Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFPterolonchidae Members: Homaledra Members: 4 NC Records

Homaledra sabalella (Chambers, 1880) - Palm Leaf Skeletonizer Moth

Homaledra sabalella
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Gelechioidea		 Family:
Pterolonchidae		P3 Number:
59a1352.52		 MONA Number:
1422.00
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).
Species Status: This species feeds on palm fronds and has become a significant pest in Florida where it can damage ornamental palms. Coconut palms appear to be the most susceptible (Howard and Abreu, 2007).
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Leckie and Beadle (2018)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Immature Stages: (Howard and Abreu (2007)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This is a distinctive moth with the head, antenna, thorax, and forewing all uniformly coffee-cream colored or beige. The forewings are narrow and elongated, and held flat when resting. The thorax has a tiny black dot at the posterior tip, and the forewing has two elongated dots, one adjoining the inner margin at about one-half the wing length, and a second near the middle of the wing at about four-fifths. A fine row of elongated terminal spots are present and best developed in fresh specimens. The legs are light brown with a few faint blackish blotches, and the foreleg often has a prominent black tip.

Homaledra knudsoni closely resembles H. sabalella. Both species occur in North Carolina and are similar in having a beige-colored forewing with black spots. They are most easily separated by the length and color of the antennae. For H. knudsoni, the antennae are longer than the forewing and grayish at the tip, while in H. sabalella they are shorter than the forewing and uniformly tan-colored. Homaledra knudsoni also has a pecten at the base of the antenna, and the veins of the forewing have whitish scales (absent in H. sabalella). Finally, the line of terminal black dashes is more prominent and extends farther basally in H. knudsoni.
Adult Structural Features: Hayden (2021) has detailed descriptions and illustrations of the male and female genitalia, along with other structural features.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae feed on palm fronds and skeletonize the older leaves. Females lay clutches of eggs and the larvae feed in groups under a web of silk that is packed with frass on the upper surface (Creighton, 1937). Beneath the web, they live in silken tubes that are covered in frass, and usually feed on the lower leaf surface of the leaf (sometimes the upper). The tubes are progressively lengthened as the larvae grow. The web also is expanded as the larvae feed, and large accumulations of frass are often evident that becomes trapped in the overlying webbing. Hayden (2018; 2021) noted that the larvae often sandwich together the adjacent sections or leaflets of Serenoa repens and other palms with dense webs of tough silk, then feed on both leaf surfaces. However, this is not always the case, so one should not rule out H. sabalella when there are only groups of simple frass tubes on a frond. This species will also feed on leaf stems, and can cause the death of an entire frond.

The larvae are light tan to light green and have an amber-colored head and thoracic shield (Howard and Abreu, 2007). The larval stage lasts from 1-3 months depending on the time of year, and there are multiple, overlapping generations (Creighton, 1937). Pupation takes place in the larval tubes, and there can be as many as five generations per year in Florida.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Homaledra sabalella is found in the southeastern US and the Greater Antilles, including Cuba, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico (Howard and Abreu (2007). This species is common and widespread in Florida. The range extends westward along the coast to eastern Texas, and northward along coastal regions of South Carolina to central North Carolina. The range may have expanded to some extent since palms have been widely planted as ornamentals in many areas of the Southeast. As of 2025, we have records from four counties near the coast.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Homaledra sabalellaAlamance 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: Local populations are multivoltine and are active rear-round in Florida. Outside of Florida, the adults have been found from April through August. As of 2025, our two dated recorded are from April, May and August.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Our records for this species as of 2025 come from sites along the coast where Sabal minor occurs but where Sabal palmetto is only present as cultivated specimens. Its presence at our one natural stand of Sabal palmetto on Bald Head Island needs to be determined.
Larval Host Plants: The larvae feed on a large number of palm species, including 78 species that Howard and Abreu (2007) have documented. Dwarf Palmetto (Sabel minor) and Cabbage Palmetto (Sabal palmetto) appear to be the most important native hosts in the Southeast, but Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) is also used (Hayden, 2021). - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights and the large, skeletonized areas of palm leaves are easy to spot.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Live Oak Forests and Maritime Scrub Thickets
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S1S3
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This species reaches the northern limit of its range in North Carolina, where it is uncommon.

 Photo Gallery for Homaledra sabalella - Palm Leaf Skeletonizer Moth

Photos: 1
Homaledra sabalella
Recorded by: B. Muiznieks on 2014-05-22
Dare Co.
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