Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
« Home »
View PDFNoctuidae Members: Leucania Members: 39 NC Records

Leucania phragmitidicola Guenée, 1852 - Phragmites Wainscot

Leucania phragmitidicolaLeucania phragmitidicola
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Noctuinae		Tribe:
Leucaniini		P3 Number:
932943		 MONA Number:
10444.00		 Other Common Name:
Needle Wainscot
Comments: One of 30 species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010; Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2015), 16 of which have been recorded in North Carolina. Previously included in Subfamily Hadeninae but moved to the much expanded Noctuinae by Lafontaine and Schmidt. They also included it in Tribe Leucaniini along with Mythimna.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954)                                                                                 
Wingspan: 35-40 mm (Forbes, 1954)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: This species has an oddly bimodal distribution in North Carolina, occurring in the mountains and along the chain of barrier islands in the eastern part of the state.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Leucania phragmitidicolaAlamance 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: Dune grasslands are occupied in the coastal plain but our records from the mountains come from various types of 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 [S2S3]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Leucania phragmitidicola - Phragmites Wainscot

Photos: 11
Leucania phragmitidicola
Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2025-05-01
Pender Co.
Comment: 		Leucania phragmitidicola
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-05-09
Pender Co.
Comment:
Leucania phragmitidicola
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-05-05
Pender Co.
Comment: 		Leucania phragmitidicola
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2023-02-24
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Leucania phragmitidicola
Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2022-05-02
Pender Co.
Comment: 		Leucania phragmitidicola
Recorded by: Britta Muiznieks on 2013-10-30
Dare Co.
Comment:
Leucania phragmitidicola
Recorded by: Doug Blatny / Jackie Nelson on 2011-09-05
Ashe Co.
Comment: 		Leucania phragmitidicola
Recorded by: Doug Blatny / Jackie Nelson on 2011-09-03
Ashe Co.
Comment:
Leucania phragmitidicola
Recorded by: Doug Blatny / Jackie Nelson on 2011-09-03
Ashe Co.
Comment: 		Leucania phragmitidicola
Recorded by: Newman, Randy on 2005-07-08
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Leucania phragmitidicola
Recorded by: Newman, Randy on 2005-07-08
Carteret Co.
Comment: