Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Erebidae Members:	Cisthene Members:	328 NC Records

Cisthene packardii (Grote, 1863) - Packard's Lichen Moth

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Noctuoidea

Family:
Erebidae

Subfamily:
Arctiinae

Tribe:
Lithosiini

P3 Number:
930189

MONA Number:
8072.00

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); Beadle and Leckie (2012)

Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD

Technical Description, Adults: Forbes (1960)

Technical Description, Immature Stages: Forbes (1960); Wagner (2005)

Adult Markings: Similar to but slightly larger than Cisthene subjecta. Dark gray with a thin yellow or gray line along the costa and a similarly colored submedian band located parallel to but above the inner margin; two pink to cherry red spots project downward from both of these lines in the postmedian area; unlike C. subjecta, packardii also has a patch of yellow located on the upper side of the submedian line, making the spot at the end of the lower line appear to be two-toned. Larvae are illustrated in Wagner (2005): the body is ashy gray with a dorsal pale stripe bordered by a purple line; the bases of scattered white hairs are outlined with green or yellow.

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.

Immatures and Development: Larval descriptions are apparently unavailable.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Probably occurs statewide

County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.


Flight Dates: High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft. Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft. Piedmont (Pd) Coastal Plain (CP) Click on graph to enlarge
Flight Comments: Appears to have three distinct flights

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Our records come from virtually all types of forests and shrublands found in the state, from maritime scrub, peatlands, and Longleaf Pine savannas and sandhills in the Coastal Plain to riparian hardwoods and dry ridges in the Piedmont and Mountains.

Larval Host Plants: Like most Lithosiines, probably feeds on lichens, bark algae, and Cyanobacteria (Covell, 1984; Wagner, 2005). - View

Observation Methods: Comes well to blacklights; none of our records come from bait

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Forests and Shrublands

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: As a common, widely distributed species occupying an extremely broad set of habitats, this species appears to be secure in the state

Photo Gallery for Cisthene packardii - Packard's Lichen Moth

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

	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-14 Rowan Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-02 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, David Cheng, Patrick Coin on 2025-06-29 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-09 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-09 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-05-06 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-02 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-28 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-10-08 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-23 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-09-14 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-03 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-03 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-19 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-14 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2024-08-14 Pamlico Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish on 2024-08-13 Pamlico Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-30 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-07-29 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Hunter Phillips, Mark Shields on 2024-06-29 Onslow Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-06-02 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-27 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-22 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-20 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: F. Williams, S. Williams on 2024-05-12 Gates Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-05-11 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-11 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-01 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-01 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-10-13 Wilson Co. Comment: