Moths of North Carolina

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Elaphria festivoides (Guenée, 1852) - Festive Midget

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Noctuoidea

Family:
Noctuidae

Subfamily:
Noctuinae

Tribe:
Elaphriini

P3 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.

Species Status: Three species have now been described that were formerly included within the Elaphria festivoides complex: festivoides, cornutinus, and alapallida. All are distinct in terms of their reproductive structures but can be very difficult to distinguish based on external appearance alone. We use a combination of wing markings, flight period, habitat association, and range within the state to place at least some specimens within the individual species accounts, but many submitted records based on photographs need to be left at the level of the Elaphria festivoides complex.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD

Technical Description, Adults: Pogue and Sullivan (2003)

Adult Markings: This is a spring and fall-flying species that occurs almost solely in the Coastal Plain, favoring xeric sandhill habitats. Its forewings are drabber in color than the other two members of this complex, lacking the rufous and white scales typical of alapallida. The hindwings, however, are gray rather than the light brown of cornutinis or the whitish in alipallida (Saluke and Pogue, 2000; Pogue and Sullivan, 2003). The overall pattern of forewing marking is similar in all three species of this complex. The markings, however, are less distinct in festivoides. In particular, the claviform spot is less conspicuous or even absent in festivoides but is usually well-developed in alapallida and cornutinis.

Wingspan: 22-27 mm (Forbes, 1954)

Forewing Length: 10.5-14 mm (Pogue and Sullivan, 2003)

Adult Structural Features: The cornuti of the male aedaeagus (best seen when everted) are larger in number -- 35-50 -- and longer than in alipalida (Pogue and Sullivan, 2003). In females, the appendix bursae curves around to the dorsal side of the corpus bursae, whereas in alipallida, the appendix bursae projects vertically and is not curved around the corpus busae.

Structural photos

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: In North Carolina, this species has been recorded primarily in the Coastal Plain. Pogue and Sullivan (2003), however, show two historic records from Tryon, located in the Piedmont at the edge of the Blue Ridge escarpment.

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
Flight Comments: This species is bivolitine, with a spring and late summer/fall flight periods. In North Carolina, the first brood of adults is present from late March to mid-May and the second from mid-September to mid-October (Pogue and Sullivan, 2003).

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Habitats include xeric, sandy areas along the coast and inland to the Fall-line Sandhills (Pogue and Sullivan, 2003). This contrasts with the association of alapallida with hardwood habitats.

Larval Host Plants: Hosts are poorly documented. Wagner et al. (2011) list Box-elder (Acer negundo), but that seems highly unlikely to be used in North Carolina, given the association of this species with xeric habitats rather than the floodplains occupied by Box-elder. Pogue and Sullivan (2003) also discount its use by the other species in this complex. - View

Observation Methods: This species comes to blacklights fairly well.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for Dry-Xeric Sand Barrens and Glades

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [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

37 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-27 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-09 Cumberland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: John Petranka, Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-08 Harnett Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-04-25 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-05 Rowan Co. Comment: There were 2 individuals with this phenotype.		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-05 Rowan Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-05 Rowan Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-01 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	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 2024-03-30 Rowan 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: