Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Lithacodia Members: 154 NC Records

Lithacodia musta (Grote & Robinson, 1868) - Small Mossy Lithacodia

Lithacodia mustaLithacodia mustaLithacodia mustaLithacodia musta
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Eustotiinae		P3 Number:
931292		 MONA Number:
9051.00		 Other Common Name:
Small Mossy Glyph
Comments: Information based primarily on molecular data and/or genitalia indicate that the genus that this species currently is assigned to is misapplied, but the correct genus to which it should be assigned has not been determined by experts. The genus name is sometimes placed in quotation marks ("Lithacodia” musta) to indicate the misapplied name.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
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.
Lithacodia mustaAlamance 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 mainly from wet to mesic hardwood forests. In the Piedmont and Coastal Plain, floodplains and lake shorelines are used. In the Mountains, alluvial forests, cove forests, and high elevation hardwoods are all used.
Larval Host Plants: Larval hosts are apparently unknown. - 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 [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 Lithacodia musta - Small Mossy Lithacodia

 81 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Marilyn Westphal and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-17
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-12
Ashe Co.
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Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: Marilyn Westphal on 2025-08-09
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: Emily Stanley on 2025-08-08
Buncombe Co.
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Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-07-15
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-02
Madison Co.
Comment:
Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kevin Bischof on 2024-08-07
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-03
Madison Co.
Comment:
Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-07-09
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-29
Rowan Co.
Comment:
Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-26
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-06-06
Buncombe Co.
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Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-11
Madison Co.
Comment:
Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: Andrew W. Jones on 2023-08-24
Polk Co.
Comment: 		Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-30
Swain Co.
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Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-13
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-07-11
Madison Co.
Comment:
Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-11
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-06-10
Madison Co.
Comment:
Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-03
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: John Petranka on 2023-06-02
Orange Co.
Comment:
Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: K. Bischof on 2023-05-13
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: Morgan Freese on 2022-07-24
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-07-11
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: Richard Teper on 2022-06-16
Macon Co.
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Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: Darryl Willis on 2022-06-14
Caldwell Co.
Comment: 		Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-06-03
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-05-19
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Lithacodia mustaRecorded by: John Petranka on 2022-05-18
Orange Co.
Comment: