Moths and Butterflies of North Carolina
Yellow-necked Caterpillar Moth
The Yellownecked Caterpillar (Datana ministra) is a moth of the Notodontidae family. It is found in southern Canada and the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, in the south-west it ranges to California.
Noctuid Moths
The Noctuidae or owlet moths are a family of robustly built moths that includes more than 35,000 known species out of possibly 100,000 total, in more than 4,200 genera. They constitute the largest family in the Lepidoptera.
Clover Looper Moth
The Clover Looper or Range Grass Moth (Caenurgina crassiuscula) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from coast to coast in the United States and adjacent parts of Canada, in the west to the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Alaska.
Isabella Tiger Moth
The Isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella) can be found in many cold regions, including the Arctic. The banded Woolly Bear larva emerges from the egg in the fall and overwinters in its caterpillar form, when it literally freezes solid. First its heart stops beating, then its gut freezes, then its blood, followed by the rest of the body. It survives being frozen by ...more ↓
Agreeable Tiger Moth
The Agreeable Tiger Moth (Spilosoma congrua) is one of three species of white tiger moth which are common in the US. It has pronounced black eyes, white abdomen, and orange "bib" which set it apart from its cousin the Virginia Tiger Moth. Like its cousins, it tents its wings when at rest.
Vapourer
The Rusty Tussock Moth or Vapourer, Orgyia antiqua, is a moth in the family Lymantriidae that is native to Europe, but now transcontinental in distribution in the Palaearctic and the Nearctic regions. The orange-brown male flies mostly during the day, but the female is flightless, spending her brief life attached to her cocoon. The hairy caterpillar is spectacular, ...more ↓
Giant Leopard Moth
The Giant Leopard Moth or Eyed Tiger Moth (Hypercompe scribonia) is a moth of the family Arctiidae. It is distributed throughout the Southern and Eastern United States from New England to Mexico. The obsolete name Ecpantheria scribonia is still occasionally encountered.
Spotted Tussock Moth
The Spotted Tussock Moth, Mottled Tiger or Spotted Halisidota (Lophocampa maculata) is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It is found across southern Canada, the western parts of the United States, south in Appalachians to South Carolina and Kentucky.
Vetch Looper Moth
The Vetch Looper Moth (Caenurgia chloropha) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in the south-eastern United States, northern Mexico and Cuba. Strays may be found as far north as southern Ontario.
bristly cutworm
The Kidney-spotted Minor or Bristly Cutworm (Lacinipolia renigera) is a species of moth of the Noctuidae family. It is endemic to most of North America with the exception of Yukon and Alaska.
White-marked Tussock Moth
Orgyia leucostigma, the White-marked tussock moth, is a moth in the family Lymantriidae. The caterpillar is very common especially in late summer in eastern North America, as far west as Texas, Colorado, and Alberta.
Spotted grass moth
The Spotted Grass Moth or Yellow Snout-moth (Rivula propinqualis) is a species of moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found throughout eastern North America from southern Canada southward to Florida and Texas and westward in the north to British Columbia and Washington. In North Carolina it is found from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic coast.
milkweed tussock moth
Euchaetes egle, the Milkweed Tussock Caterpillar or Milkweed Tiger Moth, is a moth in the family Arctiidae. It is a common mid- through late-summer feeder on milkweeds and dogbane. Like most species in this family, it has chemical defenses it acquires from its host plants, in this case, cardiac glycosides (Weller et al., 1999). These are retained in adults and ...more ↓
Large Yellow Underwing
The Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) is a moth, the type species for the family Noctuidae. It is an abundant species throughout the Palearctic ecozone, one of the most common and most familiar moths of the region. In some years the species is highly migratory with large numbers appearing suddenly in marginal parts of the range.
Hickory Tussock Moth
Lophocampa caryae, the hickory tussock moth or hickory halisidota, is a moth in the family Arctiidae. Like most species in its family, the caterpillars acquire chemical defenses from their host plants. The behaviour and aposematic coloration of the larvae also suggests chemical protection in this stage, although they have not been analyzed for alkaloid or ...more ↓
Leconte's Haploa
Leconte's Haploa (Haploa lecontei) is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It is found Nova Scotia to Georgia, west to Manitoba through Arkansas.
Beautiful Wood-nymph Moth
Eudryas grata is a moth known as the beautiful wood nymph. The caterpillars are known to feed on the Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia).
Unexpected Cycnia Moth
Cycnia inopinatus, the Unexpected Cycnia, is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It was described by H. Edwards in 1882. It is found in the United States (Florida, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode ...more ↓
painted lichen moth
The Painted Lichen Moth (Hypoprepia fucosa) is a species of moth of the Arctiidae family. It is found in the United States and southern Canada east of the Rocky Mountains.
Witch Hazel Dagger Moth
The Witch Hazel Dagger Moth (Acronicta hamamelis) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in Canada (Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario) and parts of the United States, including Maryland.
Banded tussock moth
Halysidota tessellaris, the banded tussock moth, tessellated halisidota, or pale tiger moth, is a moth in the family Arctiidae. Like most species in this family, it has chemical defenses it acquires from its host plants, in this case, alkaloids (Weller et al., 1999, Hristov and Conner 2005), at least in the adult. The brazen behaviour of the larvae also ...more ↓
Owlet Moths, Tiger Moths, Tussock Moths and Allies
The Erebidae are a family of moths, most of which were formerly classified in the family Noctuidae, plus all of the former members of the families Arctiidae and Lymantriidae. This re-classification has not yet met with general consensus, and many resources and publications still follow the older classification scheme (e.g.).
Litter Moths
Herminiinae is one of the smaller subfamilies of the moth family Noctuidae. They are sometimes treated as a separate family, Herminiidae.
Clymene Moth
The Clymene Moth (Haploa clymene) is a moth of the Tiger Moth family - Arctiidae, subfamily Arctiinae. It is found in the East of North America.
Speckled Renia Moth
The Gray Renia (Renia adspergillus) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Michigan to Quebec and south to Louisiana and Florida.
American Idia
The American Idia or American Snout (Idia americalis) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from southern Canada to Florida and Texas.
Common Idia
The Common Idia, Powdered Snout or Waved Tabby (Idia aemula) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Canada south to Florida and Texas and in most of Eurasia.
Dark-spotted Palthis
The Dark-spotted Palthis (Palthis angulalis) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Newfoundland west to coastal British Columbia, south to Florida and Texas.
Ultronia Underwing
The Dark Red Underwing or Ultronia Underwing (Catocala ultronia) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in most of eastern North America, south to Florida and Texas. It ranges west across the southern parts of Canada to extreme southeast British Columbia.
Early Fan-foot
The Early Zanclognatha (Zanclognatha cruralis) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Wisconsin east through southern Canada, south to Florida and Texas.
Zanclognatha atrilineella
Zanclognatha atrilineella is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in the south-eastern parts of the United States.
Variable Zanclognatha
The Variable Zanclognatha (Zanclognatha laevigata) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Manitoba to Nova Scotia, south to Florida and Missouri.
Flame-shouldered Dart
Ochropleura implecta is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Newfoundland to South Carolina, west to Arizona, north to British Columbia.
Greater Black-letter Dart
The Greater Black-letter Dart, Woodland Spotted Cutworm or Spotted Cutworm (Xestia dolosa) is a moth of the Noctuidae family (Note that the common name Spotted Cutworm is also used for larvae of Xestia c-nigrum). It is found from New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island to Florida west to Texas, north to North Dakota and Manitoba.
Black-bordered Lemon Moth
The Black-bordered Lemon Moth (Marimatha nigrofimbria) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Massachusetts westward through northern Ohio to Illinois and Oklahoma and southward to southern Florida and southernmost Texas.
Dark Phalaenostola
The Punctuated Owlet (Phalaenostola eumelusalis) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from New Brunswick, North Dakota and South Dakota to Maine, south to Georgia and Iowa. In the north it is also found in Saskatchewan.
marbled underwing moth
The Marbled Underwing (Catocala marmorata) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Vermont to South Carolina and west to Indiana and Illinois.
American Dagger Moth
The American Dagger Moth (Acronicta americana) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is native to North America.
The Laugher
The Laugher or Marbled Tuffet Moth (Charadra deridens) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Canada, through most of the United States except the south-western states.
common fungus moth
The Common Fungus Moth (Metalectra discalis) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Quebec and Wisconsin to Maine, south to Florida, west to Texas and Missouri, north to Ontario.
Lochmaeus manteo
The Variable Oakleaf Caterpillar Moth (Lochmaeus manteo) is a moth of the Notodontidae family. It is found in eastern North America.
Brown-collared Dart
The Brown-collared Dart (Protolampra brunneicollis) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in eastern North America from New Brunswick to Alberta in southern Canada, and in the United States from Maine to North Carolina and Tennessee west to Mississippi, north to Minnesota, with scattered records in the west from North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana.
Red-humped caterpillar
The Red-humped Caterpillar (Schizura concinna) is a moth of the Notodontidae family. It is found from southern Canada to Florida and California.
Macrochilo louisiana
The Louisiana Macrochilo or Louisiana Snout-moth (Macrochilo louisiana) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Quebec and Maine to Florida, west to Texas, north to Alberta.
Carlotta's Tiger Moth
Apantesis carlotta, Carlotta's Tiger Moth, is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It was described by Ferguson in 1985. . It is found from Maine to Georgia, west to North Dakota and Texas.
Hypena eductalis
The Red-footed Bomolocha Moth or Alder Smoke (Hypena eductalis) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Saskatchewan to Nova Scotia south to Florida and Texas.
Acronicta albarufa
Barrens Dagger Moth (Acronicta albarufa) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It has a fragmented distribution that includes southern Ontario and Manitoba, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, and Colorado. It may also be present in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, mainland New York and New Mexico. It has been ...more ↓
Acronicta lanceolaria
The Lanceolate Dagger Moth or Pointed Dagger (Acronicta lanceolaria) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in North America, from Nova Scotia to British Columbia.
Ovate Dagger Moth
The Ovate Dagger Moth (Acronicta ovata) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Nova Scotia to North Carolina, west to Texas, north to Manitoba.
Acronicta perblanda
Acronicta perblanda is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Carteret County, North Carolina and Stoddard County, Missouri to northern Florida to southern Louisiana.
Acronicta sinescripta
Acronicta sinescripta is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from South Carolina to Highlands County, Florida and westward through the Gulf States to Louisiana.
False Underwing Moth
The False Underwing Moth (Allotria elonympha) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in eastern North America.
Argyrostrotis quadrifilaris
The Four-Lined Chocolate Moth (Argyrostrotis quadrifilaris) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from New York and New Hampshire south to Florida and Texas.
Catocala consors
The Consort Underwing (Catocala consors) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Maine and Connecticut south to Florida and west to Texas and eastern Oklahoma.
Catocala illecta
The Magdalen Underwing (Catocala illecta) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from south-western Ontario south to Tennessee and South Carolina and west and south to Texas and north through Oklahoma and Kansas to Nebraska, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan.
Catocala messalina
The Messalina Underwing (Catocala messalina) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Virginia south to Florida and west to Texas and north to Kansas.
