Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGelechiidae Members:
Symmetrischema Members:
16 NC Records

Symmetrischema striatella (Murtfeldt, 1900) - No Common Name

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Gelechioidea Family: GelechiidaeSubfamily: GelechiinaeTribe: GnorimoscheminiP3 Number: 421330.00 MONA Number: 2039.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Leckie and Beadle (1018)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: (Murtfeldt, 1900)Technical Description, Immature Stages: (Murtfeldt, 1900)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following is based on the description by (Murtfeldt, 1900). The antenna is about three-fourths the wing length and pale with dark brown annulations. The second and third joints of the labial palp are about equal. The second joint is pale buff, and densely tufted with two darker annulations. The third joint is pale buff and largely unmarked. The head and thorax are pale buff and faintly striped with leaden gray. The forewing has rather complex patterning, with a ground that has a mixture of pale buff and reddish brown coloration, along with black dusting. The pale coloration is most prevalent along the costa, and is organized as a set of light striations elsewhere in the wing. The most prominent mark is a subcostal blackish, longitudinal line that extends from the base to the apex. Two or more finer, blackish striations or dashes are present between this and the dorsal margin. The hindwing is ashy gray and often shades to cinereous at the tip. The male has a pencii of spreading hairs from the base of the costa. The cilia are long, fine, and concolorous with the wing, and those on the forewing are crossed with a blackish Iine. The legs are shining pale buff, and more or less conspicuously mottled with leaden gray. The hind tibia has long siiken hairs, and the tarsi are blackish with pale annulations.
Wingspan: 11-13 mm (Murtfeldt, 1900)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae feed within the berries of nightshades. The mature larvae are about 8 mm long and rather stout. The body is pale, translucent, and greenish yellow. It has five longitudinal crimson stripes that are interrupted and irregularly margined (Murtfeldt, 1900). The lateral one is composed of a line of small spots. The head and cervical shield are dark and shining brown. There is also a broad, purplish, sub-cutaneous spot on the dorsum of the eighth body segment (Murtfeldt, 1900). Pupation occurs in or near the fruits, or sometimes in a leaf fold, and the adults emerge about 10 days later. Adults from the final seasonal brood in Missouri appear in late October or November and appear to overwinter ((Murtfeldt, 1900).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Symmetrischema striatella is found in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and North America, including California and the eastern US. In the East, the range extends from Maine to Florida, and westward to central Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Illinois. Populations appear to be rare or uncommon throughout most of the Appalachian region. As of 2021, our records are all from the Coastal Plain and Piedmont.
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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