Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
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View PDFNoctuidae Members:
Lithophane Members:
24 NC Records

Lithophane viridipallens Grote, 1877 - Pale Green Pinion

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: NoctuinaeTribe: XyleniniP3 Number: 932552.00 MONA Number: 9905.00
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: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The thorax is powdery, pale gray. The ground color of the forewings is a shining greenish gray (Forbes, 1954). A basal dash is missing but the basal area as a whole may be outlined in fine black. The antemedian and postmedian are darker gray, doubled, filled with pale gray and waved in the case of the antemedian and dentate in the postmedian. A darker median shade can also be present and especially contrasting from the costa to the area in between the spots. The orbicular and reniform are both finely outlined with black and filled with pale gray; the orbicular lacks a lower loop and the reniform has a inner darker lunule. Lithophane baileyi has a similar pattern but is more contrastingly marked, with a heavy basal dash and median shade. A reddish shade is usually present in the reniform and the orbicular is open at the top, extending to the costal margin.
Adult Structural Features: The forewings are narrow with a distinct bulge at the middle of the costa, slightly concave before and more markedly after (Forbes, 1954).
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
Immature 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 maritime forests and scrub, lakeshores, barrens, and various types of hardwood forests
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are polyphagous on a wide range of hardwood trees and shrubs (Wagner et al., 2011). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Forests and Shrublands
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 S4S5
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 viridipallens - Pale Green Pinion

Photos: 19

Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-03-07
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-02-08
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2023-01-18
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Bo Sullivan and Steve Hall on 2021-04-12
Moore Co.
Comment: Found on Black Cherry
Recorded by: Bo Sullivan and Steve Hall on 2021-04-12
Scotland Co.
Comment: Found on Black Cherry		Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2021-02-24
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-01-15
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-01-15
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2019-12-25
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-03-09
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-12-31
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Leigh Anne Carter on 2018-04-04
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Leigh Anne Carter on 2018-04-04
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2018-03-16
Cabarrus Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Paul Scharf on 2011-02-17
Warren Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Paul Scharf on 2011-02-17
Warren Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Paul Scharf on 2011-02-11
Warren Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: T. DeSantis on 2011-01-02
Camden Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: T. DeSantis on 2010-02-23
Camden Co.
Comment: