Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Depressariidae Members:	Antaeotricha Members:	44 NC Records

Antaeotricha albulella (Walker, 1864) - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Gelechioidea

Family:
Depressariidae

Subfamily:
Stenomatinae

P3 Number:
59a0237

MONA Number:
1024.00

Comments: The genus Antaeotricha is endemic to the New World and includes nearly 400 species of mostly neotropical species. Twenty species are currently recognized in North America.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD

Technical Description, Adults: Duckworth (1964)

Adult Markings: The following is based on the description by Duckworth (1964). The face is white and the labial palp is white with dusky scales on the exterior sides in the male. The legs are white and speckled with dusky scales. The dorsum of the thorax, abdomen and forewing are white, except for the costal that is slightly edged ocherous, and one or two small black dots on the forewing at the distal end of the discal cell. The hindwing is white with white cilia. This species closely resembles A. floridella that is currently only known from sandhill and scrub habitats in Florida. The latter typically lacks the discal spots seen on A. albulella and has pale gray hindwings.

Wingspan: 15-21 mm (Duckworth, 1964)

Adult Structural Features: Duckworth (1964) describes and illustrates the male and female genitalia.

Structural photos

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.

Immatures and Development: Very little is known about the larval ecology and life history. The larvae appear to be monophagous of oaks and are leaftiers (Hayden and Dickel, 2015).

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Antaeotricha albulella is found in the eastern US and is primarily limited to the Southeast. The range extends primarily along coastal regions from New Jersey southward to North Carolina, then broadens to include a wide swath from South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida westward to Oklahoma. As of 2020, we have four records that include Dare and Carteret counties on the coast and Wake County in the Piedmont.

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
Flight Comments: Adults have been collected from April through October in different areas of the range. As of 2020, our records extend from late May through late September.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: The larvae appear to be specialists on oaks, and primarily on species that inhabit dry to xeric habitats. Our records include costal dune scrub and maritime forest habitats. The habitats that are used in the Piedmont are poorly resolved.

Larval Host Plants: Hosts that were reported by Hayden and Dickel (2015) for Florida specimens included Bluejack Oak (Quercus incana), Turkey Oak (Q. laevis), Myrtle Oak (Q. myrtifolia), Water Oak (Q. nigra), Scrub Oak (Q. inopina) and Chapman's Oak (Q. chapmanii). An adult was reared from a larva on Nuttall's Oak (Q. texana) in Texas (BugGuide record). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Dry-Xeric Hardwood Forests

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S3S4

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.

Comments: We currently do not have sufficient information on the distribution and abundance of this species to assess its conservation status.

Photo Gallery for Antaeotricha albulella - None

Photos: 24

	Recorded by: David George on 2025-06-29 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-06-25 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Joye Zhou on 2025-06-20 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-31 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-31 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-17 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-15 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-15 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-07-07 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-27 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-27 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-27 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2023-09-06 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2023-07-25 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-17 New Hanover Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-08-17 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-06-25 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2021-09-02 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2021-06-26 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Britta Muiznieks on 2014-05-23 Dare Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Harry Wilson on 2011-09-28 Wake Co. Comment:		Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2011-07-31 Wake Co. Comment: