Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFErebidae Members: Zanclognatha Members: 158 NC Records

Zanclognatha obscuripennis (Grote, 1872) - Dark Zanclognatha

Zanclognatha obscuripennisZanclognatha obscuripennisZanclognatha obscuripennisZanclognatha obscuripennis
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Herminiinae		P3 Number:
930494		 MONA Number:
8347.00		 Other Common Name:
Dark 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)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This species and Z. cruralis are very similar in size and markings. The lines in both species are generally strongly marked and even rather than waved. The antemedian is bent just below the costa but otherwise runs fairly straight across the wings; the postmedian is sinuous but not dentate; and the subterminal is straight and typically conspicuous. Forbes (1954) describes obscuripennis as smoky-brown or rarely tinted with red. In this species, the subterminal line is composed of an upper pale line and a lower darker one, with the pale line more prominent and strongly contrasting with the dark ground color. In Z. cruralis, the ground color of the forewings is typically paler, with the dark line of the subterminal the more prominent.
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Zanclognatha obscuripennisAlamance 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.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: North Carolina records come from a wide range of forests and shrublands, including maritime forests, peatlands, bottomland hardwoods, longleaf pine flatwoods and savannas, Piedmont barrens, cove forests, and northern hardwoods.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on dead leaves and detritus but has also been reared on hazel (Corylus) (Wagner et al., 2011). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Forests and Shrublands
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR 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 obscuripennis - Dark Zanclognatha

 54 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-25
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-04-05
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-09-21
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-09-07
Alamance Co.
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Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-03
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: Tim Foley on 2024-08-08
Orange Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-03
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: John Petranka on 2024-07-31
Orange Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-06-29
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-26
Orange Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-01
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-07
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-07
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-05-01
Madison Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-09-04
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-29
Swain Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-26
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: Tim Foley on 2023-07-22
Orange Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: Tim Foley on 2023-07-22
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-04-29
Orange Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-07-11
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: David George on 2022-07-04
Durham Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2022-06-06
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2022-05-29
Yancey Co.
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Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2022-05-23
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2022-05-17
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-09-02
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: Stephen Hall on 2021-08-10
Orange Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2021-08-06
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha obscuripennisRecorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2021-07-10
Cumberland Co.
Comment: