Carolina Beach Moth Survey

Carolina Beach Moth Survey

Over two decades ago, Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan conducted a multi-year survey of sites along the North Carolina coast as part of an effort to assess the impact of spraying to control the spread of the invasive Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar) in the state. One of the sites that they heavily sampled was Carolina Beach State Park. Located south of Wilmington in New Hanover County, the park lies on a narrow strip of land between the Cape Fear River estuary and the ocean.


Hunting for Caterpillars (and their hosts)

Hunting for Caterpillars (and their hosts)

Nothing against butterflies, but moths are seriously underrated. Butterflies are but a strange, wonderful, and relatively small evolutionary branch of Lepidoptera, an order which is primarily made up of moths. Just look at our species totals for North Carolina: 178 species of butterflies and nearly 3,000 species of moths. We are continuously adding new moth species to the state list (the true moth biodiversity may be closer to 4,000 species), while the butterfly checklist remains static.


Distribution, Population Structure and Habitat Use of the Endangered Saint Francis Satyr Butterfly, Neonympha mitchellii francisci

Distribution, Population Structure and Habitat Use of the Endangered Saint Francis Satyr Butterfly, Neonympha mitchellii francisci



Abstract: The endangered St. Francis Satyr (Neonympha mitchellii francisci) is a small sedentary butterfly and one of the rarest in North America. Our study examined various quantitative aspects of this butterfly’s biology, including the distributional range, habitat associations, population size and trends, demographic parameters and spatial aspects of population structure. The range of N.m. francisci distribution is restricted to DoD lands at Ft.


Related Taxa
Tags

A new species of Marmara (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae: Marmarinae), with an Annotated List of Known Hostplants for the Genus

A new species of Marmara (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae: Marmarinae), with an Annotated List of Known Hostplants for the Genus



Larvae of the New World gracillariid moth genus Marmara are primarily stem/bark miners, with some species mining in leaves or fruits. We describe a new species, M. viburnella Eiseman & Davis, which feeds on Viburnum, initially mining the leaves but completing development as a stem miner. The type series is from Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, with observations of leaf mines indicating the species is widespread in the eastern USA.


Related Taxa
Tags

Nine new species of Agromyzidae from North Carolina, USA, with new host and distribution records for additional species

Nine new species of Agromyzidae from North Carolina, USA, with new host and distribution records for additional species



We present novel rearing records of Agromyzidae (Diptera) from three years of collecting in North Carolina, USA. These include the first reported host for Calycomyza novascotiensis Spencer (new to the USA) and new host records for Ophiomyia beckeri (Hendel) (new to North America), Liriomyza helianthi Spencer, L. schmidti (Aldrich), and Phytomyza plantaginis Robineau-Desvoidy, all of which are reported from North Carolina for the first time. We review host and distribution data for each of these species and describe their leaf mines.


Related Taxa
Tags