Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNotodontidae Members: Lochmaeus Members: 411 NC Records

Lochmaeus manteo Doubleday, 1841 - Variable Oakleaf Caterpillar Moth

Lochmaeus manteoLochmaeus manteoLochmaeus manteoLochmaeus manteo
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Notodontidae		Subfamily:
Heterocampinae		P3 Number:
930090		 MONA Number:
7998.00
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.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Lochmaeus manteoAlamance 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.
Immature 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: immatures.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Barrens, woodlands, and forests (Wagner, 2005). Our records come the full range of hardwood forests and woodlands in the state, from maritime forests to northern hardwoods.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are polyphagous, but oak, beech, and chestnut are apparently preferred (Wagner, 2005). In North Carolina, larvae have been recorded feeding on Allegheny Chinquapin (Castanea pumila), hawthorn (Crataegus), American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), White Oak (Quercus alba), Water Oak (Q. nigra), Cherrybark Oak (Q. pagoda), Willow Oak (Q. phellos), Northern Red Oak (Q. rubra), Black Oak (Q. velutina), and American Elm (Ulmus americana). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Lochmaeus manteo - Variable Oakleaf Caterpillar Moth

 162 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-02
Rowan Co.
Comment: 		Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-27
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-23
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish, Randy Emmitt on 2025-08-12
Alamance Co.
Comment:
Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-10
Ashe Co.
Comment: 		Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-08-07
Durham Co.
Comment:
Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-04
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-04
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-08-03
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-03
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-30
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-07-29
Madison Co.
Comment:
Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-07-29
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-24
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-13
Rowan Co.
Comment: 		Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2025-07-13
Yancey Co.
Comment:
Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2025-07-13
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-25
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-25
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-21
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Joye Zhou on 2025-06-20
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-15
Rowan Co.
Comment:
Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-15
Rowan Co.
Comment: 		Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-06-03
Durham Co.
Comment:
Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-05-29
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-05-29
Cumberland Co.
Comment:
Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-23
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-23
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Lochmaeus manteo
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-22
Wilson Co.
Comment: