Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFPterolonchidae Members: Homaledra Members: 1 NC Records

Homaledra heptathalama Busck, 1900 - Exclamation Moth

Homaledra heptathalama
Taxonomy
Family:
Pterolonchidae		P3 Number:
59a1352.51		 MONA Number:
1421.00		 Other Common Name:
Palm Leaf Housemaker
Comments: Homaledra is a small genus with only six recognized species that are found in the New World, including two species that were recently described from Florida (Hayden, 2021).
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Busck (1900)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Busck (1900)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Homaledra heptathalama is easily recognizable by the two silvery-white marks on the forewing, with the largest resembling a comma. The following detailed description is mostly based on that of Busck (1900). The antenna varies from silvery-yellow to light tan, with the basal area covered with rusty-red scales. The face is whitish, and the labial palp is light straw-colored except for the rusty-red terminal segment. The head and thorax are straw-yellow above, with the sides rusty-red. The forewing has a light straw-yellow ground color and is edged with dark reddish-brown to rusty-red scales. Two silvery-white marks that are edged with dark-brown are present; these include a large, longitudinal, comma-shaped spot in the middle of the wing, and a smaller, nearly circular spot at around three-fourth the wing length. The other prominent marks are two or three, dark-brown, longitudinal streaks. The fringe is reddish-yellow, and the hindwing shining golden-yellow. The foreleg is deep black above, while the other legs are a whitish straw-color.
Wingspan: 19-26 mm (Busck, 1900).
Adult Structural Features: Hayden (2021) has illustrations of the male genitalia and associated structures.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The following life history account is mostly based on that on Busck (1900) for larvae that were feeding on Saw Palmetto in Florida. The larvae feed on the undersides of the palmetto leaf and construct a tough, smooth-surfaced, cocoon-like shelter or chamber from its frass, and perhaps portions of chewed epidermis. The larva feeds beneath the protective chamber on the leaf tissue. The early-instar larva initially makes a small elongated chamber, then adds progressively larger, thick-walled, interconnected chambers as it grows. These are roughly rectangular in shape and are laid down in a line, with the entire line of seven or eight chambers being around 4-5 cm long. The larva pupates within the last chamber, which is loosely constructed compared to the others. The adult escapes through a round hole in the last chamber, and the pupal skin does not protrude from the chamber at emergence. The fully-grown larva is 15-18 mm long and has a cylindrical body that is whitish with rather long, sparse, whitish hairs. It has a polished head, reddish-brown mandibles and an eye-spot. The pupa is brown and very slender, with the antennae and wing-cases reaching only halfway down the abdomen.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Homaledra heptathalama has subtropical affinities and in the US is mostly restricted to Florida. The range extends from southern Florida to the Florida Panhandle region, with isolated records also from adjoining areas of southern Alabama. There is at least one isolated record each from coastal Georgia and coastal South Carolina. As of 2025, our only record is from Bald Head Island in Brunswick County from 1994.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Homaledra heptathalamaAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
Piedmont (Pd)
Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Flight Comments: The adults can be found year-round in Florida where local populations can produce several broods each year.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Local populations are found in areas that support the host species, particularly Saw Palmetto. This species occurs in a wide variety of habitats that range from dry, sandy dunes and scrub to bottomland hardwoods and wetlands.
Larval Host Plants: The larvae feed on the fronds of palms (Busck, 1900; Hayden, 2021), with the known hosts as of 2025 being Chinese Fan Palm (Livistona chinensis), Cabbage Palmetto (Sabal palmetto), and Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens). As of 2025, we do not have any host records for North Carolina. If breeding populations of H. heptathalama are present in North Carolina, then Cabbage Palmetto would be the likely host since Saw Palmetto is restricted to more southern locales. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights and the larvae or evidence of feeding-damage can be spotted on palm fronds.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [SU]
State Protection:
Comments: As of 2025, we have only one record of this species in the state, and it is uncertain if this reflects a true breeding population, or simply a long-distance dispersal event from farther south.

 Photo Gallery for Homaledra heptathalama - Exclamation Moth

Photos: 1
Homaledra heptathalama
Recorded by: J.B. Sullivan, R. Broadwell and B. Smith on 1994-09-08
Brunswick Co.
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