Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFErebidae Members: Clemensia Members: 718 NC Records

Clemensia albata Packard, 1864 - Little White Lichen Moth


Clemensia albataClemensia albataClemensia albata
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea
Family:
Erebidae
Subfamily:
Arctiinae
Tribe:
Lithosiini
P3 Number:
930215
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 Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, 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.
Clemensia albataAlamance 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: 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: Larvae are stenophagous, feeding primarily on bark algae (Protococcus viridis) (McCabe, 1981). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
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 SNR [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

174 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Clemensia albataRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-07-26
Madison Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-05
Wilson Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: David George, David Cheng, Patrick Coin on 2025-06-29
Richmond Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-23
Buncombe Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-06-18
Cumberland Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-06-18
Cumberland Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-06-08
Madison Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: Emily Stanley on 2025-05-20
Buncombe Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-18
Buncombe Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: K. Bischof on 2025-04-15
Chatham Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-15
Wilson Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: Jim Petranka, John Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-04-14
Bladen Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2025-04-05
Chatham Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-03
Wilson Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-31
Wilson Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-11-18
Orange Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-27
Wilson Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-09-21
Buncombe Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-09-21
Chatham Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-20
Buncombe Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-11
Madison Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-09-07
Alamance Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-05
Wilson Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-05
Wilson Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: John Petranka on 2024-09-04
Orange Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-30
Madison Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-26
Madison Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-23
Madison Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kevin Bischof on 2024-08-07
Transylvania Co.
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Clemensia albataRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
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