Moths of North Carolina
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Sceptea Members:
1 NC Records

Sceptea aequepulvella (Chambers, 1872) - No Common Name

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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Gelechioidea Family: AutostichidaeSubfamily: SymmocinaeTribe: [Symmocini]P3 Number: 59a0005 MONA Number: 1135.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Busck (1907); Lee and Brown (2010)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following description is based primarily on the description by Busck (1907, as Glyphidocera aberratella) and Lee and Brown (2010). The face, head and thorax are dark gray to ocherous fuscous. The antenna is dark fuscous and simple in both sexes. The labial palp is slightly recurved, ocherous with a strong overlay with blackish scales, and reaches the top of the head. The forewing is rather nondescript with dark brown and yellowish scales intermixed in almost equal numbers throughout the wing. There are variable concentrations of dark brown scales that vary among specimens. These are concentrated on the basal half of the costa, as one or two spots in the discal cell, as a spot between R4 and R5 near the apex, as a spot near the tornus, and as spots between the veins at the termen. The cilia are slightly lighter than the ground and have a thin dark band near the base. The hindwing is pale grayish brown with lighter cilia that have a thin dark band near the base. The legs are yellowish and heavily sprinkled with blackish scales.
Forewing Length: 5.0 – 6.0 mm (Lee and Brown, 2010).
Adult Structural Features: Lee and Brown (2010) provide descriptions and illustrations of the male and female genitalia.
Immatures and Development: The larval life history is undocumented.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Sceptea aequepulvella is found in the eastern US, but the range is rather poorly defined. Lee and Brown (2010) reported verifiable records from the District of Columbia, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. MPG shows a broader distribution in the eastern US, but the reliability of the records is uncertain. We have a single historical record from Transylvania County.
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)

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Flight Comments: The flight season is poorly documented, but records suggest that adults are most active during the warmest months of the summer.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: The habitats are undocumented.
Larval Host Plants: The hosts are unknown. - View
Observation Methods: The adults appear to only rarely visit lights.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SH
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
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