Moths of North Carolina
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Leucania Members:
599 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 adjuta
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
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

237 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-06
Rowan Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-04-04
Madison Co.
Comment: Male (dissected).
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-04-04
Madison Co.
Comment: Male (dissected).		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2025-04-04
Onslow Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, Larry Chen on 2025-04-02
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-26
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish on 2025-03-19
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish on 2025-03-19
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-01-31
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-12-18
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-12-17
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-11-20
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-11-18
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-11-05
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-10-31
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2024-10-31
Pender Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Randy Newman on 2024-10-28
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2024-10-25
Graham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-10-25
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-10-25
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-10-13
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-10-13
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-10-13
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-29
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-23
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kenneth Geisert, David Bradley, Julie Tuttle, Patrick Coin, Kaitlyn Elliott, Becky Watkins on 2024-08-17
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-05
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-07-29
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-07-08
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-07-08
Chatham Co.
Comment: