Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Gelechiidae Members:	Gnorimoschema Members:	15 NC Records

Gnorimoschema terracottella Busck, 1900 - No Common Name

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Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Gelechioidea

Family:
Gelechiidae

Subfamily:
Gelechiinae

P3 Number:
59a1259

MONA Number:
2005.00

Comments: The genus Gnorimoschema contains over 115 species of small moths. There are more than 80 species in North America, and most are found in the southwestern US. They appear to specialize on members of the Asteraceae and have a diverse array of feeding niches that includes leafminers and gall-makers.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

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

Technical Description, Adults: (Busck, 1900)

Technical Description, Immature Stages: (Busck, 1900)

Adult Markings: This is a distinctly marked small moth, with a white head and thorax that contrast with the reddish brown base of the boldly marked forewing. The following description is based on that of Busck (1900). The antenna is about three-fourths the wing length, finely serrated, and has black and white annulations. The labial palp is white, and the second joint has a divided brush beneath. The third joint is shorter than the second, and has one black annulation just before the apex. The face, head, and thorax are white, and the shoulders reddish brown. The forewing is mostly reddish brown. The costa is white with two lobes of white that reach to near the middle of the wing. The first is narrow and pointed obliquely outward, while the other is large and triangular. At about four-fifths, there is a white costal spot and an opposing white dorsal spot that is smaller. On the fold just beyond the middle there is a small white dot in the reddish brown ground color. The interval between the white lobes and spots, as well as the apical part of wing, is freely dusted with black and purple scales. The cilia are yellow and dusted with black. The hindwing is purplish gray, and the cilia has a yellowish tinge. The abdomen is white with rust-red shadings, and the legs are boldly marked with black and white bands and annuli.

Wingspan: 10 mm (Busck, 1900)

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

Immatures and Development: Busck (1900) reported that the larvae mine the thick, fleshy leaves of Dune Marsh-elder (Iva imbricata). They produce irregular tracks or blotches and pupate outside the mine in a slight web. The older instars are slender, cylindrical, and white with a dark-brown head and light-brown thoracic plate. The full-grown larva is about 10 mm long. Mines that Tracy Feldman found in North Carolina are consistent with Busck's (1900) observations and were filled with blackish frass. An early-instar larva was completely dull white except for two black spots on the prothoracic shield.

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

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Gnorimoschema terracottella was previously only known from Florida until it was discovered recently at several sites in coastal North Carolina.

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 in Florida mostly fly from February through May. Our records as of 2024 range from 17 April to 9 May. We have larval records from mid-June and late-November, which suggests that there might be a second, overwintering brood produced in the fall.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Our records as of 2024 are all from coastal dunes and sandy spoil areas where Dune Marsh-elder grows.

Larval Host Plants: The larvae appear to specialize on Dune Marsh-elder (Iva imbricata) (Busck 1900; Heppner, 2003), including in North Carolina where Tracy Feldman has found the mines on this host plant. - View

Observation Methods: The adults occasionally visit lights. There are surprisingly few recent records of this species in the US. We recommend either running lights or searching for the mines on the leaves of Iva imbricata and rearing the adults.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for Ocean Beaches and Sand Flats

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [S2S3]

State Protection:

Comments: We have only a few site records as of 2024 that appear to be elements of a northern disjunct population in North Carolina. The only other known populations are from Florida.

Photo Gallery for Gnorimoschema terracottella - None

Photos: 19

	Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2025-05-02 Pender Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2025-05-01 Pender Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-04-29 Pender Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2025-04-27 Pender Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Tracy Feldman on 2023-06-11 Dare Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Tracy Feldman on 2023-06-11 Dare Co. Comment: A mine on Iva imbricata; note the small, sand-covered web where the larva pupated.
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-05-06 Pender Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-05-05 Pender Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-05-04 Pender Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-05-02 Pender Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-05-02 Pender Co. Comment:		Recorded by: J.B. Sullivan on 2023-04-19 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: J.B. Sullivan on 2023-04-19 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Tracy Feldman on 2022-06-19 Brunswick Co. Comment: A young larval mine on Iva imbricata.
	Recorded by: Tracy Feldman on 2022-06-19 Brunswick Co. Comment: A larval mine on Iva imbricata.		Recorded by: Tracy Feldman on 2020-11-28 New Hanover Co. Comment: A larval mine on Iva imbricata that was dissected to show the dark frass.
	Recorded by: Tracy Feldman on 2020-11-28 New Hanover Co. Comment: A larva that was mining Iva imbricata.		Recorded by: Kyle Kittelberger on 2017-04-17 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Kyle Kittelberger on 2017-04-17 Carteret Co. Comment: