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

Zanclognatha cruralis (Guenée, 1854) - Early Zanclognatha Moth


Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: ErebidaeSubfamily: HerminiinaeP3 Number: 930498.00 MONA Number: 8351.00
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 Photographs: 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)
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.
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Our records come mainly from wet to mesic hardwood forests, including bottomland hardwoods, mesic slopes, cove forests, and northern hardwods. Only a few come from xeric woodlands, such as maritime forests or sandridges.
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). Specific species include beech, hazel, hemlock, maple, nettle and red spruce. 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 S5
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
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 Photo Gallery for Zanclognatha cruralis - Early Zanclognatha Moth

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

Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-08-18
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-15
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-29
Swain Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-06-25
Buncombe Co.
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Recorded by: David George on 2023-06-16
Avery Co.
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Recorded by: David George on 2023-06-16
Avery Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-03
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2023-06-02
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2023-05-25
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-05-23
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-05-23
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-05-22
Wake Co.
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Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-05-21
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-05-17
Chatham Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-05-12
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: Chuck Smith on 2023-05-06
Davidson Co.
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Recorded by: Steve Hall, David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-04-29
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-04-28
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-04-27
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-04-20
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2023-04-18
Buncombe Co.
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Recorded by: David George on 2023-04-15
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2022-09-22
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: David George on 2022-09-14
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn on 2022-09-09
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2022-08-31
Graham Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-08-24
Clay Co.
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Recorded by: Richard Teper on 2022-06-24
Avery Co.
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Recorded by: Richard Teper on 2022-06-24
Avery Co.
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Recorded by: David George on 2022-05-30
Durham Co.
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