Moths of North Carolina
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636 NC Records

Clemensia albata Packard, 1864 - Little White Lichen Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: ErebidaeSubfamily: ArctiinaeTribe: LithosiiniP3 Number: 930215.00 MONA Number: 8098.00
Comments: One of three species in this genus that occur in North America (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010). All three are found in North Carolina.
Species Status: All three North American species have been bar-coded and are distinct (Schmidt and Sullivan, 2018)
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1960); Schmidt and Sullivan (2018)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner (2005)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Small with relatively broad wings; white or dingy yellow ground color on the forewings mottled with darker gray or brown, usually with a prominent dark reniform spot. Fairly easy to recognize over most of its range but can be confused with Clemensia umbrata in the Mountans and C. ochreata in the Coastal Plain; some of the Nolidae are also similar in size and overall color but usually lack the dark reniform seen in albata.
Forewing Length: 10.8 mm, males; 10.77 mm, average (Schmidt and Sullivan, 2018)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae are greenish with dark mottling, a pale mid-dorsal stripe, and sparse setae (from illustration in Wagner, 2005).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Found throughout the state
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: Probably just two flights in the Mountains but three over the rest of the state
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Our records come from virtually all types of forested or wooded habitats in the state, including martime forests, peatlands, Longleaf Pine communities, floodplain forests, mesic slopes, and dry ridgetops
Larval Host Plants: Stenophagous, feeding primarily on bark algae (Protococcus viridis) (McCabe, 1981)
Observation Methods: Comes well to blacklights, with up to 130 collected in a single trap; three of our records have been obtained from bait
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 [S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands
Comments: Widespread, ubiquitous, and using many types of habitat, this species is considered secure in North Carolina

 Photo Gallery for Clemensia albata - Little White Lichen Moth

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

Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-09-16
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-09-16
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan and Becky Elkin on 2023-09-14
Macon Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-09-10
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Andrew W. Jones on 2023-09-07
Polk Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-09-05
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-09-05
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-30
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-08-23
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2023-08-19
Watauga Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-18
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Chuck Smith on 2023-07-22
Davidson Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-19
Swain Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-06-25
Buncombe Co.
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Recorded by: John Petranka, Chuck Smith on 2023-06-09
Alleghany Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka, Chuck Smith on 2023-06-08
Alleghany Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-06
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-05-25
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-05-23
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-05-23
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2023-05-22
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-05-21
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2023-05-18
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-05-14
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-05-12
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-04-20
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2023-04-20
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2023-03-24
Wake Co.
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Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2022-11-09
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2022-09-08
Alleghany Co.
Comment: