Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNolidae Members:
Meganola Members:
59 NC Records

Meganola spodia Franclemont, 1985 - Ashy Meganola

Meganola spodiaMeganola spodiaMeganola spodia
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Nolidae		Subfamily:
Nolinae		P3 Number:
931123		 MONA Number:
8983.20		 Other Common Name:
Once-charred Punkie
Comments: One of eight described species in this genus that occur in North America, three of which are found in North Carolina.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: All three of our Meganola species are relatively small gray moths with similar markings. Compared to both Meganola phylla and minuscula, both of which are whitish or silvery gray, M. spodia has a browner tint, which is particularly evident on the darker hindwings (Franclemont, 1985). As in M. minuscula but not phylla, the lines are strongly marked, with the postmedian double rather than single. The mid-costal spot is rectangular in spodia rather than triangular, as it is in the other two species (Franclemont, 1985).
Forewing Length: 9-11 mm, males; 12-13 mm, females (Franclemont, 1985)
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.
Meganola spodia
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: Our records come from a wide range of oak-containing habitats, including maritime forests, bottomlands, sand ridge scrub, mesic slopes, and dry ridges.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on oaks, including red and white oaks (Wagner et al., 2011). Reported hosts include White Oak (Quercus alba), Chestnut Oak (Q. montana), Northern Red Oak (Q. rubra), Post Oak (Q. stellata), and Black Oak (Q. velutina) (Robinson et al., 2010; Wagner et al., 2011). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Oak-Hickory Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 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 Meganola spodia - Ashy Meganola

Photos: 17

Recorded by: Jim Petranka, John Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, John Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
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Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, John Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-08
Harnett Co.
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Recorded by: Stephen Hall, David George, and David Bradley on 2024-05-07
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-05-23
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-05-17
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-05-12
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-05-12
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2022-05-29
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2020-07-16
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-06-09
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2019-05-20
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2019-05-02
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2015-05-12
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jackie Nelson / Doug Blatny on 2013-07-29
Ashe Co.
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Recorded by: Lenny Lampel on 2013-05-30
Mecklenburg Co.
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