Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2024

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events
TaxonomyBrowse
Info
ImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Owlet Moths and kin (Noctuoidea) » Erebidae » Litter Moths (Herminiinae) » Zanclognatha » Early Zanclognatha - Hodges#8351 (Zanclognatha cruralis)

Species Zanclognatha cruralis - Early Zanclognatha - Hodges#8351

Classification · Hodges Number · Other Common Names · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Size · Identification · Range · Season · Life Cycle · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Moth ID help - Zanclognatha cruralis Early Fan Foot (Zanclognatha cruralis) - Zanclognatha cruralis Zanclognatha cruralis Early Zanclognatha - Zanclognatha cruralis Erebidae, Litter Moth larva, dorsal - Zanclognatha cruralis Early Fan-foot - Zanclognatha cruralis Zanclognatha cruralis - Zanclognatha cruralis Zanclognatha obscuripennis - Zanclognatha cruralis - male
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Noctuoidea (Owlet Moths and kin)
Family Erebidae
Subfamily Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
Genus Zanclognatha
Species cruralis (Early Zanclognatha - Hodges#8351)
Hodges Number
8351
Other Common Names
Early Fan-foot
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
see genus page for discussion on Zanclognatha vs. Polypogon classification
Size
TL ≈ 15-17mm (1)
WS ≈ 28-30mm
Identification
Adult: FW pale tan (spring brood ) to dark brown (summer brood) • AM dark brown, suffused, sharply kinked near costa • PM with small notch in large bulge • ST is straight from costa to inner margin, continuing on the HW • Terminal line is a series of brown dots
Larvae: See "Preliminary key to Zanclognatha larvae" (2)
Range
Eastern North America
Season
April-July, two broods southward.
Life Cycle
Eggs have been reported on beech leaves, caterpillars probably drop later to feed on dead leaves. Larvae reported to feed on conifer needles, but probably feed mostly on dead leaves.
See Also
Zanclognatha obscuripennis consistently has a yellow st line that is not edged on either side with a dark line, like this, while Zanclognatha cruralis has the yellow st line edged along the inner margin with a dark line, like this.
Print References
Covell, p. 324, plate 41 #22 (3)
Wagner, Caterpillars of Eastern North America, p. 345--photo of adult (specimen) and caterpillar (4)
Grote, A.R., 1872. Descriptions of North American Noctuidae, No. 2. Transactions of the American Entomological Society, 4: 97.
Internet References
Moth Photographers Group – images of live and pinned adults
BOLD Systems - images of pinned DNA supported specimens
Works Cited
1.Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America
David Beadle and Seabrooke Leckie. 2012. Houghton Mifflin.
2.A new Zanclognatha from eastern North America and a preliminary key to the larvae of the genus...
Wagner, D.L. & T.L. McCabe. 2011. ZooKeys 149: 89-101.
3.Peterson Field Guides: Eastern Moths
Charles V. Covell. 1984. Houghton Mifflin Company.
4.Caterpillars of Eastern North America
David L. Wagner. 2005. Princeton University Press.
Contributed by tom murray on 20 June, 2005 - 9:47pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Steve Nanz, Robin McLeod, MightyMouse, Robert Lord Zimlich, dennepj10
Last updated 29 August, 2024 - 11:49am

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2025 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact