Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
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View PDFGelechiidae Members:
Deltophora Members:
8 NC Records

Deltophora sella (Chambers, 1874) - No Common Name


Taxonomy
Superfamily: Gelechioidea Family: GelechiidaeSubfamily: AnomologinaeP3 Number: 420681.00 MONA Number: 1928.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Sattler (1979)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The head is yellowish white and sometimes has a wide longitudinal brownish streak on the vertex. The labial palp is pale yellowish and the third joint has a dark brown band at the tip and around the middle that is sometimes faint or missing. The thorax and forewing ground color are dull white to pale yellowing gray, with varying levels of darker dusting. The forewing has three conspicuous dark brown marks: a short, elongated spot on the fold at about one-fifth, a larger, irregular blotch immediately behind it just before one-half, and a black dot at about three-fourths. The last two often have a thin of pale scales along their margins. A faint whitish costal spot is often evident at three-fourths. The hindwing and cilia vary from yellowish brown to gray, and the legs are brown with pale annulations.
Forewing Length: 5-7 mm (Sattler, 1979)
Adult Structural Features: Sattler (1979) has descriptions and illustrations of the male and female genitalia.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larval life history is undocumented.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Deltophora sella is found from Ontario, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, southward to Georgia and northern Florida, and westward to central Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Illinois. Populations appear to be absent or rare in most of the Piedmont and Coastal Plain from Virginia south to northern Florida. As of 2021, we have records from both the eastern Coastal Plain and a bog complex 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)

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