''Zanclognatha dentata'', the coastal plain zanclognatha, is a

litter moth The Herminiinae are a subfamily of moths in the family Erebidae. The members of the subfamily are called litter moths because the caterpillars of most members feed on dead leaves of plants, though others feed on living leaves, and/or the mushro ...

of the family

Erebidae The Erebidae are a family of moths in the superfamily Noctuoidea. The family is among the largest families of moths by species count and contains a wide variety of well-known macromoth groups. The family includes the underwings ('' Catocala'') ...

. The species was first described by David L. Wagner and Timothy L. McCabe in 2011. It is found in North America from

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, south through the Great Lake states and in the Appalachians to northern

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. One specimen from a sandhills area in central

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

also appears to represent ''Z. dentata''.

Description

The length of the forewings is . The forewings are subtriangular and pale to chocolate brown, and usually well marked. The antemedial line is toothed or scalloped and the discal spot is usually well developed. The postmedial line is toothed and thickened where it joins the costa. The subterminal line is straight, sparsely edged outwardly with pale scales. The hindwings are brown with a weak discal spot and variously-developed postmedial and subterminal lines.

Ecology

There is one generation per year throughout most of the range with a single mid-summer flight from the end of June through early August. Records from early September in western

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

and northern Georgia are indicative of a small second brood. Adults have been taken at lights and sugar bait from a broad range of habitats that includes bogs, swamps, marshes, Atlantic white cedar swamps, swales, and other wetlands, mesic hardwood and Appalachian cove forests, a variety of boreal (conifer) forest types, and pitch pine/scrub oak barrens. The larvae have been recorded feeding on dead, browned, lightly moistened leaves of ''

Abies balsamea ''Abies balsamea'' or balsam fir is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada (Newfoundland west to central Alberta) and the northeastern United States (Minnesota east to Maine, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to ...

'', ''

Tsuga canadensis ''Tsuga canadensis'', also known as eastern hemlock, eastern hemlock-spruce, or Canadian hemlock, and in the French-speaking regions of Canada as ''pruche du Canada'', is a coniferous tree native to eastern North America. It is the state tree o ...

'', ''

Pseudotsuga menziesii The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are three va ...

'', ''

Hamamelis virginiana ''Hamamelis virginiana'', known as witch-hazel, common witch-hazel, and American witch-hazel, is a species of flowering shrub native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to Minnesota, and south to central Florida to eastern Texas. Des ...

'' and ''

Lonicera morrowii ''Lonicera morrowii'', the Morrow's honeysuckle, is a deciduous honeysuckle in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to Japan, Korea, and Northeast China. It is a shrub, reaching a height of 2–2.5 m, with oblong leaves 4–6 cm long. I ...

''. They are mottled in brown, red, and yellow with a conspicuous pale subdorsal spot.

Etymology

The species name is derived from the toothed antemedial and medial lines on the forewing.

References

dentata Moths described in 2011 Moths of North America {{Herminiinae-stub