Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Leucania Members: 622 NC Records

Leucania adjuta (Grote, 1874) - Adjutant Wainscot

Leucania adjutaLeucania adjutaLeucania adjutaLeucania adjuta
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Noctuinae		Tribe:
Leucaniini		P3 Number:
932960		 MONA Number:
10456.00		 MONA Synonym:
Leucania juncicola
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, BOLD                                                                                 
Wingspan: 35 mm (Forbes, 1954, as juncicola)
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Leucania adjutaAlamance 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: Wagner et al. (2011) lists grasslands, marshes, ruderal areas, and lawns. We have a large number of records from residential neighborhoods and natural habitats range from sandhill and dune grasslands to montane grasslands and woodlands.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on grasses, including Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) (Wagner et al., 2011). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Fields, Gardens, and Ruderal Habitats
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S5]
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 adjuta - Adjutant Wainscot

 261 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Marilyn Westphal on 2025-11-05
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-10-21
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Marilyn Westphal on 2025-10-17
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-10-05
Madison Co.
Comment:
Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-23
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-09-20
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-11
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-08-25
Wake Co.
Comment:
Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-25
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-15
Ashe Co.
Comment:
Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson, Randy Emmitt on 2025-08-12
Alamance Co.
Comment: 		Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2025-07-28
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-23
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-07-03
Wake Co.
Comment:
Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-01
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-29
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Lenny Lampel on 2025-04-25
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-04-21
Durham Co.
Comment:
Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-18
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-18
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-18
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-04-17
Wake Co.
Comment:
Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-06
Rowan Co.
Comment: 		Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-04-05
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-04-05
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-04-04
Madison Co.
Comment: Male (dissected).
Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-04-04
Madison Co.
Comment: Male (dissected).		Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2025-04-04
Onslow Co.
Comment:
Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, Larry Chen on 2025-04-02
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Leucania adjuta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-26
Brunswick Co.
Comment: