Moths of North Carolina
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Elaphria Members:
73 NC Records

Elaphria festivoides (Guenée, 1852) - Festive Midget Moth

Elaphria festivoidesElaphria festivoidesElaphria festivoides
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: NoctuinaeTribe: ElaphriiniP3 Number: 932233 MONA Number: 9681.00
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                                                                                 
Wingspan: 22-27 mm (Forbes, 1954)
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
Immature 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: Habitats include xeric, sandy areas along the coast and inland to the Fall-line Sandhills (Pogue and Sullivan, 2003)
Larval Host Plants: Hosts are poorly documented, but Wagner et al. (2011) list Boxelder (Acer negundo). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Coastal Plain Grasslands
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 S3S4
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: The range, host plants, and habitats of this species need clarification due to its long confusion with other members of the Festivoides Complex, which occupy a very different set of habitats. In North Carolina, this species appears to be a specialist on xeric, sandy habitats.

 Photo Gallery for Elaphria festivoides - Festive Midget Moth

Photos: 26

Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-04-28
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-04-19
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-17
New Hanover Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-17
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-04-16
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-16
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-16
New Hanover Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-16
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-16
New Hanover Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-16
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-04-07
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-04-07
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-10-25
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-10-25
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-10-09
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2023-09-24
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2023-04-19
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George on 2023-03-27
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn on 2023-03-26
New Hanover Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-10-15
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-04-12
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2021-05-20
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Steve Hall, Jim Petranka, and Bo Sullivan on 2021-05-09
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2021-04-28
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Parker Backstrom on 2010-09-10
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Ed Corey on 2007-10-03
Bladen Co.
Comment: