Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Eupsilia Members: 16 NC Records

Eupsilia tristigmata (Grote, 1877) - Three-spotted Sallow

Eupsilia tristigmataEupsilia tristigmata
view caption 		Eupsilia tristigmataEupsilia tristigmata
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Noctuinae		Tribe:
Xylenini		P3 Number:
932590		 MONA Number:
9935.00
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 barcode with ones from New Jersey but those examined so far from Quebec, Canada likely represent another species. The type is from Massachusetts and it is not known which population it represents.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner et al. (2011)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: One of the five species of Eupsilia in our area with dentate postmedian lines, E. tristigmata is usually recognizable by its strongly mottled orange and brown forewings (Forbes, 1954). This species, like E. devia, also has shorter wings and thus they appear smaller than the other species. Forbes (1954) refers to the distinct orbicular, the usually distinct claviform, and the large, kidney-shaped reniform spot with a dark shade at the ventral margin as distinctive but we have found these difficult to score in North Carolina populations. Most likely confused with E. vinulenta, which it overlaps only in the Piedmont area, but the shorter wings are usually obvious. Descriptions of Eupsilia are available online at: http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/MothTalkDownload/MothTalk010.htm)
Adult Structural Features: Scales in the middle of the forewing are curled at their ends in this species but uncurled in E. vinulenta (a character seen under magnification). The male genitalia of our Eupsilia species are very similar. In E. tristigmata the proximal end of the juxta is rounded but the median area forms a distinct tip. On the distal side the neck area is narrowed and long. In the female, the bursa appears to have 4 signa and the surrounding area is sclerotized, the ostial plate is rounded proximally and deeply incised distally. There is a distinct outpocket from the bursa copulatrix.
Genitalia and other structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
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: Records are mostly from the Mountains but there are also several from the eastern Piedmont.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Eupsilia tristigmataAlamance 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.