Moths of North Carolina
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Palthis Members:
445 NC Records

Palthis angulalis (Hübner, 1796) - Dark-spotted Palthis

Palthis angulalisPalthis angulalisPalthis angulalisPalthis angulalis
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Herminiinae		P3 Number:
930551		 MONA Number:
8397.00		 Other Common Name:
Spruce Harlequin
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The ground color is dull or reddish-brown, sometimes with purplish shading (Forbes, 1954). A dark median shade is the strongest marking and is strongly incurved at the inner margin. The orbicular is typically very small or missing but the reniform is well-defined and solid brown, not divided by a pale line as in asopialis. A terminal dark brown or reddish-brown patch is present, bordered by a subterminal patch that is often yellowish but not contrastingly dark brown as in asopialis.
Forewing Length: 20-25 mm (Forbes, 1954)
Adult Structural Features: The palps are very long in both sexes. In females, they project forward but in males, they are recurved over the back and somewhat covered over by the adjoining scales of the thorax; they are also pale, forming what appears to be a pale yellowish or off-white median line, but not as orange-yellow as in asopialis.
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.
Palthis angulalis
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
Immature 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 forests and woodlands as habitat. Our records largely agree with that description, with almost all coming from forested habitats rather than open, herb-dominated sites.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are broadly polyphagous, feeding on a diverse range of forbs, hardwoods, and conifers. Wagner et al. (2011) specifically list fir (Abies), alder (Alnus), birch (Betula), chestnut (Castanea), ninebark (Physocarpus), spruce (Picea), Rhododendron, goldenrod (Solidago), and basswood (Tilia). In North Carolina, our only feeding record is from a hawthorn (Crataegus sp.). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Forests
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 Palthis angulalis - Dark-spotted Palthis

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

Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-10-07
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-09-22
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-21
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Chuck Smith on 2024-09-08
Davidson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-08
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-02
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-08-17
Buncombe Co.
Comment: Larva was on a hawthorn (Crataegus sp.). 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-08-17
Buncombe Co.
Comment: Larva was on a hawthorn (Crataegus sp.).
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-05
Mitchell Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-23
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George on 2024-07-04
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-04
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-26
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-06-23
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George on 2024-06-20
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-15
Scotland Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-14
Scotland Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-13
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-15
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-15
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-05-10
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-04-15
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-04-01
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Becky Watkins on 2024-03-14
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-09-16
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-09-07
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2023-09-07
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-09-04
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-30
Madison Co.
Comment: