Moths of North Carolina
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Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Xestia Members: 222 NC Records

Xestia elimata (Guenée, 1852) - Southern Variable Dart

Xestia elimataXestia elimataXestia elimataXestia elimata
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Noctuinae		Tribe:
Noctuini		P3 Number:
933583		 MONA Number:
10967.00		 Other Common Name:
Variable Climbing Caterpillar
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984; as Anomogyna elimata)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
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.
Xestia elimataAlamance 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 Hanover 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 pines, including Shortleaf Pine (Pinus echinata), Longleaf Pine (P. palustris), Red Pine (P. resinosa), Pitch Pine (P. rigida), Loblolly Pine (P. taeda), and Virginia Pine (P. virginiana) (Wagner et al., 2011). Other reported hosts include Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis), Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), and Red Spruce (Picea rubens) (Robinson et al., 2010). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Pine Forests and Woodlands
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S4S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Xestia elimata - Southern Variable Dart

 110 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-11-08
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-11-07
Madison Co.
Comment:
Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-11-07
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Tony McBride, Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-10-28
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-10-25
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-10-22
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Merrill Lynch on 2025-10-21
Halifax Co.
Comment: 		Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Merrill Lynch on 2025-10-21
Halifax Co.
Comment:
Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-10-20
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-10-20
Cumberland Co.
Comment:
Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-10-20
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-10-18
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-10-03
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-23
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-23
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-14
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-12
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-12
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-11-18
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-11-06
Madison Co.
Comment:
Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-11-03
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-11-01
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-10-31
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Xestia elimata
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-10-31
Orange Co.
Comment:
Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-10-25
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Xestia elimata
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-10-22
Wayne Co.
Comment:
Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-10-19
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-10-09
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-10-04
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Xestia elimata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-10-02
Madison Co.
Comment: