Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members:
Achatia Members:
129 NC Records

Achatia distincta Hübner, 1813 - Distinct Quaker Moth


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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: NoctuinaeTribe: OrthosiiniP3 Number: 932800.00 MONA Number: 10518.00
Comments: A monotypic genus found across most of eastern North America and throughout North Carolina. The genus is not closely related to other known genera but the species was included in Morrisonia by Forbes (1954).
Species Status: Specimens from North Carolina match those from elsewhere in the eastern US and Canada. Variability is low.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954), as Morrisonia distinctaTechnical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner et al. (2011)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Slightly similar to Morrisonia latex but smaller and more distinctly marked. Look for the black bar running between the white antemedian and postmedian lines. Sexes are similar.
Wingspan: 3 - 3.7 cm (Covell, 1984)
Adult Structural Features: The genitalia are distinct and do not indicate a relationship with species of Morrisonia nor other genera in the tribe.
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Caterpillar green with the subdorsal lines most distinct. Very similar to caterpillar of Himella fidelis. Eggs laid in rafts (Wagner et al, 2011).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: This species is abundant in the Mountains and common in the Piedmont. Records from the Coastal Plain appear to be restricted to the floodplains and slopes along brownwater rivers.
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)

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