common Golden-Alexanders in the Apiaceae. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Montane Forblands and Successional Fields
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G4 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 rigida - Rigid Sunflower Borer

Photos: 3

Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Ivanna Knox, Marietta Shattelroe and Avery Young on 2023-09-21
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Ivanna Knox, Marietta Shattelroe and Avery Young on 2023-09-21
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George on 2022-08-16
Avery Co.
Comment: