Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Scythrididae Members:	Scythris Members:	12 NC Records

Scythris trivinctella (Zeller, 1873) - Banded Scythris

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Gelechioidea

Family:
Scythrididae

Subfamily:
Scythridinae

Tribe:
[Scythridini]

P3 Number:
59a1713

MONA Number:
1678.00

Comments: The genus Scythris is a member of the Family Scythrididae, whose members display a diversity of genital structures that is probably unsurpassed within any other family in the Lepidoptera (Landry, 1991). The extraordinarily diversity in genital morphology in the males of many taxa reaches such extremes that it is easy to recognize species, but difficult to delineate higher taxa. There are around 44 currently recognized species for the Nearctic region. North America has 14 described species, including 10 species of Scythris. Most are drably colored moths that superficially resemble one another. Landry (1991) found at least 300 undescribed species in North American collections alone based on genitalic differences, and estimated that there could be as many as 400 and 500 species of scythridids In North America. Many of these are in arid regions of the US. Landry (1991) treated Scythris trivinctella as a member of a compact group of species that comprises three described species (one of which is extralimital) and five undescribed species. Members of the group are distinguished in the males by the twisted apex of the distal arm of the gnathos, which terminates into a small warped plate, and in the females by the protruded membranous lobe of the posterior margin of 57. The described species include S. trivinctella and S. ypsilon from North America, and S. fluvialis from Colombia.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

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

Adult Markings: Scythris trivinctella is a medium to medium-small scythridid with three conspicuous fasciae on the forewing on a ground color that varies from olive-brown or beige (Landry, 1991). Most specimens have 1) a small, basal fascia at the very base along the anal margin, 2) a more elongated, transverse fascia at one-third, and 3) another transverse fascia at about two-thirds. Both the medial and distal fasciae typically extend from the costa to the inner margin; however, the distal facia of North Carolina specimens sometimes terminates just before reaching the inner margin. The medial fascia is outwardly oblique towards the inner margin, and the distal one inwardly oblique towards the inner margin. The latter is broader toward the inner margin and appears shortly bifurcate in many specimens. Landry (1991) noted that in some specimens the basal and medial fasciae are joined by a longitudinal white fascia, as is the case for certain specimens from coastal regions of North Carolina. Other specimens from the coast and Piedmont lack the longitudinal white fascia and have three well-separated fasciae as described above. The hindwing in most specimens is beige or olive-brown, but in a few specimens it is dark-brown.

Forewing Length: Males 4.2-6.4 mm; females 5.0-6.3 (Landry, 1991).

Adult Structural Features: Landry (1991) has detailed descriptions and illustrations of the genitalia and other structural features. Also, see images below for North Carolina specimens.

Genitalia and other structural photos

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Scythris trivinctella has a very broad distribution across much of the non-arid regions of the US. Landry (1991) documented clusters of populations from the Midwest southward to southern Texas and Louisiana, in Florida, in coastal areas of the Northeast, in central and southern California southward into Mexico, in the northern Rockies and in British Columbia. As of 2025, all of our records are from the Piedmont and Coastal Plain.

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
Flight Comments: The adults of this wide-ranging species have been observed during every month of the year in different areas of the range. As of 2025, all but one of our records (31 December) are from mid-July through late-September.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Our records from the Coastal Plain come from the Sandhills and a barrier island with extensive areas of sandy beach, dune grasslands, maritime scrub, and brackish marsh habitats. The Piedmont records are from fragmented residential areas with a mixture of woods, fields and other disturbed habitats.

Larval Host Plants: Larvae have been recorded on Amaranthus species, including Smooth Pigweed (A. hybridus) and Redroot Amaranth (A. retroflexus) (Landry, 1991; Robinson et al., 2010). In North Carolina, several species of Amaranthus occur along the edges of coastal marshes, including Saltmarsh Water-hemp (A. cannabinus), Southern Water-hemp (A. australis), and the very rare Seabeach Amaranth (A. pumilus) is restricted to ocean beaches and sand flats. Of these species, A. cannabinus has a range that best corresponds to that of Scythris trivinctella. - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights, and are often seen foraging on wildflowers during the day.

Wikipedia

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S2S3

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.

Comments: This species appears be uncommon in North Carolina, with only five widely-scattered site records as of 2025.

Photo Gallery for Scythris trivinctella - Banded Scythris

Photos: 10

	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-07-12 Carteret Co. Comment:	iNaturalist	Recorded by: kevinemetcalf - Kevin Metcalf on 2025-06-08 Richmond Co. Comment: iNat record - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/288610369***(c) Kevin Metcalf, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)\| Public Positional Accuracy=229 m Elevation=364.7 feet
iNaturalist	Recorded by: harrier on 2024-07-27 Halifax Co. Comment: iNat record - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/232287279***(c) harrier, some rights reserved (CC BY)\| Public Positional Accuracy=150 m Elevation=289.4 feet		Recorded by: J.B. Sullivan on 2023-09-30 Carteret Co. Comment: A female.
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2023-08-03 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Chuck Smith on 2023-07-22 Davidson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-09-01 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-08-28 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-08-28 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 1996-12-31 Carteret Co. Comment: