Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGelechiidae Members: Monochroa Members: 1 NC Records

Monochroa monactis (Meyrick, 1923) - No Common Name

Monochroa monactis
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Gelechioidea		 Family:
Gelechiidae		Subfamily:
Anomologinae		P3 Number:
59a0627		 MONA Number:
1713.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD, iNat SearchTechnical Description, Adults: Meyrick (1923)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Monochroa monactis appears to be a very rare species that is currently only known from the Sandhills of North Carolina. The original description by Meyrick (1923) was based on two specimens from ‘Southern Pines’ and Bo Sullivan collected a worn specimen that appears to be this species from Moore County in 2022 from a xeric Sandhills community. It is a predominantly white Monochroa, which helps to distinguish it from other Monochroa in North Carolina. Meyrick (1923) also listed a specimen from Toronto, Canada that seems dubious based on the location. The following description is based on that of Meyrick (1923).

The labial palp is white except for the second segment that is dark other than the tip, and the extreme base of the terminal segment that is blackish. The head is whitish and the antenna whitish with dark fuscous annulations, and with the whitish annulations more widely spaced towards the tip. The thorax is whitish-gray, and the patagia whitish with the shoulders narrowly dark fuscous. The forewing is whitish, and sprinkled with gray except towards the costa anteriorly. There is suffused gray on the posterior third and the plical and second discal spots are black and distinct. A very oblique whitish line extends from the costa at two-thirds the wing length to the outer margin beneath the apex. It is preceded and followed on the costa by a dark gray suffusion. Between this and the apex there are 3 or 4 whitish costal dots separated by a dark gray suffusion. The cilia is grayish-whitish and ochreous-tinged at the apex within a short, blackish, sub-basal bar. The hindwings and cilia are light gray.
Wingspan: 9-11 mm (Meyrick, 1923).
Immatures and Development: The larval life history is undocumented.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: This species may be endemic to the Sandhills of North Carolina. Meyrick (1923) examined two specimens from Southern Pines and one Toronto, Ontario, and a specimen was recently collected in Moore County that appears to be this species. The specimen from Toronto seems dubious given that our specimens are from xeric communities in the Sandhills.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Monochroa monactisAlamance 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 flight season is poorly documented.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Our North Carolina records are from xeric communities, with the recent record by Bo Sullivan from a scrub oak community with hawthorns.
Larval Host Plants: The hosts are apparently undocumented. - View
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S1
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Monochroa monactis - None

Photos: 1
Monochroa monactis
Recorded by: J.B. Sullivan on 2022-05-30
Moore Co.
Comment: 3 traps