Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Family (Alpha):
« Home »
View PDFNoctuidae Members: Lithophane Members: 43 NC Records

Lithophane innominata (Smith, 1893) - Nameless Pinion


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