Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Papaipema Members: 31 NC Records

Papaipema cerussata (Grote, 1864) - Ironweed Borer Moth

Papaipema cerussataPapaipema cerussataPapaipema cerussata
view caption 		Papaipema cerussata
view caption
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Noctuinae		Tribe:
Apameini		P3 Number:
932470		 MONA Number:
9505.00
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); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Structural photos
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 cerussataAlamance 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: Our records come mainly from wet fields and riparian habitats in the Mountains and from open seepage areas and lake shorelines in the Piedmont. A couple of records come from mesic upland in the Mountains.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) (Wagner et al., 2011); reports from other species require confirmation. In North Carolina, our only record is for an unknown ironweed species. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Open, Wet Herblands
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S2S4]
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 cerussata - Ironweed Borer Moth

Photos: 24
Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-10-02
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-10-02
Madison Co.
Comment:
Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-10-01
Madison Co.
Comment: A stem of New York Ironweed with an extensive burrow that led to the roots; an adult was collected at this site two days later.		Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: Merrill Lynch on 2025-09-15
Watauga Co.
Comment:
Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: Merrill Lynch on 2025-09-15
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: Merrill Lynch on 2025-09-15
Watauga Co.
Comment:
Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2024-10-19
Graham Co.
Comment: 		Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-10-13
Madison Co.
Comment:
Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-10-13
Madison Co.
Comment: FWL = 23 mm; wing span = 53 mm.		Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-10-13
Madison Co.
Comment:
Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Bo Sullivan on 2023-09-23
Ashe Co.
Comment: Adult was reared on carrots from a larva that was boring in the stem base of Ironweed; larva on August 10, 2023; adult emerged on Sept 23, 2023		Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Bo Sullivan on 2023-09-23
Ashe Co.
Comment: Adult was reared on carrots from a larva that was boring in the stem base of Ironweed; larva on August 10, 2023; adult emerged on Sept 23, 2023
Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Bo Sullivan on 2023-08-09
Ashe Co.
Comment: A late-instar larva that was extracted from the stem of ironweed (Vernonia sp.). 		Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Bo Sullivan on 2023-08-09
Ashe Co.
Comment: A Vernonia stem with a bore hole (upper center of stem).
Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Bo Sullivan on 2023-08-09
Ashe Co.
Comment: A snapped stem that shows a larva feeding inside the stem base of an ironweed. 		Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Bo Sullivan on 2023-08-09
Ashe Co.
Comment: A late-instar larva that was extracted from the stem of ironweed (Vernonia sp.).
Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-10-16
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2022-10-05
Durham Co.
Comment:
Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-10-04
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-10-04
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: Paul Scharf on 2015-10-12
Warren Co.
Comment: 		Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: Paul Scharf on 2015-10-12
Warren Co.
Comment:
Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: Paul Scharf on 2011-10-12
Warren Co.
Comment: 		Papaipema cerussata
Recorded by: Paul Scharf on 2011-10-12
Warren Co.
Comment: