Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFErebidae Members: Zanclognatha Members: 161 NC Records

Zanclognatha laevigata (Grote, 1872) - Variable Zanclognatha

Zanclognatha laevigataZanclognatha laevigataZanclognatha laevigata
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Herminiinae		P3 Number:
930492		 MONA Number:
8345.00		 Other Common Name:
Variable 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.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner et al. (2011)                                                                                 
Wingspan: 25-30 mm (Forbes, 1954)
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: Found primarily in the Mountains in North Carolina, but with scattered records from the Piedmont and Coastal Plain.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Zanclognatha laevigataAlamance 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 almost entirely from mesic forests. In the Mountains, it occurs in riparian and cove forests at lower elevations and northern hardwoods higher up. In the Piedmont and Coastal Plain, it has been found in or near mesic hardwood slopes.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on dead leaves and other detritus (Wagner et al., 2011). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Mesic Hardwood Forests
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 laevigata - Variable Zanclognatha

 45 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Marilyn Westphal and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-17
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-07-26
Madison Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2025-07-03
Macon Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-25
Mitchell Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-05
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2024-07-23
Macon Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-22
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2024-07-14
Macon Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-07-14
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-07-12
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-07-12
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-07-11
Madison Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-06-25
McDowell Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2023-08-22
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2023-08-16
Graham Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-06
Madison Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-31
Macon Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-31
Swain Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-30
Swain Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2023-07-30
Swain Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-29
Swain Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-07-25
Madison Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2022-08-23
Graham Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn on 2022-08-18
Rockingham Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-08-15
Avery Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-07-22
Madison Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-07-20
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha laevigata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-07-17
Madison Co.
Comment: