Moths of North Carolina
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Significant Contributors
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Family (Alpha):
ACROLEPIIDAE-
ADELIDAE-Fairy moths
AMPHISBATIDAE-
AUTOSTICHIDAE-
BATRACHEDRIDAE-Batrachedrid Moths
BEDELLIIDAE-Bedelliid Moths
BLASTOBASIDAE-
BOMBYCIDAE-
BUCCULATRICIDAE-
CARPOSINIDAE-
CHOREUTIDAE-Metalmark Moths
COLEOPHORIDAE-Casebearer Moths and Relatives
COSMOPTERIGIDAE-Cosmopterigid Moths
COSSIDAE-Carpenter Moths, Goat Moths
CRAMBIDAE-Grass Moths, Snout Moths
DEPRESSARIIDAE-
DREPANIDAE-Hook-tips and Thyatirid Moths
ELACHISTIDAE-Grassminer Moths and Relatives
EPERMENIIDAE-
EPIPYROPIDAE-
EREBIDAE-Erebid Moths
ERIOCRANIIDAE-
EUTELIIDAE-
GALACTICIDAE-
GELECHIIDAE-Gelechiid Moths; Twirler Moths
GEOMETRIDAE-Geometer Moths, Loopers
GLYPHIDOCERIDAE-
GLYPHIPTERIGIDAE-Sedge Moths
GRACILLARIIDAE-Leafblotch miner moths
HELIOZELIDAE-Shield bearer moths
HEPIALIDAE-Ghost or Swift Moths
HYBLAEIDAE-
INCURVARIIDAE-
LASIOCAMPIDAE-Tent Caterpillar Moths, Lappet Moths
LECITHOCERIDAE-Long-horned Moths
LIMACODIDAE-Slug Caterpillar Moths
LYONETIIDAE-Lyonetiid Moths
MEGALOPYGIDAE-Flannel Moths
MICROPTERIGIDAE-Mandibulate Moths
MIMALLONIDAE-
MOMPHIDAE-Mompha Moths
NEPTICULIDAE-Minute leaf miners
NOCTUIDAE-Owlet Moths
NOLIDAE-
NOTODONTIDAE-Prominents
OECOPHORIDAE-Oecophorid Moths
OPOSTEGIDAE-
PELEOPODIDAE-
PLUTELLIDAE-Diamondback Moths
PRODOXIDAE-Yucca Moths
PSYCHIDAE-Bagworm Moths
PTEROPHORIDAE-Plume Moths
PYRALIDAE-Pyralid Moths, Snout Moths
SATURNIIDAE-Giant Silkworm Moths
SCHRECKENSTEINIIDAE-Schreckensteiniid Moths
SESIIDAE-Clearwing Moths
SPHINGIDAE-Sphinx Moths
THYATIRIDAE-
THYRIDIDAE-Window-winged Moths
TINEIDAE-Clothes moths
TISCHERIIDAE-Tischerid Moths
TORTRICIDAE-Leafroller Moths
URANIIDAE-
URODIDAE-Urodid Moths
XYLORYCTIDAE-
YPONOMEUTIDAE-Ermine Moths
YPSOLOPHIDAE-Ypsolophid Moths
ZYGAENIDAE-
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Saturniidae Members:
Actias luna
Anisota peigleri
Anisota senatoria
Anisota stigma
Anisota unidentified species
Anisota virginiensis
Antheraea polyphemus
Automeris io
Callosamia angulifera
Callosamia promethea
Callosamia securifera
Callosamia unidentified species
Citheronia regalis
Citheronia sepulcralis
Dryocampa rubicunda
Eacles imperialis
Hemileuca maia
Hyalophora cecropia
Samia cynthia
Syssphinx bicolor
Syssphinx bisecta
Hyalophora
Members:
Hyalophora cecropia
102 NC Records
Hyalophora cecropia
(Linnaeus, 1758) - Cecropia Moth
view caption
Larva feeding on titi, 2004-05-25m Croatan National Forest, Carteret County, Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan
view caption
Cocoon on Buttonbush on edge of shallow pond.
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Bombycoidea
Family:
Saturniidae
Subfamily:
Saturniinae
Tribe:
Attacini
P3 Number:
890082
MONA Number:
7767.00
Other Common Name:
Robin Moth
Comments:
One of two members of this genus that occurs in eastern North America and the only one in our area (the Columbia Silkmoth, Hyalophora columbia, occurs in eastern Canada and New England)
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions:
Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)
Online Resources:
MPG
,
BugGuide
,
iNaturalist
,
Google
,
BAMONA
,
GBIF
,
BOLD
Technical Description, Adults:
Forbes (1923), Ferguson (1972), Tuskes et al. (1996)
Technical Description, Immature Stages:
Covell (1984), Wagner (2005)
Adult Markings:
Adults are unmistakable. Along with the Polyphemus Moth (Antheraea polyphemus), this is one of our largest resident moths, possessing a wingspan of 4-6 inches (exceeded in size only by the Black Witch, a tropical stray). This species is a darker grayish brown than the generally tan Polyphemus and also possesses distinctive white and red bands on the wings and extensive areas of red on the thorax and abdomen. Unlike the elliptical spots on the wings of the Polyphemus, the spots on the Cecropia are crescent-shaped.
Wingspan:
125-165 mm (Forbes, 1923)
Adult ID Requirements:
Unmistakable and widely known.
Immatures and Development:
The large pale green larvae are also easily recognized by its rows of red, yellow, and blue knobs running the length of the body (Callosamia larvae are similar but the knobs are restricted to the anterior and posterior; see Wagner, 2005, for details).
Larvae ID Requirements:
Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
Occurs state-wide but is generally not common (Brimley, 1938). Populations in the peatlands and flatwoods of the Coastal Plain appear to be the most robust, with multiple individuals often collected at UV traps (a maximum of 11 were recorded at one site).
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:
Single brooded throughout the state. Adults fly only in the spring in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont and in early summer in the Mountains.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Most of our records come from shrubby peatland and flatwoods habitats in the Coastal Plain. We have also found it in a shrub-swamp in a Piedmont floodplain. Elsewhere in the Piedmont and Mountains, records come from upland stands of hardwoods, including at least one site located above 4,000 ft.
Larval Host Plants:
Feeds on many species of hardwood trees and shrubs. Favored host plants include apple (
Malus
), ash (
Fraxinus
), Box-elder (
Acer negundo
), cherry (
Prunus
), poplar (
Populus
), Sassafras (
Sassafras albidum
), and willow (
Salix
), with birch (
Betula
), elm (
Ulmus
), larch (
Larix
), and maple (
Acer
) also being used (Wagner, 2005). Hall and Sullivan found a larvae feeding on Titi (
Cyrilla racemosa
) in a pocosin in the Croatan National Forest and Sullivan also found them on Loblolly Bay (
Gordonia lasianthus
); we believe this helps explain its abundance in Coastal Plain peatlands, which otherwise lack most of the reported host plants. Hall also discovered a larva feeding on Buttonbush (
Cephalanthus occidentalis
) in the western Piedmont. Other feeding records in North Carolina include Common Persimmon (
Diospyros virginiana
), willow, elderberry (
Sambucus
), Sweetgum (
Liquidambar styraciflua
), rose (
Rosa
), Sassafras, and Black Cherry (
Prunus serotina
). -
View
Observation Methods:
Comes well to 15 watt UV lights and also to incandescent light to some extent. Adults do not feed and consequently are not attracted by bait. Adult females can be tethered in order to attract males via the pheromones they release. Larvae can be detected in low trees and shrubs through their droppings. Their spindle-shaped cocoon -- tapered on both ends -- are frequently attached to twigs, where they may be searched for in the winter, serving as the basis for site records for this species.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for
General Forests and Shrublands
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks:
G5 SNR [S4S5]
State Protection:
Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands
Comments:
Considered uncommon historically in North Carolina (Brimley, 1938) although populations in pocosins and other Coastal Plain peatlands appear to be fairly vigorous. The generalized habitats, use of a wide range of common host plants, and tolerance for urban environments (Schweitzer et al., 2011) should allow Hyalophora to recover from most localized extirpations. However, in the Northeast, this species has declined as a result of parasitism from a Tachinid fly,
Compsilura concinnata
, introduced to control Gypsy Moth populations (Boettner et al.; Wagner, 2005; Schweitzer et al., 2011; Wagner, 2012). Although this fly has not been used as a biocontrol in North Carolina, it appears to be expanding its range southward on its own and is now well established in Virginia (Kellogg et al., 2003). Arrival of this exotic species is likely to pose a pervasive threat to the Cecropia Moth as well as other moth species in our state. In the Northeast, where introduction of this fly began over a century ago, it is suspected to be one of the main factors leading to the massive decline of many of its most charismatic species (Wagner, 2012).
Photo Gallery for
Hyalophora cecropia
- Cecropia Moth
63 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Recorded by: E. Davies on 2024-06-05
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stella Cerjan on 2024-05-24
Cleveland Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-22
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: M. Griffin on 2024-05-08
Burke Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David Gough on 2024-04-15
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-04-11
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Tjaye on 2023-09-12
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn on 2023-07-27
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2023-07-12
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2023-07-12
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-06
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-04
Orange Co.
Comment: Early instar larva on persimmon
Recorded by: C. Frelitz on 2023-05-27
Forsyth Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Carol Ann McCormick on 2023-04-09
Alamance Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Carol Ann McCormick on 2023-04-09
Alamance Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Walt Jenkins on 2023-04-02
Pender Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Walt Jenkins on 2023-04-02
Pender Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Walt Jenkins on 2023-04-02
Pender Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2022-06-06
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-06-06
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-06-06
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George on 2022-04-30
Durham Co.
Comment: cocoon on Buttonbush on edge of shallow pond
Recorded by: Marcy Ricks on 2021-05-12
Halifax Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Marcy Ricks on 2021-05-12
Halifax Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Marcy Ricks on 2021-05-12
Halifax Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Vicki Acker on 2021-04-27
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Vicki Acker on 2021-04-27
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Scott Zona on 2020-04-19
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2019-07-01
Ashe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-06-04
Madison Co.
Comment: