Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
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View PDFGelechiidae Members:
Fascista Members:
1 NC Records

Fascista quinella (Zeller, 1873) - No Common Name

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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Gelechioidea Family: GelechiidaeSubfamily: GelechiinaeTribe: GelechiiniP3 Number: 59a1158 MONA Number: 2205.00
Comments: The genus Fascista contains only three species, and all are found in North America.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Zeller (1873)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This is a distinctive species with a whitish head and labial palp, and a black forewing with five white marks. The following description is based in part on that of Zeller (1873). The head, collar and most of the labial palp are whitish, while the antenna is dark. The second joint of the labial palp is whitish with a loose, barely furrowed brush. The terminal joint is more than half as long as the second and is whitish except for the black apical third. The black forewing has five large white marks. These include a relatively large transverse bar at about one-fourth the wing length that extends inward to the fold, a pair of smaller costal and dorsal spots just beyond one-half, and a second pair of costal and dorsal spot in the subapical region. The dorsal spot on the first pair does not reach the dorsal margin. The fringe is light gray to grayish-white, and the hindwing is uniformly gray. The legs have black and white banding except for the hind leg, which is lighter than the remaining two. Fascista quinella is similar to F. cercerisella, but has a pair of costal and dorsal spots just beyond the middle of the forewing, instead of a single costal spot as seen in F. cercerisella.
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: Fascista quinella is primarily found in southern and western portions of the eastern US. The range extends from central and eastern Oklahoma southward through east-central Texas, and then eastward along the extreme Gulf Coast to northern Florida. Our one historical record from the Piedmont appears to be a northern disjunct.
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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Flight Comments: Adults have been observed from March through September, with a seasonal peak in April, then again in August and September.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: The preferred habitats are undocumented.
Larval Host Plants: The hosts are unknown. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SH
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: As of 2021, we have one historical record of this species.