Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Erebidae Members:	Allotria Members:	517 NC Records

Allotria elonympha (Hübner, 1818) - False Underwing

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Noctuoidea

Family:
Erebidae

Subfamily:
Erebinae

Tribe:
Poaphilini

P3 Number:
930962

MONA Number:
8721.00

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)

Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD

Technical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner et al. (2011)

Wingspan: 3.3 - 4.5 cm (Covell, 1984)

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from close inspection of specimens or by DNA analysis.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Found statewide in North Carolina.

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
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: Found across the range of Nyssa species, including swamp forests and blackwater riparian forests in the Coastal Plain and dry ridges in the Piedmont and Mountains.

Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on tupelo (Nyssa) species (Wagner et al., 2011). Covell (1984) also lists hickory (Carya) and walnut (Juglans). David George has documented a larva believed to be this species feeding on Blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica) in Durham County. - View

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for Gum and Tupelo 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 Allotria elonympha - False Underwing

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

	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-14 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Marilyn Westphal. on 2025-09-05 Henderson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-31 Rowan Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-08-26 Moore Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-08-26 Moore Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-08-21 Moore Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-08-21 Moore Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Marilyn Westphal and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-17 Henderson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-08-16 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Kevin Bischof, Rich Teper, Patrick Coin on 2025-08-15 Transylvania Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-05 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-02 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-28 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-27 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-07-26 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Dale Morgan, Patrick Coin, Julie Tuttle, Becky Watkins, et al. on 2025-07-26 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-23 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-07-20 Moore Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2025-07-19 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2025-07-19 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-14 Rowan Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-08 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-08 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-07-05 Moore Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-07-04 Wake Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-07-03 Moore Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-06-30 Moore Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, David Cheng, Patrick Coin on 2025-06-29 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-25 Mitchell Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Joye Zhou on 2025-06-20 Richmond Co. Comment: