Moths of North Carolina
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Metalectra Members:
63 NC Records

Metalectra tantillus (Grote, 1875) - Black Fungus Moth

Metalectra tantillusMetalectra tantillusMetalectra tantillus
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Boletobiinae		P3 Number:
930682		 MONA Number:
8502.00
Comments: One of eleven species in this genus that occur in North America (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010), six 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 ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Metalectra tantillus
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: We have records from a wide range of forests, including maritime forests, bottomland forests, and dry ridges.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae probably feed on both algae and lichens (Wagner et al., 2011). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G4 SNR [S3S4]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Metalectra tantillus - Black Fungus Moth

Photos: 12

Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Brian Bockhahn, Jim Petranka, John Petranka, Becky Elkin on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-14
Scotland Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-17
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-17
New Hanover Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-16
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2023-06-22
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Erich Hofmann, Jesse Anderson on 2023-05-22
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2023-05-21
New Hanover Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: J. A. Anderson on 2015-07-07
Surry Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Britta Muiznieks on 2014-05-10
Dare Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: T. DeSantis on 2012-07-03
Camden Co.
Comment: