Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
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View PDFErebidae Members: 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 tantillusAlamance 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: 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
Metalectra tantillus
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Brian Bockhahn, Jim Petranka, John Petranka, Becky Elkin on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Metalectra tantillus
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment:
Metalectra tantillus
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-14
Scotland Co.
Comment: 		Metalectra tantillus
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-17
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Metalectra tantillus
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-17
New Hanover Co.
Comment: 		Metalectra tantillus
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-16
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Metalectra tantillus
Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2023-06-22
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Metalectra tantillus
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Erich Hofmann, Jesse Anderson on 2023-05-22
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Metalectra tantillus
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2023-05-21
New Hanover Co.
Comment: 		Metalectra tantillus
Recorded by: J. A. Anderson on 2015-07-07
Surry Co.
Comment:
Metalectra tantillus
Recorded by: Britta Muiznieks on 2014-05-10
Dare Co.
Comment: 		Metalectra tantillus
Recorded by: T. DeSantis on 2012-07-03
Camden Co.
Comment: