Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
« Home »
View PDFNolidae Members: Meganola Members: 275 NC Records

Meganola minuscula (Zeller, 1872) - Confused Meganola

Meganola minusculaMeganola minusculaMeganola minuscula
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Nolidae		Subfamily:
Nolinae		P3 Number:
931121		 MONA Number:
8983.00		 Other Common Name:
Confused Oak Punkie
Comments: One of eight described species in this genus that occur in North America, three of which are found in North Carolina.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: All three of our Meganola species are relatively small gray moths with similar markings. Compared to Meganola phylla, M. minuscula has a relatively weak spot at the center of the costa and weak shading at the base of the costa, but comparatively stronger lines, with the postmedian double rather than single opposite the cell (Dyar, 1898; Forbes, 1948). Compared to Meganola spodia, M. minuscula is a lighter, whitish or silvery gray without a brown tint, as is particularly evident on the hindwing, which is much darker in spodia. The costal spot on the forewing is also triangular in minuscula rather than rectangular as it is in spodia (Franclemont, 1985).
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.
Meganola minusculaAlamance 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 primarily from upland stands of Oak-Hickory Forests, ranging from dry to mesic.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on oaks (Quercus) (Wagner et al., 2011), and have also been reported on willow (Salix) (Tietz, 1972; Covell, 1984). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Oak-Hickory Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G4 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 Meganola minuscula - Confused Meganola

 50 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Meganola minusculaRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-25
Mitchell Co.
Comment: 		Meganola minusculaRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-25
Mitchell Co.
Comment:
Meganola minusculaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Brian Bockhahn on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Meganola minusculaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment:
Meganola minusculaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2025-04-24
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Meganola minusculaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2025-03-27
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Meganola minusculaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-26
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Meganola minusculaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-23
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Meganola minusculaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-16
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Meganola minusculaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-15
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Meganola minusculaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kevin Bischof on 2024-08-07
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Meganola minusculaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Meganola minusculaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Meganola minusculaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2024-06-28
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Meganola minusculaRecorded by: John Petranka on 2024-06-19
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Meganola minusculaRecorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-06-11
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Meganola minusculaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-27
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Meganola minusculaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-25
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Meganola minusculaRecorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Meganola minusculaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-12
Madison Co.
Comment:
Meganola minusculaRecorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-04-16
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Meganola minusculaRecorded by: John Petranka, Chuck Smith on 2024-03-13
Bladen Co.
Comment:
Meganola minusculaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-03-10
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Meganola minusculaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-03-08
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Meganola minusculaRecorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-31
Swain Co.
Comment: 		Meganola minusculaRecorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-30
Swain Co.
Comment:
Meganola minusculaRecorded by: John Petranka on 2023-06-06
Alleghany Co.
Comment: 		Meganola minusculaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-05-08
Madison Co.
Comment:
Meganola minusculaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2022-11-29
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Meganola minusculaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2022-10-13
Carteret Co.
Comment: