Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFErebidae Members: Zanclognatha Members: 254 NC Records

Zanclognatha cruralis (Guenée, 1854) - Early Zanclognatha

Zanclognatha cruralisZanclognatha cruralisZanclognatha cruralisZanclognatha cruralis
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Herminiinae		P3 Number:
930498		 MONA Number:
8351.00		 Other Common Name:
Early 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, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This species and Z. obscuripennis 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 cruralis as pale clay color to light fuscous, particularly in the first brood; second brood individuals can be much darker. The subterminal line is characteristically dark and contrasting with the paler ground color; if bordered by a pale line, the dark line is much more prominent. In Z. obscuripennis, the ground color of the forewings is typically darker, with the pale line of the subterminal more prominent.
Wingspan: 30 mm (Forbes, 1954)
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 cruralisAlamance 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: Our records come mainly from wet to mesic hardwood forests, including bottomland hardwoods, mesic slopes, cove forests, and northern hardwoods. Only a few come from xeric woodlands, such as maritime forests or sand ridges.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae have been found on a wide variety of plant species, including hardwood trees and shrubs, forbs, and conifers. Wagner et al. (2011) specifically list beech (Fagus), hazel (Corylus), hemlock (Tsuga), maple (Acer), nettle (Urtica), and Red Spruce (Picea rubens). While dead and wilted leaves are readily eaten in captivity, this species is also frequently found up in foliage rather than on the ground as in other members of this genus. - View
Observation Methods: Comes to blacklights. Larvae are frequently found by beating foliage.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Wet-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 cruralis - Early Zanclognatha

 115 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-10-17
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-24
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Marilyn Westphal. on 2025-09-05
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Marilyn Westphal and Becky Elkin. on 2025-08-17
Henderson Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Marilyn Westphal and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-17
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: David George, Kevin Bischof, Rich Teper, Patrick Coin on 2025-08-15
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-07-29
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-07-26
Madison Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-25
Mitchell Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-05-23
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-05
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2025-04-21
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: David George on 2025-04-04
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-05
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-03
Mitchell Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-07-14
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-06-19
Madison Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-06-19
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-06-02
Madison Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-05-16
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-15
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-15
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-14
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-14
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-13
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Zanclognatha cruralis
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-12
Madison Co.
Comment: