Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Noctuidae Members:	Lithophane Members:	43 NC Records

Lithophane innominata (Smith, 1893) - Nameless Pinion

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Noctuoidea

Family:
Noctuidae

Subfamily:
Noctuinae

Tribe:
Xylenini

P3 Number:
932534

MONA Number:
9888.00

Comments: One of 51 species in this genus that occur in North America (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010, 2015), 25 of which have been recorded in North Carolina

Identification

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

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

Technical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954)

Adult Markings: Dimorphic, with a uniformly colored form and a form with a pale area along the costa that contrasts with a darker area in the median area of the wing and along the inner margin (Forbes, 1954). The uniform type (form illecebra) is primarily pale, with the ground color light ochre. This form is very similar to the corresponding pale form of patefacta, but the ground color of that species is more pearl gray to whitish gray. Both species have a dark subreniform spot in the fold, but this spot is larger, more diffuse or blurred in innominata and often followed by a pale spot or bar; in patefacta, the subreniform is smaller and more sharply defined. The dark, constrasting forms of both species have the same distinctions in the ground color along the costal edge and in the subreniform spot.

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.


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 almost entirely from cove forests and high elevation hardwoods. Records from the Piedmont come from along the Roanoke River, whose floodplain ans slopes support a number of species that are disjunct from the Mountains.

Larval Host Plants: Larvae are polyphagous on a wide range of hardwood trees and shrubs. Wagner et al. (2011) specifically list fir (Abies), maple (Acer), alder (Alnus), birch (Betula), hornbeam (Carpinus), hickory (Carya), hawthorn (Crataegus), apple (Malus), spruce (Picea), pine (Pinus), cherry (Prunus), oak (Quercus), willow (Salix), American Basswood (Tilia americana), and hemlock (Tsuga). - View

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Montane Mesic 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 Lithophane innominata - Nameless Pinion

Photos: 12

	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-04-04 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-04-04 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2023-10-27 Graham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan and Becky Elkin on 2023-09-14 Macon Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-03-25 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2022-09-28 Graham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2021-11-06 Cabarrus Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2019-04-10 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-10-14 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-10-14 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2014-04-21 Yancey Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jackie Nelson / Doug Blatny on 2011-03-19 Ashe Co. Comment: