Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Xestia Members: 57 NC Records

Xestia praevia Lafontaine, 1998 - Praevia Dart

Xestia praeviaXestia praeviaXestia praeviaXestia praevia
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Noctuinae		Tribe:
Noctuini		P3 Number:
933585		 MONA Number:
10968.10		 Other Common Names:
Early Conifer Dart, Praevia Variable Dart
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Lafontaine (1998)                                                                                 
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 praeviaAlamance 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 a wide range of conifers, including fir (Abies), larch (Larix), spruce (Picea), pine (Pinus), and hemlock (Tsuga) (Wagner et al., 2011). - View
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G4 SNR [S3S4]
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 praevia - Praevia Dart

Photos: 27
Xestia praevia
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-08-20
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Xestia praevia
Recorded by: David George, Kevin Bischof, Rich Teper, Patrick Coin on 2025-08-16
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Xestia praevia
Recorded by: David George, Kevin Bischof, Rich Teper, Patrick Coin on 2025-08-15
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Xestia praevia
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-24
Madison Co.
Comment:
Xestia praevia
Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2024-07-14
Macon Co.
Comment: 		Xestia praevia
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-30
Madison Co.
Comment:
Xestia praevia
Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2023-08-19
Graham Co.
Comment: 		Xestia praevia
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2022-08-05
Yancey Co.
Comment:
Xestia praevia
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-08-20
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Xestia praevia
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-07-28
Madison Co.
Comment:
Xestia praevia
Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2019-08-30
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Xestia praevia
Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2018-10-04
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Xestia praevia
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-09-01
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Xestia praevia
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-08-31
Madison Co.
Comment:
Xestia praevia
Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2018-08-29
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Xestia praevia
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-08-26
Madison Co.
Comment:
Xestia praevia
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-08-26
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Xestia praevia
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-08-25
Madison Co.
Comment:
Xestia praevia
Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2018-08-14
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Xestia praevia
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2018-08-05
Yancey Co.
Comment:
Xestia praevia
Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2018-07-18
Ashe Co.
Comment: 		Xestia praevia
Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2016-08-01
Ashe Co.
Comment:
Xestia praevia
Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2015-08-12
Cherokee Co.
Comment: 		Xestia praevia
Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2015-08-11
Cherokee Co.
Comment:
Xestia praevia
Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, P. Scharf on 2014-08-26
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Xestia praevia
Recorded by: Doug Blatny/Jackie Nelson on 2012-07-24
Ashe Co.
Comment:
Xestia praevia
Recorded by: Doug Blatny/Jackie Nelson on 2012-07-16
Ashe Co.
Comment: