Noctuidae

Feralia jocosa Joker

10 9 8 n=0 • 7 High Mt. 6 N 5 u 4 • 3 • m 2 • b 1 • e 0 • r 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 • 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 NC counties: 7 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec o 10 f 9 n=27 = Sighting or Collection 8 • 7 Low Mt. High counts of: in NC since 2001 F 6 l 5 65 - Macon - 2000-03-08 = Not seen since 2001 4 • i 3 32 - Macon - 2000-03-07 g 2 Status Rank h 1 10 - Madison - 2021-03-11 0 NC US NC Global t 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 D Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec a 10 10 9 9 t 8 n=4 8 n=0 e 7 Pd 7 CP s 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 0 0 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Three periods to each month: 1-10 / 11-20 / 21-31 FAMILY: SUBFAMILY: Amphipyrinae TRIBE: TAXONOMIC_COMMENTS: An isolated with 7 species worldwide, 1 palearctic, the other 6 nearctic, with 3 occurring in North Carolina.

FIELD GUIDE DESCRIPTIONS: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012) ONLINE PHOTOS: TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION, ADULTS: Forbes (1954); Poole (1995) TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION, IMMATURE STAGES: Maier et al. (2011); Wagner et al. (2011)

ID COMMENTS: This spectacularly patterned moth is perfectly camouflaged for life among the mossy evergreens and lichens of our mountain forests. It is similar to Feralia major and both species have normal green and black, melanic forms, although so far all of ours are the normal green form. Jocosa has darker hindwings, which are uniformly dark fuscous in jocosa but pale green along the margins in freshly caught major. Green forms of major (lacking the dark shading) are very similar in pattern and the color of the hindwings must be used to tell them apart. Most F. major we have seen are of the dark form. The dark form of jocosa has not yet been recorded in North Carolina, but we do have a greenish tan morph from the mountains that appears late in the season. normally flies later than both jocosa and major in the mountains, is brighter green, and has several dark patches not usually found in the other two species. Sexes identical.

DISTRIBUTION: All of our records come from the low Mountains.

FLIGHT COMMENT: Single brooded, on the wing in late March and early April, before most collectors are active.

HABITAT: Mesic montane forest with abundant hemlock, including Cove Forests at mid elevations and Northern Hardwoods at higher elevations.

FOOD: Balsam fir, hemlock, spruce and other evergreens (Maier et al, 2004) but there is probably specificity. No information on foodplant preferences in North Carolina, but larvae of Feralia have been found on hemlocks below Grandfather Mountain.

OBSERVATION_METHODS: Comes to light but no records from bait.

NATURAL HERITAGE PROGRAM RANKS: GNR [SU]

STATE PROTECTION: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.

COMMENTS: We have few records for this species, probably due in part to its late winter flight period. To the extent that this species is dependent on Hemlock or Fraser Fir, it may be highly vulnerable to the effects of the introduced adelgids that are decimating those species. It is also likely to be vulnerable to the effects of global climate change, including the drying out of mesic forests and particularly in the retreat of Spruce-fir Forests to even smaller high elevation refugia than they currently occupy. More surveys need to be conducted of adults or larvae in order to determine its current distribution and habitat associations, as well as to monitor its population trends as its environments change.

March 2021 The of North Carolina - Early Draft 1