Moths of North Carolina
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924 NC Records

Idia americalis (Guenée, 1854) - American Idia Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: ErebidaeSubfamily: HerminiinaeP3 Number: 930469.00 MONA Number: 8322.00
Comments: One of eighteen species recorded in North America (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010), twelve of which are found in North Carolina.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A moderately small deltoid with a blue-gray ground color, particularly in the basal area and along the costa; the area beyond the reniform may be shaded with yellow or with darker fuscous in some individuals. The lines are dark black and strongly waved or dentate and expanded towards the costa. The orbicular is yellowish and reniform consists of a yellow crescent followed by a reddish-orange patch (Forbes, 1954). A continuous black terminal line exists, followed by a checkered fringe.
Wingspan: 20-30 mm (Forbes, 1954)
Adult Structural Features: Like aemula and "concisa" (Forbes' subgenus Epizeuxis), americalis has relatively short palps, not reaching the vertex. The third segment is blunt and blade-like with rough hair on the upper surface (Forbes, 1954).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Occurs statewide
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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