Moths of North Carolina

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Arogalea cristifasciella (Chambers, 1878) - White Stripe-backed Moth

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Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Gelechioidea

Family:
Gelechiidae

Subfamily:
Gelechiinae

P3 Number:
59a0693.5

MONA Number:
1851.00

Other Common Name:
Stripe-backed Moth

Comments: Arogalea is a small genus of New World moths with only seven recognized species. Most have subtropical and tropical affinities, and only one is found in the eastern US.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012); Leckie and Beadle (2018)

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

Technical Description, Adults: Forbes (1923)

Technical Description, Immature Stages: Marquis et al. (2019)

Adult Markings: This is a distinctive small white moth with a bold fascia that projects forward from the costa towards the dorsal margin. The following description is primarily based on the description by Forbes (1923). The head, thorax, and ground color of the forewing are white. The terminal segment of the labial palp is white, and has a sub-basal and sub-terminal black band. The antenna is white with black annulations, and is about two-thirds the forewing length. The most conspicuous mark is a black, oblique fascia that begins on the costa at about two-fifths the wing length and slants forward to the inner margin where it terminates at a black scale tuft. At about three-fifths, there is a black costal spot and a matching dorsal spot and dark scale tuft. A small, black costal spot is also usually present near the wing base. In addition to these large marks, scattered black or fuscous scales are present in the white ground, and faint black spots are often evident around the margin of the wing tip. The hindwing is yellowish, and the legs are white with blackish banding.

Wingspan: 13 mm (Forbes, 1923)

Structural photos

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

Immatures and Development: The larvae are leaf-tiers on oaks. Carroll and Kearby (1978) found that larvae in Missouri reside in small rhomboid-shaped tents with a thick, white, silk roof. The larvae skeletonize the leaves, and frass is deposited around the margins of the silk nest (Marquis et al., 2019). The adults first fly from March to May, and the larvae are present from April to October. Adults of the second generation are found in July and August, and the pupa of the second generation overwinters. A population in Massachusetts also had two generations per year, one in late May, the other in July (Marquis et al., 2019). Pupation occurred within the silk tents. Forbes (1923) reported that the larvae were an inquiline in galls, but this has not been verified by field observations. The first instar larvae in Missouri are pale without obvious markings, while the middle instars are bright red. The mature larva has a copper-colored head capsule. The prothoracic shield is black along the lateral and posterior margins, but otherwise concolorous with the head. The mesothorax and metathorax are completely pigmented chocolate brown or red. The abdomen is banded, with the anterior half cream-colored, and the posterior half either chocolate brown or red. The anal shield has the posterior margin lined in black (Marquis et al., 2019).

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

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Arogalea cristifasciella is found in eastern North America from New England and extreme southern Canada (Manitoba; Ontario; Quebec) southward to Florida, and westward to central Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois, and Wisconsin. This species occurs statewide in North Carolina, although it is uncommon in the Coastal Plain relative to the Piedmont and lower elevations in the mountains.

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: The adults have been found in almost every month of the year, but are mostly on the wing from March through August in areas outside of North Carolina. Local populations are bivoltine in most areas of the range, with the first brood occurring soon after the spring leaf-out, and the second during mid-summer. Our populations are also bimodal, with the first breeding bout peaking in March and April, and the second in July.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Local populations depend on oaks and are found in a variety of settings with oak trees. These include semi-wooded residential neighborhoods, as well as oak-hickory forests, mixed pine-hardwood forests, and other forest communities with oaks. Most of the documented hosts are found in mesic to somewhat drier sites.

Larval Host Plants: The larvae specialize on oaks and use a variety of species (Robinson et al., 2010; Marquis et al. 2019). The documented hosts include White Oak (Quercus alba), Scarlet Oak (Q. coccinea), Shingle Oak (Q. imbricaria), Pin Oak (Q. palustris), Post Oak (Q. stellata), Blackjack Oak (Q. marilandica), Chinquapin Oak (Q. muehlenbergii), Northern Red Oak (Q. rubra), and Black Oak (Q. velutina). As of 2024, our only larval record in North Carolina is for Willow Oak (Q. phellos). - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights, and the colorful larvae can be found between layered oak leaves that are tied together.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Oak-Hickory Forests

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S4S5

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

Comments: This is a common and widespread species that appears to be relatively secure in North Carolina.

Photo Gallery for Arogalea cristifasciella - White Stripe-backed Moth

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

	Recorded by: David George, David Bradley, Becky Watkins, David Cheng, Michelle Lotker, Tracy Feldman, et al. on 2025-06-28 Durham Co. Comment: Larva in leaf-tie on Willow Oak		Recorded by: David George, David Bradley, Becky Watkins, David Cheng, Michelle Lotker, Tracy Feldman, et al. on 2025-06-28 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-20 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-04-27 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2025-04-05 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish on 2025-04-05 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George on 2025-04-04 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Rich Teper on 2025-03-28 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2025-03-19 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2025-03-19 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2025-03-19 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-03-13 Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2025-03-12 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish on 2025-03-12 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish on 2025-03-12 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2025-03-11 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2025-03-11 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish on 2025-02-25 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish on 2025-02-25 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-11-25 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-05 Transylvania Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-04 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-31 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Patrick Coin, Steve Hall, Carol Tingley, Tom Howard on 2024-07-27 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-07-26 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George on 2024-07-15 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-14 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-07-08 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-07-03 Orange Co. Comment: A larva collected for rearing on 2024-06-03 found within a leaf-tie on Willow Oak (Quercus phellos). The larva was photographed 2024-06-05, and the late pupa photographed 2024-06-29. See the accompanying photo of the adult, which eclosed 2024-07-01.		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-07-03 Orange Co. Comment: A larva collected for rearing on 2024-06-03 found within a leaf-tie on Willow Oak (Quercus phellos). The larva was photographed 2024-06-05, and the late pupa photographed 2024-06-29. See the accompanying photo of the adult, which eclosed 2024-07-01.