Moths of North Carolina
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Athetis tarda (Guenée, 1852) - Slowpoke Moth

Athetis tardaAthetis tardaAthetis tardaAthetis tarda
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Noctuinae		Tribe:
Caradrinini		P3 Number:
932269		 MONA Number:
9650.00		 Other Common Name:
The Slowpoke
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984; as Anorthodes tarda); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Wingspan: 25-28 mm (Forbes, 1954)
Structural photos
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.
Athetis tardaAlamance 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: Our records come from wet-mesic hardwood forests, including some peatland areas where oaks are absent
Larval Host Plants: Larvae have been reported on dead oak leaves (Wagner et al., 2011). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Wet-Mesic Hardwood 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 Athetis tarda - Slowpoke Moth

 181 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-10-04
Rowan Co.
Comment: 		Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-09-28
Madison Co.
Comment:
Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2025-09-24
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-22
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-22
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-09-12
Jackson Co.
Comment:
Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-09-12
Jackson Co.
Comment: 		Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-09-12
Jackson Co.
Comment:
Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-12
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Marilyn Westphal on 2025-09-07
Henderson Co.
Comment:
Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Marilyn Westphal. on 2025-09-05
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Marilyn Westphal. on 2025-09-05
Henderson Co.
Comment:
Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Marilyn Westphal, Nora Murdock on 2025-08-25
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Marilyn Westphal, Nora Murdock on 2025-08-25
Rutherford Co.
Comment:
Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Marilyn Westphal and Becky Elkin. on 2025-08-17
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Marilyn Westphal and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-17
Henderson Co.
Comment:
Athetis tarda
Recorded by: David George, Kevin Bischof, Rich Teper, Patrick Coin on 2025-08-15
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-12
Ashe Co.
Comment:
Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-09
Ashe Co.
Comment: 		Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-09
Ashe Co.
Comment:
Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-04
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2025-04-30
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-04-27
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-15
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Athetis tarda
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-04-05
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Athetis tarda
Recorded by: David George on 2025-04-04
Durham Co.
Comment:
Athetis tarda
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-09-22
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-09-20
Madison Co.
Comment:
Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2024-09-18
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Athetis tarda
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-17
Madison Co.
Comment: