Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Elaphria Members: 73 NC Records

Elaphria nucicolora (Guenée, 1852) - Sugarcane Midget

Elaphria nucicoloraElaphria nucicoloraElaphria nucicolora
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Noctuinae		Tribe:
Elaphriini		P3 Number:
932226		 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 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.
Elaphria nucicoloraAlamance 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 Hanover 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: 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 (Saccharum officinarum), Bahia Grass (Paspalum notatum), and Rye (Secale cereale) (Wagner et al., 2011). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - 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 SNR [S345]
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

Photos: 26
Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-11-08
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: Tony McBride, Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-10-28
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-10-22
Pender Co.
Comment: 		Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-11-18
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2024-10-30
Pender Co.
Comment: 		Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2024-10-29
Pender Co.
Comment:
Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: David George, Randy Newman on 2024-10-28
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2024-10-28
Pender Co.
Comment:
Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-10-15
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-04-10
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2023-10-24
Pender Co.
Comment: 		Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-09-30
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2023-09-30
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-11-25
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2022-10-25
Pender Co.
Comment: 		Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-10-15
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-11-17
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2021-10-27
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-10-05
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2020-11-09
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-11-06
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2020-11-03
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2020-06-11
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2017-09-15
Cabarrus Co.
Comment:
Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: Stephen Hall and Ed Corey on 2016-10-01
Bladen Co.
Comment: Covered with heavy dew		Elaphria nucicolora
Recorded by: T. DeSantis on 2009-11-15
Camden Co.
Comment: