Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
« Home »
View PDFNoctuidae Members: Melanchra Members: 1 NC Records

Melanchra picta (Harris, 1841) - Zebra Caterpillar Moth

Melanchra picta
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Noctuinae		Tribe:
Hadenini		P3 Number:
932875		 MONA Number:
10293.00		 Other Common Name:
Zebra Arches
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Melanchra pictaAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are polyphagous on a wide range of plants, including many of agricultural importance. Wagner et al. (2011) specifically list Amaranthus, hazel (Corylus), carrots, Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), monkey-flower (Mimulus), Common Timothy (Phleum pratense), Garden Pea (Pisum sativum), knotweed (Polygonum), willow (Salix), dandelion (Taraxacum), clover (Trifolium), blueberry (Vaccinium), and corn. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Montane Forblands and Successional Fields
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: This northern species is known
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [SHSU]
State Protection:
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Melanchra picta - Zebra Caterpillar Moth

Photos: 1
Melanchra picta
Recorded by: Bo Sullivan on 2002-09-03
Alleghany Co.
Comment: