Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members:
Pyreferra Members:
8 NC Records

Pyreferra pettiti (Grote, 1874) - Pettit's Sallow

Pyreferra pettitiPyreferra pettiti
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: NoctuinaeTribe: XyleniniP3 Number: 932586 MONA Number: 9932.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-sized, orange Noctuid. The antemedian, median, and postmedian lines are all brown and fairly straight; the antemedian is double-lined and filled with clear yellow. The postmedian runs obliquely and is followed by a series of gray dots or bars (Forbes, 1954). Hindwings are pale yellow. P. hesperidago is similar in pattern but has a more irregular antemedian line and usually lacks the dots following the postmedian (Forbes, 1954). The lines are also generally darker and stronger in hesperidago and the orbicular and reniform more prominent; the hindwings are also usually darker in hesperidago and often have a conspicuous postmedian shade that is missing in pettiti. The recently described P. slotteni is very similar to pettiti but its antemedian and median lines are usually straight rather than slightly waved as in pettiti (Troubridge, 2020).
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:
Larval Host Plants: Monophagous, feeding on Hop-hornbeam (Ostyra virginiana). Reports of the use of birch (e.g., Forbes, 1954) are probably in error; larvae reared by Tim McCabe and Dale Schweitzer refused birch (Wagner et al., 2011). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Rich Dry-Mesic Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 S1S3
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Pyreferra pettiti - Pettit's Sallow

Photos: 4

Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2020-02-25
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2019-03-28
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-03-24
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-02-06
Madison Co.
Comment: