Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members:
Eupsilia Members:
4 NC Records

Eupsilia sidus (Guenée, 1852) - Sidus Sallow


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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: NoctuinaeTribe: XyleniniP3 Number: 932588.00 MONA Number: 9933.10
Comments: A genus of the Northern Hemisphere with some 17 described species, including 8 in North America, with several more about to be described. North Carolina has 6 described and 1 undescribed species, some of which are extremely similar in wing pattern.
Species Status: Specimens from North Carolina seem to match those from New Jersey and New York, with some heterogeneity though unlikely enough to indicate multiple species exist.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954; descriptions of Eupsilia are available online at http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/MothTalkDownload/MothTalk010.htm)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner et al. (2011)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This species and E. cirripalea can usually be distinguished from the remaining species because their pattern is plain, with many of the cross wing lines obscure compared to the other species, but differentiating them from each other is an art at best. The crenulations at the end of the forewing are smaller in E. sidus than in E. cirripalea but one must have a very fresh specimen to see the small difference. The reniform can be concolorous, yellowish or white, however, in this species it appears to be slightly smaller and rounder than in E. cirripalea. The forks on the scales in the middle of the forewing are curled at their ends in this species. Best determined by barcodes or dissections.
Adult Structural Features: The male genitalia of our Eupsilia species are very similar. That of E. sidus is no exception but the proximal edge of the justa has a slight projection in the medial area and the distal side lacks any real neck. The tips of the valvae project at a greater angle than in the other species. The female bursa has 4 signa according to Forbes (1954) and the entrance to the bursa is sclerotized (unsclerotized in E. cirripalea which has 2 signa) but we have not collected a female to date.
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable only by close inspection of structural features or by DNA analysis.
Immatures and Development: Eupsilia larvae are all similar to one another: variable in color; a narrow spiracular stripe usually the most prominent but with other lines also present; a darkened prothoracic shield, usually with two pale stripes. Wagner et al. (2011) recommend that larvae be reared to adulthood in order to determine the species.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Expected throughout the piedmont and mountains but perhaps limited to drier habitats. It appears to be much less common than E. cirripalea.
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
Flight Comments: Adults are probably on the wing from mid October through March with hibernation when the cold is bitter, but all of our positive records are from February and March in Warren County.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Found in dry wooded areas but few positive records in the state and thus preferences in habitat unknown.
Larval Host Plants: Wagner et al (2011) reported larvae from Lowbush Blueberry, Sand Hickory and Oak, which would indicate dry, probably acidic habitats. As with most species in the genus, adults have rarely been barcoded or dissected and thus records are likely mixed. - View
Observation Methods: Adults readily come to bait and have been collected in light traps.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [SU]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: We have very few confirmed records for this species, which may be due at least partly to its late season flights. More surveys need to be conducted in the late fall in order to determine the distribution, abundance, host plants, and habitat associations; until such data are available, we cannot determine its conservation status.

 Photo Gallery for Eupsilia sidus - Sidus Sallow

Photos: 1

Recorded by: Richard Teper on 2022-03-03
Orange Co.
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