Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
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View PDFErebidae Members:
Ascalapha Members:
22 NC Records

Ascalapha odorata (Linnaeus, 1758) - Black Witch Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: ErebidaeSubfamily: ErebinaeTribe: ThermesiiniP3 Number: 930759.00 MONA Number: 8649.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
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:
Larval Host Plants: Among the many plants listed by various authors, only locusts (Robinia spp.) are native to North Carolina (Robinson et al., 2010), though this species is probably only present in our state as a stray. - View
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNA
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This spectacular species occurs in North Carolina only as an uncommon stray

 Photo Gallery for Ascalapha odorata - Black Witch Moth

Photos: 21

Recorded by: R. Newman on 2023-07-18
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2023-07-11
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2023-06-27
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-07-17
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Margie Gardiner on 2021-07-20
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: J. A. Anderson, S. Covell on 2020-11-02
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Nancy L Campbell on 2020-10-27
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Steve Deskevich on 2020-09-05
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Beth Shulman on 2020-06-22
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: B. Fleming on 2019-10-11
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Crisley R Handly on 2019-10-06
Forsyth Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2019-09-26
Cabarrus Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Hayes Lewis and Joe Mickey on 2019-08-23
Surry Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Alison Ives on 2019-07-07
Moore Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Alison Ives on 2019-07-01
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Alison Ives on 2019-07-01
Moore Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Brad Hallenbeck on 2018-06-21
Forsyth Co.
Comment: Reporting for a friend		Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, K. Kittelberger on 2017-09-14
Rockingham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Ronny Roberts on 2008-08-20
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Newman, Randy on 2004-12-16
Carteret Co.
Comment: same individual from bathhouse
Recorded by: Newman, Randy on 2004-12-16
Carteret Co.
Comment: FOMA - Female at bathhouse. cold tempretures 33degrees had stunned specimen and it was lying on the boardwalk near refreshment stand at 730hrs.