Moths of North Carolina
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Metzneria Members:
6 NC Records

Metzneria lappella (Linnaeus, 1758) - Burdock Seedhead Moth

Metzneria lappellaMetzneria lappella
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Gelechioidea		 Family:
Gelechiidae		Subfamily:
Anomologinae		P3 Number:
59a0600		 MONA Number:
1685.00		 Other Common Name:
Burdock Seed Moth
Comments: Metzneria is an Old World genus with 48 species that are found mostly in Eurasia and Africa. Metzneria lappella was introduced in the US sometime before the late 1800's.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Powell and Opler (2009)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Forbes (1923)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The head and thorax are tan and concolorous with the forewing ground color. The long, recurved labial palp is light brown and terminates above the thorax. The antenna is tan with darker annulations, and is about three-fifths as long as the wing length. The forewing is narrow and apically acute. It has longitudinal and oblique brownish streaks that are rather poorly defined, and that tend to be more prevalent on the costal half. The costal margin is often darker along the basal third. A dark brown dot is present at about two-fifths, and a second at about two-thirds. These may be masked by dark shading in fresh specimens, and worn in older specimens. Specimens often have heavy dark shading in the subterminal area. The cilia are yellowish brown to grayish, with a dark line near the middle. The hindwing is dark fuscous gray and has a wavy margin.
Wingspan: 12-19 mm
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae specialize on burdocks and feed on the seeds in the thistle-like heads. The adults breed in the summer and the hatchlings feed on the tender, developing seeds. The larvae overwinter in the dried heads, where each larva constructs a whitish, silk-lined chamber where it remain until it pupates the following spring or early summer. The larva is grub-like with a squat, translucent-whitish body that is prominently segmented. The head is light brown, except for a whitish vertical triangle that is joined to a broad whitish band bordering the upper frons. The band is sometimes expanded laterally into a triangular mark (UK moths). The prothoracic shield is transparent yellowish white, and shows brown when the head is withdrawn below it. The thoracic legs are vestigial and whitish.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: This species is native to Europe and was introduced along with its burdock hosts to North America. Populations are now found throughout the eastern US and southern Canada in the East, and in southern Canada, the coastal states, and Colorado in the West. As of 2021, our records are all from the Blue Ridge Mountains from both lower and higher elevation sites.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Metzneria lappella
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

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