Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Erebidae Members:	Chytolita Members:	218 NC Records

Chytolita morbidalis (Guenée, 1854) - Morbid Owlet Moth

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Noctuoidea

Family:
Erebidae

Subfamily:
Herminiinae

P3 Number:
930502

MONA Number:
8355.00

Identification

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

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

Technical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954)

Wingspan: 35 mm (Forbes, 1954)

Structural photos

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].

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 from a wide range of hardwood forests, including both swamp and bottomland forests and upland ridges.

Larval Host Plants: Larvae have been reared on dead oak leaves (Wagner et al., 2011). Forbes (1954) also reported grass, dandlelion, hazel, and lettuce. - View

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Hardwood Forests

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [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 Chytolita morbidalis - Morbid Owlet Moth

95 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2025-07-24 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:		Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2025-05-24 Macon Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2025-05-18 Transylvania Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2025-05-14 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George on 2024-07-04 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-06-20 Watauga Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Regina Patton on 2024-06-08 Jackson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-06-03 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-25 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2024-05-24 Graham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-24 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Regina Patton on 2024-05-23 Jackson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Regina Patton on 2024-05-23 Jackson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Regina Patton on 2024-05-20 Jackson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-05-20 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-05-16 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-05-16 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-15 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-14 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-14 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-13 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-12 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-09 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-05 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-05-02 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-05-02 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-04-29 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2024-04-29 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2024-04-29 Chatham Co. Comment: