Moths of North Carolina
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39 NC Records

Epiglaea apiata (Grote, 1874) - Pointed Sallow

Epiglaea apiata
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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: NoctuinaeTribe: XyleniniP3 Number: 932603 MONA Number: 9947.00
Comments: The genus contains two species found principally in the Eastern United States and in North Carolina. The two species are not closely related and E. decliva will eventually be moved to another genus.
Species Status: Specimens from North Carolina barcode with those from other states and there are no indications of multiple species. It does not barcode near E. decliva.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner et al. (2011)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Very much like a Metaxaglaea species but the vestiture is finer and the lower lobe of the reniform contains a distinct black spot. The subterminal line is reddish in the medial portion and stands out.
Adult Structural Features: The thorax in this species and E. decliva has a high median crest. Both male and female genitalia of this species differ radically from those of E. decliva. The clasper is swollen basally and apically and extends from the middle of the valve to the tip. It is not appressed to the valve as in Metaxaglaea but curves well out over the costal edge. The tip of the valve ends in a spine as in Metaxaglaea; in Chaetaglaea there is no spine.
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The caterpillar has a broad spiracular stripe which makes it easy to distinguish from both Epiglaea decliva and Metaxaglaea species. It is more like those of Chaetaglaea species, which have a somewhat narrower stripe that runs below the spiracles (see Wagner et al, 2011, for illustrations and a detailed description). Larvae may be active early in the spring on unopened buds and later feed at night making them difficult to find after the early stages.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: All of our records come from the Outer Coastal Plain and Sandhills.
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: Univoltine, with records in October and November.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: All but one of our records come from Longleaf Pine habitats, including savannas, flatwoods, and sandhills. The one exception comes from an area of extensive peatlands, with no Longleaf Habitat located within several miles of the site. Most of the Longleaf sites where this species has been recorded also have imbedded pocosins, pond pine woodlands, or stands of Atlantic White Cedar, suggesting that E. apiata feeds on peatland heaths, as well as those associated with the sandier, more frequently-burned habitats characterized by the presence of Longleaf Pines.
Larval Host Plants: Recorded on Cranberry and captive larvae feed on various Vaccinium species (Forbes, 1954). Reported to be a pest occasionally on cranberries. Wagner et al. (2011) also report Leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata) and huckleberry (Gaylussacia). We do not have any specific hostplant records from North Carolina. - View
Observation Methods: Readily attracted to light and presumably comes to bait though records are lacking.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Coastal Plain Wet-Dry Heath Thickets
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: [W5]
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: This species appears to be associated with just a narrow range of Longleaf and peatland habitats, all of which have declined drastically since European colonization and which are still threatened in the state by continued habitat conversion and fire suppression. As with other species associated with fire-maintained habitats, we recommend that unburned patches of habitat -- refugia -- be spared during any one prescribed burn and that the rotation between burn units be long enough to allow for effective emigration/recolonization before the refugia are themselves burned.

 Photo Gallery for Epiglaea apiata - Pointed Sallow

Photos: 2

Recorded by: SPH on 1993-10-16
Washington Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: SPH on 1993-10-16
Washington Co.
Comment: