Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNolidae Members: Nycteola Members: 85 NC Records

Nycteola metaspilella (Walker, 1866) - Forgotten Frigid Owlet Moth

Nycteola metaspilellaNycteola metaspilellaNycteola metaspilella
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Nolidae		Subfamily:
Chloephorinae		Tribe:
Sarrothripini		P3 Number:
931145		 MONA Number:
8978.00		 MONA Synonym:
Nycteola scriptana		Other Common Names:
Frigid Owlet, Sienna-dotted Nycteola
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Rindge (1961)                                                                                 
Adult Structural Features: Both male and female reproductive structures are distinctive -- Rindge (1961) provides a key to the North American species based on these features (see Fletcher, 1959, and Rindge, 1961, for illustrations).
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.
Nycteola metaspilellaAlamance 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 a few records from habitats where Balsam Poplar occurs, but the majority come from shoreline habitats where willows are the likely host plants
Larval Host Plants: Larvae reportedly feed on Bigtooth Aspen (Populus grandidentata), Balsam Poplar (P. balsamifera), and willows (Salix) (Wagner et al., 2011). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Shoreline Shrublands
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR 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 Nycteola metaspilella - Forgotten Frigid Owlet Moth

 75 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-03-14
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: Morgan Freese on 2024-04-29
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-04-13
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-03-30
Rowan Co.
Comment:
Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-03-08
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-03-05
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-03-04
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: John Petranka on 2024-03-04
Orange Co.
Comment:
Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: tom ward on 2023-10-07
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: K. Bischof on 2023-06-14
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-03
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: Darryl Willis on 2023-04-11
Cabarrus Co.
Comment:
Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-04-04
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-02-15
Wake Co.
Comment:
Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: David George on 2022-09-05
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-06-13
Wake Co.
Comment:
Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-06-11
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-05-30
Wake Co.
Comment:
Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2022-05-17
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2022-05-16
Durham Co.
Comment:
Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-03-31
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-03-06
Madison Co.
Comment:
Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-02-25
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: tom ward on 2021-07-20
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-06-16
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: tom ward on 2021-06-10
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2021-05-11
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-04-12
Madison Co.
Comment:
Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2021-04-07
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Nycteola metaspilellaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-04-07
Madison Co.
Comment: