Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Morrisonia Members: 85 NC Records

Morrisonia mucens (Hübner, [1831]) - Gray Woodgrain

Morrisonia mucensMorrisonia mucensMorrisonia mucens
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Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Noctuinae		Tribe:
Orthosiini		P3 Number:
932801		 MONA Number:
10519.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The ground color is irregularly shaded with gray and brown with a double, blackish terminal patch (Forbes, 1954). A black basal dash is present and the transverse lines are black, defined by white, and deeply dentate. The antemedian is strongly angled below the cell, sometimes joining the postmedian or connected to it by a black bar. The orbicular is long and oblique and the reniform narrow; typically separated in our specimens.
Wingspan: 30-35 mm (Forbes, 1954)
Adult Structural Features: Male antennae are pectinate in mucens but simple in confusa (Forbes, 1954)
Structural photos
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.
Morrisonia mucensAlamance 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.
Immature 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: immatures.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Almost all of our records come from dry-to-xeric oak habitats, including maritime forests and sandridges in the Coastal Plain, monadnock forests in the Piedmont, and dry to ridges in the Mountains. A few of our montane records also come from cove forests.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on oaks, including Bear Oak (Quercus ilicifolia) and Blackjack Oak (Q. marilandica) in the north (Wagner et al., 2011); in Florida, they have also been recorded on Sparkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum) and hawthorn (Crataegus). In North Carolina, J.B. Sullivan reared larvae from or recorded larvae feeding on Southern Red Oak (Quercus falcata), Turkey Oak (Q. laevis), Lauren Oak (Q. laurifolia), Live Oak (Q. virginiana), and blueberry. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Dry-Xeric Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: [W-PK]
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G4G5 SNR [S2S4]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Morrisonia mucens - Gray Woodgrain

Photos: 23
Morrisonia mucensRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-29
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Morrisonia mucensRecorded by: R. Newman on 2025-03-29
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Morrisonia mucensRecorded by: R. Newman on 2025-03-13
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Morrisonia mucensRecorded by: R. Newman on 2025-02-26
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Morrisonia mucensRecorded by: J.B. Sullivan on 2024-05-03
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Morrisonia mucensRecorded by: J.B. Sullivan on 2024-05-03
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Morrisonia mucensRecorded by: J.B. Sullivan on 2024-04-29
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Morrisonia mucensRecorded by: J.B. Sullivan on 2024-04-29
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Morrisonia mucensRecorded by: Darryl Willis on 2024-04-21
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Morrisonia mucensRecorded by: R. Newman on 2024-03-07
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Morrisonia mucensRecorded by: R. Newman on 2023-02-24
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Morrisonia mucensRecorded by: R. Newman on 2022-03-15
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Morrisonia mucensRecorded by: R. Newman on 2022-03-05
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Morrisonia mucensRecorded by: J.B. Sullivan on 2021-05-07
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Morrisonia mucensRecorded by: J.B. Sullivan on 2021-04-30
Craven Co.
Comment: 		Morrisonia mucensRecorded by: J.B. Sullivan on 2021-04-23
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Morrisonia mucensRecorded by: J.B. Sullivan on 2021-04-23
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Morrisonia mucensRecorded by: R. Newman on 2021-03-13
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Morrisonia mucensRecorded by: R. Newman on 2021-03-10
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Morrisonia mucensRecorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-03-23
Onslow Co.
Comment:
Morrisonia mucensRecorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-03-14
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Morrisonia mucensRecorded by: Britta Muiznieks on 2014-05-04
Dare Co.
Comment:
Morrisonia mucensRecorded by: Darryl Willis on 2014-04-25
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: