Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Family (Alpha):
« »
View PDFNoctuidae Members:
Elaphria Members:
64 NC Records

Elaphria nucicolora (Guenée, 1852) - Sugarcane Midget Moth


Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: NoctuinaeTribe: ElaphriiniP3 Number: 932226.00 MONA Number: 9676.00
Comments: One of fourteen species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010), nine of which have been recorded in North Carolina
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: 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: Bahia Grass has become well-established in North Carolina, occurring particularly along roadsides, lawns, and other disturbed areas. Most our records for this moth come from the Outer Coastal Plain, mainly from barrier islands and other open, grassy habitats. Away from the Coast, our records may represent mainly migrants.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on grasses, including Sugarcane, Bahia Grass, and Rye (Wagner et al., 2011) - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Fields, Gardens, and Ruderal Habitats
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: [GNR] 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 Elaphria nucicolora - Sugarcane Midget Moth

Photos: 17

Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-04-10
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2023-10-24
Pender Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-09-30
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2023-09-30
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-11-25
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2022-10-25
Pender Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-10-15
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-11-17
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2021-10-27
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-10-05
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2020-11-09
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-11-06
Onslow Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2020-11-03
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2020-06-11
Cabarrus Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2017-09-15
Cabarrus Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Hall and Ed Corey on 2016-10-01
Bladen Co.
Comment: Covered with heavy dew
Recorded by: T. DeSantis on 2009-11-15
Camden Co.
Comment: