Moths of North Carolina
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709 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 albata
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: 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

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

Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2025-04-15
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-15
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, John Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-04-14
Bladen Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2025-04-05
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-03
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-31
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-11-18
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-27
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-09-21
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-09-21
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-20
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-11
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-09-07
Alamance Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-05
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-05
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-09-04
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-30
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-26
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-23
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kevin Bischof on 2024-08-07
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-05
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2024-07-21
Graham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Patrick Coin on 2024-06-22
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-06-13
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-10
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Regina Patton on 2024-06-10
Jackson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Regina Patton on 2024-06-10
Jackson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Regina Patton on 2024-06-06
Jackson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-06-03
Madison Co.
Comment: