Moths of North Carolina
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9 NC Records

Elachista cucullata Braun, 1921 - No Common Name

Elachista cucullataElachista cucullataElachista cucullataElachista cucullata
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Gelechioidea Family: ElachistidaeSubfamily: ElachistinaeTribe: ElachistiniP3 Number: 59a1478 MONA Number: 1124.00
Comments: Elachista is a large genus of small moths that occur worldwide. Around 135 Nearctic species are currently recognized. They specialize on monocots and most feed on either grasses (Poaceae) and sedges (Cyperaceae).
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Braun (1948, p. 70)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Braun (1921); Eiseman (2019)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This is a minute but distinctive black-and-white moth, with only a faint bronzy luster on the dark bands. It has a white head, a white basal band, a median fascia that does not extend all the way to the inner margin, and two subterminal spots. Elachista leucofrons has similar wing markings but the median fascia completely crosses the wing to reach the inner margin. The detailed description that follows is from Braun (1948). The face and head are silvery white and the collar is black. The labial palp is white, with the second segment dark brown outwardly. The third segment sometimes has dark shading outwardly, and the antenna is black. The thorax is black except for the tip of the mesothorax, which is white. The forewing is dark brown to nearly black, with a faint golden or bronzy luster. Just before the base there is a silvery fascia that is broadest on the dorsum. A second silvery white fascia occurs just before the middle that is curved and ends abruptly before reaching the dorsal margin. On some individuals this fascia is reduced to a bar from the costa to the middle of the wing, with a detached spot on the fold. A triangular silvery spot is present at the tornus, and beyond it a longer curved and oblique silvery costal spot. The cilia are grayish brown, with a row of contrasting black scales around the apex. The hindwing and cilia are dark grayish brown. The legs are dark brown, with the basal segments, the tips of segments, and a broad band on the hind tibia silvery. The abdomen is blackish and silvery beneath.
Wingspan: 8-9 mm (Braun, 1948)
Adult Structural Features: Braun (1948) provides detailed descriptions and illustrations of the male and female genitalia.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Braun (1921, 1948) studied populations in southern Ohio where the larvae mined the leaves of several narrow-leaved species of sedges. During the autumn, the larva makes a narrow linear mine from the tip of the leaf downward along the midrib. It overwinters in the leaf and in the spring enlarges the mine until it occupies most of the breadth of the leaf. As the parenchyma is consumed, the midrib of the leaf becomes elevated into a ridge on the upper side and appears inflated. The dark frass is deposited directly in the mine, which helps to distinguish it from Cosmopterix species that mine sedges (Eiseman, 2019). At study sites in Ohio, the larvae were fully grown by mid-April. The full-grown larva is predominantly red with a brownish red head, a thorax with a mid-dorsal line, and an abdomen with mid-dorsal and lateral lines that are paler and pinkish (Eiseman, 2019). The pupa is attached by the anal end and held by a median silken girdle. It retains the coloration of the larva, with median and lateral ridges pinkish. Details of the pupal morphology are in Braun (1948).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Elachista cucullata is found in eastern North America, where scattered populations have been found in Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland, Maine, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and North Carolina, to as far south as Mississippi and the Florida panhandle. As of 2020, our records include the Piedmont, along with lower and higher elevation sites in the mountains.
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: Populations are univoltine. The overwintering larvae complete feeding after the spring warm-up then pupate. Adults have been collected from May through July, with most records from May and June. As of 2020, our records are from mid-May to late-June.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: The larvae feed on sedges that are found in freshwater wetlands and moist bottomlands. Representative habitats include marshes, fens, bogs, roadside ditches and floodplain forests.
Larval Host Plants: Braun (1921, 1948) reported that the hosts include several narrow-leaved sedge species, especially James's Sedge (Carex jamesii). The specific hosts that are used in North Carolina are not known. - View
Observation Methods: The adults occasionally visit lights, and mines with the red larvae can be found during the autumn and early spring. We encourage naturalists to search for the mines in order to better document host and habitat use within the state.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SU
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This wetland species is seemingly uncommon, but additional information on its distribution and abundance are needed before we can assess its conservation status.

 Photo Gallery for Elachista cucullata - No common name

Photos: 17

Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-06-06
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-06-06
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-25
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-06-30
Buncombe Co.
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Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-05-31
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-05-31
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-06-19
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-06-19
Buncombe Co.
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Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-06-15
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-06-21
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-06-21
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-06-21
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Kyle Kittelberger on 2020-05-17
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Kyle Kittelberger on 2020-05-17
Wake Co.
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Recorded by: Kyle Kittelberger on 2020-05-17
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, P. Scharf on 2016-06-28
Yancey Co.
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Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, P. Scharf on 2016-06-28
Yancey Co.
Comment: