Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFErebidae Members: Cisthene Members: 220 NC Records

Cisthene subjecta Walker, 1854 - Subject Lichen Moth

Cisthene subjectaCisthene subjectaCisthene subjecta
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Arctiinae		Tribe:
Lithosiini		P3 Number:
930188		 MONA Number:
8071.00
Comments: One of twenty species in this genus that occur in North America, five of which have been recorded in North Carolina
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Mentioned by Forbes (1960) but not described in detailTechnical Description, Immature Stages: (None)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Dark gray with a thin yellow line along the costa and another located above the inner margin; two pink to cherry red spots project downward from both of these lines in the postmedian area; unlike the similar but slightly larger Cisthene packardii, there is no patch of yellow located on the upper side of the line above the inner margin.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larval descriptions are apparently unavailable.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Almost all of our records come from the Coastal Plain and eastern Piedmont; an old record from Wray (1967) comes from Brevard in the southern Mountains
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Cisthene subjectaAlamance 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.
Flight Comments: Has three distinct flights: spring, summer, and fall
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Strongly associated with dry-to-xeric Coastal Plain habitats, particularly maritime forests and scrub and Coastal Fringe Sandhills; occurs farther inland also in association with sandridges in the Coastal Plain and dry upland habitats in the eastern Piedmont. Although there are a very few records from floodplain habitats, these were obtained from dry floodplain ridges or from portions of the floodplains that adjoin sandy uplands.
Larval Host Plants: Like most Lithosiines, probably feeds on lichens, bark algae, and cyanobacteria (Covell, 1984; Wagner, 2005). Based on its xeric habitat associations, the main hosts are likely to be tree lichens associated with xerophytic hardwoods. - View
Observation Methods: Comes well but usually in small numbers to blacklights; none of our records come from bait
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Fire-maintained Sandhills
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S3S4]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands
Comments: A relatively uncommon species and associated with a fairly narrowly distributed habitat. It is, however, widely-enough distributed that it is reasonably secure in the state. However, some of its favored habitats along the barrier islands and coastal fringe sandhills are likely to be lost due to sea level rise.

 Photo Gallery for Cisthene subjecta - Subject Lichen Moth

Photos: 19
Cisthene subjectaRecorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-07-01
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Cisthene subjectaRecorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-07-01
Moore Co.
Comment:
Cisthene subjectaRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-29
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Cisthene subjectaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Cisthene subjectaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Brian Bockhahn on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Cisthene subjectaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2024-10-06
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Cisthene subjectaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-17
New Hanover Co.
Comment: 		Cisthene subjectaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-17
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Cisthene subjectaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-16
New Hanover Co.
Comment: 		Cisthene subjectaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-16
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Cisthene subjectaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-18
New Hanover Co.
Comment: 		Cisthene subjectaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-17
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Cisthene subjectaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2022-09-17
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Cisthene subjectaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2021-04-25
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Cisthene subjectaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2020-09-23
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Cisthene subjectaRecorded by: Mark Shields on 2019-10-10
Onslow Co.
Comment:
Cisthene subjectaRecorded by: E. Corey, T. DeSantis on 2012-04-16
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Cisthene subjectaRecorded by: Ed Corey on 2008-09-30
Bladen Co.
Comment:
Cisthene subjectaRecorded by: Steve Hall on 1995-09-28
Pender Co.
Comment: Male; typical pattern; wingspan = 1.4 cm; forewing length = 0.6 cm