Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFCosmopterigidae Members: Cosmopterix Members: 5 NC Records

Cosmopterix dapifera Hodges, 1962 - No Common Name

Cosmopterix dapiferaCosmopterix dapiferaCosmopterix dapiferaCosmopterix dapifera
Taxonomy
Family:
Cosmopterigidae		Subfamily:
Cosmopteriginae		P3 Number:
59a0361		 MONA Number:
1479.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD, iNat SearchTechnical Description, Adults: Koster (2010)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following description focuses on forewing, head, thorax and antenna patterning, and is based on a more detailed description presented by Koster (2010). The head and thorax are dark brown with a median and two lateral white lines on each. The antenna is dark brown with a partly annulated section in the middle. From there towards the apex there are four dark-brown segments, two white segments, two dark-brown segments, two white segments, ten dark-brown segments, six white segments and one dark brown segment at the apex.

The forewing is dark-brown with four white lines in the basal half. These include 1) a subcostal line from the wing base to one-third the wing length that very slightly bends from the costa, 2) a medial line from the base that terminates just beyond the subcostal line, 3) a subdorsal line that extends from one-quarter the wing length and terminates just before the transverse fascia and 4) a dorsal line along the inner margin that extends from the wing base to or beyond the start of the subdorsal line. A yellow transverse fascia is present beyond the middle that has a narrow basal protrusion in the middle that almost contacts the subdorsal line. The distal side has a broad prolongation towards the apex. The transverse fascia is bordered on the inner edge by two tubercular, pale-golden, metallic, subcostal and subdorsal spots, with the subcostal spot displaced slightly more towards the wing base and with a patch of blackish scales on the outside. At two-thirds the length of the transverse fascia, there are two tubercular pale-golden costal and dorsal spots of equal size and that are opposite each other, with both inwardly edged with grayish-brown. The final mark is a broad, shining-white, apical line from the middle of the prolongation of the transverse fascia to the apex.

A good field mark for this species that will help to separate it from similar species is the thin, finger-like, yellowish projection from the basal edge of the transverse fascia.
Forewing Length: 3.6-3.8 mm (Koster, 2010).
Adult Structural Features: Koster (2010) has descriptions and illustrations of the male and female genitalia.
Genitalia and other structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Immatures and Development: As of 2025, we are unaware of any documentation of the larval life history.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Cosmopterix dapifera is primarily found in the southeastern US from Louisiana and Arkansas eastward to North Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Widely scattered records are also known from Maine, Ohio, southeastern Arizona, Cuba and one site in Brazil that are currently assigned to this species. As of 2025, we have one record from the southern Piedmont, with all others from the southern Coastal Plain, including the Sandhills and a maritime dune community.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Cosmopterix dapiferaAlamance 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 have been observed from May through September in different areas of the range, along with at least two records from January and February. As of 2025, our records are from mid-June through early-September.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: As of 2025, our records are mostly from sandy, xeric habitats with a diverse herbaceous understory.
Larval Host Plants: The host plants are apparently unknown.
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SNR [S1S2]
State Protection:
Comments: This species appears to be rare in North Carolina, with only five records as of 2025.

 Photo Gallery for Cosmopterix dapifera - No common name

Photos: 7
Cosmopterix dapifera
Recorded by: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish on 2025-07-22
Anson Co.
Comment: 		Cosmopterix dapifera
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Rob Van Epps, Kevin Metcalf on 2025-07-20
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Cosmopterix dapifera
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Rob Van Epps, Kevin Metcalf on 2025-07-20
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Cosmopterix dapifera
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-14
Scotland Co.
Comment:
Cosmopterix dapifera
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-14
Scotland Co.
Comment: 		Cosmopterix dapifera
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-18
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Cosmopterix dapifera
iNaturalist		Recorded by: kyhlaustin - Kyhl Austin on 2016-09-07
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: iNat record - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/21015320***(c) Kyhl Austin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)| Public Positional Accuracy=28706 m