Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Nolidae Members:	Meganola Members:	278 NC Records

Meganola minuscula (Zeller, 1872) - Confused Meganola

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.


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 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

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

	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-09-23 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Marilyn Westphal. on 2025-09-05 Henderson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Marilyn Westphal and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-17 Henderson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-25 Mitchell Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-25 Mitchell Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Brian Bockhahn on 2025-05-09 Cumberland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-09 Cumberland Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-04-24 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-03-27 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-26 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-23 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-16 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-15 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kevin Bischof on 2024-08-07 Transylvania Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06 Transylvania Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06 Transylvania Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-06-28 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-06-19 Watauga Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-06-11 Transylvania Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-27 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-25 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-12 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-04-16 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: John Petranka, Chuck Smith on 2024-03-13 Bladen Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-03-10 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-03-08 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-31 Swain Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-30 Swain Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-06-06 Alleghany Co. Comment: