Moths of North Carolina

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Mompha solomoni Wagner, Adamski & Brown, 2004 - No Common Name

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Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Gelechioidea

Family:
Momphidae

Subfamily:
Momphinae

P3 Number:
59a1851

MONA Number:
1454.20

Comments: The genus Mompha consists of around 46 described species in North America. In addition, numerous species remain to be described that are centered in the southwestern US (Bruzzese et al., 2019). The adults are small moths that have two or more tufts of raised scales on each forewing. The larvae either mine leaves, or bore into the stems, flower buds, flowers, or fruits of their hosts. The majority of species feed on members of the Onagraceae, but others feed on species in the Cistaceae, Lythraceae, Melastomataceae, and Rubiaceae.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

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

Technical Description, Adults: Wagner et al. (2004)

Technical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner et al. (2004)

Adult Markings: The following description is based on Wagner et al. (2004). The frons is shiny white and the vertex yellowish white, becoming gray to brownish gray posteriorly on the occiput. The distal portion of the antenna has six white rings of one flagellomere each. Each ring is separated by two or three brown flagellomeres. The ground color of the thorax and forewing varies from dark gray to brownish or orangish gray. There are scale tufts at one-third and three-fourths the wing length that consists of 5-6 rows of erect scales. The basal scale tuft is dark brown, while the outer tuft is white basally and dark brown apically. Lines of dark brown scales often extend from the tufts apically. The costa has three dark brown stigulae at about one-third, two-thirds, and three-fourths. In the discal area of the forewing, there is a conspicuous, elongated, black dash that is usually joined with a white dash along its anterior margin. There is an acutely angled indistinct dark patch with a band of grayish white scales on the apical end of the wing. The hindwing is uniformly grayish brown and the legs have dark banding.

This species is similar to M. cephalonthiella and can be most easily separated based on the antenna patterning (only one or two white flagellomeres on the antenna tip of M. cephalonthiella), and by the elongated, black dash in the discal area that is usually joined with a white dash along its anterior margin (both marks are poorly developed or absent in M. cephalonthiella).

Forewing Length: 3.0-3.9 mm for males and 2.7-3.8 mm for females (Wagner et al., 2004).

Adult Structural Features: Wagner et al. (2004) provide detailed descriptions and illustrations of the male and female genitalia, along with comparisons with M. cephalonthiella, which also uses Cephalanthus as a host. In male M. solomoni the anellus has distolateral, curved arms that are absent in M. cephalonthiella. The ventral margin of the valva is entire (notched in M. cephalonthiella), and the sacculus is narrow and acuminate (wide and erose in M. cephalonthiella). In female M. solomoni, the invaginated pockets at the posterolateral corners of tergum VII are much less prominent than in M. cephalonthiella. In M. solomoni, the posterior projections of the lamella postvaginalis are subtriangular, separated by a deep. V-shaped cleft, and preceded by a short, spinose thickening located medially at the anterior end of the cleft (projections rounded, separated by a shallow cleft, and preceded by a long, sclerotinized thickening at the anterior end of cleft in M. cephalonthiella). Furthermore, both of the sclerotized plates associated with the signa are small and crescent shaped in M. solomoni (one or both of the plates are large and round and completely surround the signum in M. cephalonthiella). Finally, a lamella antevaginalis is present in M. solomoni, but absent in M. cephalonthiella.

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

Immatures and Development: The larvae are specialists on Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis). Wagner et al. (2004) documented the life history of populations in Mississippi and surrounding areas and found that the first seasonal brood bores in stems, while later broods mine the leaves. Hatchlings in the first brood bore into young shoots just below the apex early in the growing season. The galleries are 15-55 mm long and are filled with dark frass. Boring eventually causes the shoot to wilt, blacken, and drop off of the plant. The pre-pupal larva eventually exits the shoot gallery and pupates externally in leaf litter.

A small percentage of adults that emerge from the first brood may produce a second generation of boring larvae, but most deposit eggs on the midrib or lateral veins of leaves where the larvae begin their mines. Hatchlings mine from the underside of the leaf to the upperside where they produce short linear mines that are often curled or contorted. The larvae often leave these mines after tunneling for 5-10 mm and create secondary mines on the leaf that are somewhat longer. Larvae that construct linear secondary mines may eventually either enlarge these abruptly into an oval or rounded, full-depth blotch, or abandon them altogether and create a blotch mine. The latter that were observed by Wagner et al. (2004) were usually made either near the leaf edge or near the apex, and were mostly free of frass. Mines that we have observed in North Carolina generally conform to those observed by Wagner et al. (2004), but the secondary linear blotch mines often have substantial amounts of frass.

The pale yellowish larvae eventually turn smoky red before exiting the mines. Pupation occurs in white cocoons either on leaves or in the leaf litter.

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Mompha solomoni is found in eastern North America in Quebec and throughout much of the eastern US to as far south as Florida and Texas. As of 2023, we have scattered records from all three physiographic provinces. Populations are presumably rare or absent from the mountains because of the scarcity of the host plant there.

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
Immature 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: Local populations are multivoltine, with broods beginning shortly after the spring leaf-out and continuing through the fall.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Local populations are only found in association with Buttonbush, which is a wetland species that is found in sunny to partially shaded wetlands. Look for it along pond and lake margins, in marshes and in periodically flooded ditches.

Larval Host Plants: Mompha solomoni is apparently monophagous on Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) (Eiseman, 2022), which has been confirmed as the host in North Carolina. - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to mercury vapor and UV-lights, and can be reared from the host plant.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for Shoreline Shrublands

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S3S4

State Protection:

Comments: We currently do not have sufficient information on the distribution and abundance of this species within the state to assess its conservation status. It appears to be uncommon, but can be easily overlooked due to its small size and habitat requirements.

Photo Gallery for Mompha solomoni - None

40 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-24 New Hanover Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-24 New Hanover Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-23 Columbus Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-20 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-20 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2025-06-18 Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 4 mm adult reared from leafmines in Cephalanthus occidentalis, kept indoors for 15 days.
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2025-06-18 Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 4 mm adult reared from leafmines in Cephalanthus occidentalis, kept indoors for 15 days.		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2025-06-03 Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Leaflmines in Cepahlanthus occidentalis. Adult reared on 6/18/25 after being kept indoors for 15 days.
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2025-06-03 Mecklenburg Co. Comment: A larva that was mining a buttonbush leaf.		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2025-06-03 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2024-08-11 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2024-08-11 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2024-07-29 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2024-07-29 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-11-06 Orange Co. Comment: A linear blotch mine on Buttonbush.		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-11-06 Orange Co. Comment: A nearly fully grown larva that was removed from a mine.
	Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-11-06 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-07-01 Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-07-01 Wake Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-05-29 Durham Co. Comment: A blotch mine on Buttonbush.
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-05-29 Durham Co. Comment: A reared adult from a blotch mine on Buttonbush.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-09-28 Anson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-09-28 Anson Co. Comment: Unoccupied mines were on Buttonbush.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-09-28 Anson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-09-21 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-09-01 Buncombe Co. Comment: One of six reared adults from Buttonbush; mines on Aug. 4; adults on Sept 1 (see companion photos of the mines).
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-09-01 Buncombe Co. Comment: One of six reared adults from Buttonbush; mines on Aug. 4; adults on Sept 1 (see companion photos of the mines).		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-09-01 Buncombe Co. Comment: One of six reared adults from Buttonbush; mines on Aug. 4; adults on Sept 1 (see companion photos of the mines).
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-09-01 Buncombe Co. Comment: One of six reared adults from Buttonbush; mines on Aug. 4; adults on Sept 1 (see companion photos of the mines).		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-08-04 Buncombe Co. Comment: A view of several small early linear mines that extended from the midrib of Buttonbush.