Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNotodontidae Members:
Lochmaeus Members:
393 NC Records

Lochmaeus manteo Doubleday, 1841 - Variable Oakleaf Caterpillar Moth

Lochmaeus manteoLochmaeus manteoLochmaeus manteoLochmaeus manteo
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Notodontidae		Subfamily:
Heterocampinae		P3 Number:
930090		 MONA Number:
7998.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Lochmaeus manteo
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
Immature 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: Barrens, woodlands, and forests (Wagner, 2005). Our records come the full range of hardwood forests and woodlands in the state, from maritime forests to northern hardwoods.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are polyphagous, but oak, beech, and chestnut are apparently preferred (Wagner, 2005). In North Carolina, larvae have been recorded feeding on Allegheny Chinquapin (Castanea pumila), hawthorn (Crataegus), American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), White Oak (Quercus alba), Water Oak (Q. nigra), Cherrybark Oak (Q. pagoda), Willow Oak (Q. phellos), Northern Red Oak (Q. rubra), Black Oak (Q. velutina), and American Elm (Ulmus americana). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Hardwood Forests
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 Lochmaeus manteo - Variable Oakleaf Caterpillar Moth

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

Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-15
Rowan Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-15
Rowan Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-06-03
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-23
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-23
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-22
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-05-19
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-18
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-18
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Lenny Lampel on 2024-08-29
Union Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George on 2024-08-29
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2024-08-23
Cumberland 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: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish on 2024-08-17
Johnston Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish on 2024-08-17
Johnston Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-26
Rowan Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-07-16
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George on 2024-07-15
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-07-11
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-07-06
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-06-25
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-15
Rowan Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-06-11
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-06-07
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-06-07
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-01
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-28
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-09-15
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George on 2023-09-13
Durham Co.
Comment: