Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFErebidae Members: Zanclognatha Members: 97 NC Records

Zanclognatha lituralis (Hübner, 1818) - Lettered Zanclognatha

Zanclognatha lituralis
view caption 		Zanclognatha lituralis
view caption 		Zanclognatha lituralisZanclognatha lituralis
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Herminiinae		P3 Number:
930489		 MONA Number:
8340.00		 Other Common Name:
Lettered Fan-foot
Comments: One of thirteen species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010; 2013; Wagner and McCabe, 2011), all of which have been recorded in North Carolina
Species Status: Populations that are currently recognized as Zanclognatha lituralis appear to constitute a species complex composed of at least two species (Rings et al., 1996). Barcoding indicates that there are two distinct genetic groups in North Carolina that differ genetically by more than two percent. The two groups seem to segregate spatially, with true Z. lituralis occurring in the Blue Ridge and western Piedmont, and a second species (here referred to as 'Zanclognatha near lituralis') occurring in the Coastal Plain (J.B. Sullivan, pers. comm.). Specimens from the Blue Ridge and Box Creek Preserve in Rutherford County barcode as true Z. lituralis, while over 20 specimens from several sites in the Coastal Plain all barcode as 'Zanclognatha near lituralis'. Specimens from the central and eastern Piedmont have yet to be barcoded and could possibly be mixtures of both forms. Here, we provisionally treat specimens from the Blue Ridge and western Piedmont as Z. lituralis and those from the Coastal Plain as 'Zanclognatha near lituralis'. Those from the central and eastern Piedmont are placed in a separate account as members of the Z. lituralis complex. Dissections so far have not shown definitive characters that will separate the two species. In females there are three potential characters that may be helpful. These include the ductus being shorter in true Z. lituralis, the anterior end of the ductus being sclerotized in 'Zanclognatha near lituralis', and the field of cornuti beneath the crenulated anterior end of the bursa being vertically divided in 'Zanclognatha near lituralis'. Macro characters that might help include the average size of specimens and the clarity of the markings on the forewing. More data is need on size, and we encourage submitters to report the front wing lengths of their specimens.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Genitalia and other structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from close inspection of specimens or by DNA analysis.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Specimens from Ontario, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia (and presumably north from there), barcode with true Z. lituralis from western North Carolina.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Zanclognatha lituralisAlamance 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 Hanover 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.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Our records come from a wide variety of forested and open habitats. We do not know, however, whether there are any differences in the habitats used by the different forms of this species.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on dead leaves and other detritus (Wagner et al., 2011). - View
Observation Methods: Comes to blacklights.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Forests and Fields
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S4S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Zanclognatha lituralis - Lettered Zanclognatha

 48 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Marilyn Westphal and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-17
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: David George, Kevin Bischof, Rich Teper, Patrick Coin on 2025-08-15
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-07-29
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-07-26
Madison Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2025-07-14
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: Melody McMichael on 2025-06-26
Forsyth Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-25
Mitchell Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Mark Basinger on 2025-06-23
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2025-05-07
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2024-07-23
Macon Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-22
Madison Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2024-07-14
Macon Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-07-12
Watauga Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-07-11
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-07-05
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-26
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-06-25
McDowell Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2024-06-25
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-14
Madison Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-14
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-13
Madison Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-05-01
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-08-23
Madison Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-08-23
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-06
Madison Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-31
Swain Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2023-07-06
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-06-25
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha lituralis
Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2023-06-14
Transylvania Co.
Comment: