Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
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View PDFErebidae Members: Ascalapha Members: 31 NC Records

Ascalapha odorata (Linnaeus, 1758) - Black Witch

Ascalapha odorataAscalapha odorataAscalapha odorataAscalapha odorata
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Erebinae		Tribe:
Thermesiini		P3 Number:
930759		 MONA Number:
8649.00		 Other Common Names:
Moneybat Moth, Money Moth, Witch Moth
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: 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.
Ascalapha odorataAlamance 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:
Larval Host Plants: Among the many host plants listed by various authors, only locusts (Robinia spp.) are native to North Carolina (Robinson et al., 2010), though Ascalapha odorata 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 SNR [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 up from the tropics.

 Photo Gallery for Ascalapha odorata - Black Witch

 31 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: Steve Lamb on 2025-08-31
Iredell Co.
Comment: 		Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: Gordon Gardinier on 2024-08-22
Durham Co.
Comment:
Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: R. Newman on 2024-08-14
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: Robyn N. Culpepper on 2024-08-02
Perquimans Co.
Comment:
Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: Robyn N. Culpepper on 2024-08-02
Perquimans Co.
Comment: 		Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: T Sherrill on 2024-07-30
Catawba Co.
Comment:
Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: T Sherrill on 2024-07-30
Catawba Co.
Comment: 		Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: T Sherrill on 2024-07-30
Catawba Co.
Comment:
Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: R. Newman on 2024-07-07
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: R. Newman on 2023-07-18
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: R. Newman on 2023-07-11
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: R. Newman on 2023-06-27
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: R. Newman on 2022-07-17
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: Margie Gardiner on 2021-07-20
Wake Co.
Comment:
Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: J. A. Anderson, S. Covell on 2020-11-02
New Hanover Co.
Comment: 		Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: Nancy L Campbell on 2020-10-27
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: Robyn N. Culpepper on 2020-10-11
Chowan Co.
Comment: 		Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: Steve Deskevich on 2020-09-05
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment:
Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: Beth Shulman on 2020-06-22
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: B. Fleming on 2019-10-11
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: Crisley R Handly on 2019-10-06
Forsyth Co.
Comment: 		Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: Darryl Willis on 2019-09-26
Cabarrus Co.
Comment:
Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: Hayes Lewis and Joe Mickey on 2019-08-23
Surry Co.
Comment: 		Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: Alison Ives on 2019-07-07
Moore Co.
Comment:
Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: Alison Ives on 2019-07-01
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: Alison Ives on 2019-07-01
Moore Co.
Comment:
Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: Brad Hallenbeck on 2018-06-21
Forsyth Co.
Comment: Reporting for a friend		Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: B. Bockhahn, K. Kittelberger on 2017-09-14
Rockingham Co.
Comment:
Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: Ronny Roberts on 2008-08-20
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Ascalapha odorataRecorded by: Newman, Randy on 2004-12-16
Carteret Co.
Comment: same individual from bathhouse