Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFErebidae Members: Lascoria Members: 370 NC Records

Lascoria ambigualis Walker, 1866 - Ambiguous Moth

Lascoria ambigualisLascoria ambigualisLascoria ambigualisLascoria ambigualis
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Herminiinae		P3 Number:
930547		 MONA Number:
8393.00		 Other Common Name:
Ambiguous Litter Moth
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Males are easy to identify based on the notch they possess on the outer margin of the forewing. Females, however, can be difficult to distinguish from both males and females of Phalaenophana pyramusalis. Differences in the color of the spots is one usually reliable way to separate the two: in Lascoria, the orbicular and reniform are white or cream-colored; in Phalaenophana, they are black.
Wingspan: 23 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.
Lascoria ambigualisAlamance 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: Wagner et al. (2011) describe its habitats as including shrubby fields, woodlands, and forests. Our records span the entire range of habitats in North Carolina, from maritime dunes, bottomlands, swamps, savannas, sandridges, peatlands, mesic hardwoods, xeric woodlands, and high elevation summits.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are highly polyphagous, feeding on both dead and living plants, including graminoids, forbs, and hardwood shrubs. Wagner et al. (2011) specifically list holly (Ilex), morning-glory (Ipomoea), blackberry (Rubus), and Verbesina. We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Mixed Habitats
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Lascoria ambigualis - Ambiguous Moth

 174 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-08-26
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-08-25
Wake Co.
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Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-08-16
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Melody McMichael on 2025-08-09
Forsyth Co.
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Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Marilyn Westphal. on 2025-08-09
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Marilyn Westphal on 2025-08-06
Henderson Co.
Comment:
Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Melody McMichael on 2025-06-26
Forsyth Co.
Comment: 		Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish on 2025-06-17
Alamance Co.
Comment:
Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-09
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-22
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: John Petranka and Sally Gewalt on 2025-04-29
Warren Co.
Comment: 		Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-04-20
Durham Co.
Comment:
Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-10
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-06
Rowan Co.
Comment:
Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-04-05
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Emily Stanley on 2025-04-04
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-03
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-29
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-29
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-14
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-14
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-03-13
Wake Co.
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Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: John Petranka on 2024-11-05
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Owen McConnell on 2024-10-27
Graham Co.
Comment:
Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-29
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-09-27
Durham Co.
Comment:
Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-09-07
Alamance Co.
Comment: 		Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-03
Madison Co.
Comment:
Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-09
Mitchell Co.
Comment: 		Lascoria ambigualisRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-05
Transylvania Co.
Comment: