Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Mythimna Members: 2 NC Records

Mythimna oxygala (Grote, 1881) - Lesser Wainscot

No image for this species.
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Noctuinae		Tribe:
Leucaniini		P3 Number:
932933		 MONA Number:
10436.00		 Other Common Name:
Trinity Wainscot
Comments: A member of a very large worldwide genus. Four species occur in North America north of Mexico (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010), two of which have been recorded in North Carolina.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This species is very similar to Leucania species, particularly Leucania adjuta. Like that species, it is straw colored, has three rufous streaks between the veins, a dark spot at end of the cell, and two dark, subterminal spots. However, unlike adjuta, it has an unmarked collar that is concolorous with the rest of the thorax; in Leucania adjuta, the collar is banded with darker brown. The hindwing is white but with some dark shading in the disk (Forbes, 1954).
Wingspan: 28-35 mm (Forbes, 1954)
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.
Mythimna oxygalaAlamance 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 feed on grasses and sedges (Wagner et al., 2011). - View
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: [W-PK]
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [SU]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This northern species is Known from only two sites in North Carolina although with two individuals collected at one of them. Its status as an established resident still needs to be determined.