Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Gelechiidae Members:	Arcutelphusa Members:	10 NC Records

Arcutelphusa talladega Lee & Brown, 2008 - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Gelechioidea

Family:
Gelechiidae

Subfamily:
Gelechiinae

P3 Number:
59a0787.6

MONA Number:
1874.10

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

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

Technical Description, Adults: Lee and Brown, 2008)

Adult Markings: Arcutelphusa talladega is a brownish moth that superficially resembles Pseudotelphusa fuscopunctella. It differs by having the transverse median fascia and postmedial fascia on the forewing united by heavy dark scaling to produce a single large patch. The following description is based on that of Lee and Brown (2008), who described the species based on specimens from Alabama and Mississippi.

The head is light-brown, and the antennal scape and pedicel dark-brown with alternating dark-brown and off-white bands. On some specimens the off-white is restricted to the bases of the flagellomeres rather than forming a complete ring. The second segment of the labial palp is dark-brown and has two white rings, with one at two-thirds the length and the other at the apex. The third segment is also dark-brown, and has a white ring at the base, middle, and apex. The base of the tegula and anterior area of the mesonotum are dark brown, with the remainder of the thorax light-brown.

The forewing is lanceolate and has tufts of erect scales. The ground color is light-brown, with the sub-basal fascia dark-brown. The median and postmedial fasciae are dark-brown, and are either confluent due to dark scaling in-between, or partly separated by light-brown scales. The apical fourth of the wing has scattered dark-brown scales, and the fringe is light-brown. The legs are dark-brown, except for being ringed with off-white, 1) at the apices of the tibia and tarsomeres 1 and 2 of the foreleg, 2) at the middle and apex of the tibia and apices of all tarsomeres of the midleg, and 3) at the base, middle, and apex of the tibia and apices of all tarsomeres of the hindleg. The dorsal surface of the hindtibia has setiform (hair-like) scales in both sexes, while the hindwing is brownish-gray with a lightly emarginate termen and a pointed apex.

Wingspan: 8.5–10.0 mm (Lee and Brown, 2008).

Adult Structural Features: Lee and Brown (2008) have descriptions and illustrations of the male and female genitalia. The authors note that this species and genus can be distinguished from other Teleiodini by having the costal part of the valve sickle-shaped and strongly bent at its middle.

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

Immatures and Development: The larval life history is undocumented.

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Arcutelphusa talladega is restricted to eastern North America, with the range extending from southern Ontario and Quebec southward through New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and then to Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi. There appears to be one valid record for southeastern Indiana. As of 2025, we have several scattered records from the Piedmont and Blue Ridge.

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 have been observed from April through August in different areas of the range, with a seasonal peak commonly in May and June, and a secondary peak in August. As of 2025, our records extend from mid-April through mid-August.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Populations are generally associated with hardwood forests or mixed hardwood-pine forests.

Larval Host Plants: The hosts are apparently undocumented as of 2025. - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.

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 was first described in 2008 from Alabama and Mississippi, and we now have several records for North Carolina.

Photo Gallery for Arcutelphusa talladega - None

Photos: 10

Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Patrick Coin, Steve Hall, Carol Tingley, Tom Howard on 2024-07-27 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-04-25 Madison Co. Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-08-18 Caswell Co. Comment:	iNaturalist	Recorded by: maxbird1 - Max Ramey on 2023-06-17 Avery Co. Comment: iNat record - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/195010336***(c) Max Ramey, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)\| Public Positional Accuracy=2 m Elevation=4433.1 feet
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-05-05 Madison Co. Comment:	iNaturalist	Recorded by: jmole - jmole on 2023-04-11 Halifax Co. Comment: iNat record - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/155843332***(c) jmole, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)\| Public Positional Accuracy=21 m Elevation=157.9 feet
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-05-19 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2020-06-20 Madison Co. Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2020-06-03 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Kyle kittelberger on 2011-07-20 Wake Co. Comment: