Moths of North Carolina
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Zanclognatha Members:
115 NC Records

Zanclognatha jacchusalis (Grote, 1872) - Wavy-lined Zanclognatha Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: ErebidaeSubfamily: HerminiinaeP3 Number: 930500.00 MONA Number: 8353.00
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. Formerly, this species was identified as "ochreipennis" (e.g., see Forbes, 1956; Hodges et al., 1983; Covell, 1984), but was re-identified as "jacchusalis" by Lafontaine and Honey (2009) (see also Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010), based on an examination of the type specimen. As another result of this analysis, the name "marcidilinea" was re-applied to the species that had formerly been known as "jacchusalis".
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984; as Zanclognatha ochreipennis); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: One of the larger species of Zanclognatha, jaccusalis is yellowish- or orange-brown that is heavily speckled or mottled with dark brown; the antemedian line is waved and the postmedian line is deeply dentate on the veins; the subterminal is prominent, straight, and with a dark shade preceding the luteous line (Forbes, 1954; Lafontaine and Honey, 2009). Marcidilinea, as now defined, is a paler gray brown, is more finely dusted, and has a more shallowly dentate, less prominent postmedian (Forbes, 1954; Lafontaine and Honey, 2009). The subterminal of marcidilinea also tends to be broader and lacks the preceding dark line (J.B. Sullivan, pers. obs.).
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: Wagner et al. (2011) list barrens, oak woodlands, and forests as the habitat of this species. Most of our records come from wet to mesic hardwoods, however, including riparian and cove forests and northern hardwoods.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae presumably feed on dead leaves and detritus; reared on dead oak leaves in captivity (Wagner et al., 2011) - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 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 jacchusalis - Wavy-lined Zanclognatha Moth

Photos: 14

Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-07-10
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Avery Young on 2023-09-15
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-31
Macon Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-30
Swain Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-29
Swain Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2021-08-27
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2021-08-02
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-07-15
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2021-06-15
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-05-13
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-09-14
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-09-05
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Taylor Piephoff on 2009-08-31
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: ASH, S.Hall on 2007-05-21
Moore Co.
Comment: