Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGelechiidae Members: Strobisia Members: 25 NC Records

Strobisia iridipennella Clemens, 1860 - Iridescent Strobisia

Strobisia iridipennellaStrobisia iridipennella
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Gelechioidea		 Family:
Gelechiidae		Subfamily:
Anacampsinae		P3 Number:
59a0496		 MONA Number:
2253.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1923).                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Strobisia iridipennella is a small moth with a shiny, deep-brown forewing that is marked with bright iridescent blue lines and spots. Specimens typically have four lines that begin on or near the costa. The first three are posteriorly oblique lines that begin at around one-fifth, two-fifths, and three-fifths the wing length from the base, and are roughly parallel to one another. These end before the center of the wing and each is followed by an isolated iridescent blue spot below the inner margin, with a large gap separating the two. The third line also has a small spot immediately inward and basal to its tip. The fourth costal mark is a very short line at around four-fifths that runs perpendicular to the costa. The outer margin has a line of three or four iridescent blue or purplish spots, while the fringe is silvery-gray with a broad, brownish, basal band. The antenna has alternating off-white and dark-brown annulations, and the labial palp is long, recurved and finely-tapered.

Strobisia iridipennella closely resembles S. proserpinella, but the first costal line is much larger on the latter, the spots below the inner margin are missing, and a short blue line is present that projects inward from the inner margin between the second and third costal lines.
Wingspan: 10 mm (Forbes, 1923).
Adult Structural Features: Images of the genitalia of North Carolina specimens are below.
Genitalia and other structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: As of 2025, we are unaware of any documentation of the larval life history.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Strobisia iridipennella is found throughout much of the eastern US, with the range extending from southern New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania southwestward through the Carolinas to Georgia, northern Florida and Alabama, and westward to eastern Texas, eastern Oklahoma, western Kentucky and Illinois. There is one confirmed record from Ontario (Pohl et al., 2018). As of 2025, we have scattered records from all three physiographic provinces.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Strobisia iridipennellaAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
Piedmont (Pd)
Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Flight Comments: The adults have been observed from April through September in different areas of the range, with a seasonal peak typically in June and July. Local populations in North Carolina are univoltine and have a brief flight period that lasts only a few weeks. As of 2025, our records range from early-June to late-July.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Most of our records are from sites with mesic deciduous forests, including rich slopes in the Blue Ridge and a riparian forest in the Sandhills.
Larval Host Plants: As of 2025, the host plants appear to be unknown. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights and are commonly found perched on vegetation during the day where they often engage in rapid, circular, dancing movements.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [S3]
State Protection:
Comments: Strobisia iridipennella appears to be uncommon in North Carolina, with scattered, local populations occurring mostly in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge.

 Photo Gallery for Strobisia iridipennella - Iridescent Strobisia

 31 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Strobisia iridipennella
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-07-22
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Strobisia iridipennella
iNaturalist		Recorded by: hydaticus - Robby Deans on 2025-07-16
Randolph Co.
Comment: iNat record - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/327444517***(c) Robby Deans, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)| Public Positional Accuracy=28649 m
Strobisia iridipennella
Recorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson, John F. Jarvis on 2025-07-09
Caswell Co.
Comment: 		Strobisia iridipennella
Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2024-07-23
Macon Co.
Comment:
Strobisia iridipennella
Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2024-07-23
Macon Co.
Comment: 		Strobisia iridipennella
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-07-08
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Strobisia iridipennella
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-06
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Strobisia iridipennella
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-06
Madison Co.
Comment:
Strobisia iridipennella
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-06
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Strobisia iridipennella
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-06-29
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Strobisia iridipennella
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-06-29
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Strobisia iridipennella
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-14
Scotland Co.
Comment:
Strobisia iridipennella
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-14
Scotland Co.
Comment: 		Strobisia iridipennella
iNaturalist		Recorded by: izi_izi - Izzy Ibarra on 2023-06-24
Buncombe Co.
Comment: iNat record - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/169423963***(c) Izzy Ibarra, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)| Public Positional Accuracy=22 m Elevation=2154 feet
Strobisia iridipennella
iNaturalist		Recorded by: hydaticus - Robby Deans on 2022-07-11
Forsyth Co.
Comment: iNat record - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/128819947***(c) Robby Deans, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)| Public Positional Accuracy=96 m Elevation=744.2 feet		Strobisia iridipennella
iNaturalist		Recorded by: steven307 - Steven Joyner on 2021-07-24
Cumberland Co.
Comment: iNat record - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/88390314***(c) Steven Joyner, some rights reserved (CC BY)| Public Positional Accuracy= ? Elevation=54.8 feet
Strobisia iridipennella
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-07-18
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Strobisia iridipennella
Recorded by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn on 2020-07-15
Polk Co.
Comment:
Strobisia iridipennella
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-06-29
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Strobisia iridipennella
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-06-23
Madison Co.
Comment:
Strobisia iridipennella
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-06-22
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Strobisia iridipennella
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-06-20
Madison Co.
Comment:
Strobisia iridipennella
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-06-20
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Strobisia iridipennella
Recorded by: Hunter Phillips on 2017-07-04
Onslow Co.
Comment:
Strobisia iridipennella
iNaturalist		Recorded by: allenratzlaff - J. Allen Ratzlaff on 2017-06-24
Buncombe Co.
Comment: iNat record - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/6799097***(c) John Ratzlaff, all rights reserved| Public Positional Accuracy=13 m Elevation=2565.8 feet		Strobisia iridipennella
iNaturalist		Recorded by: jfox16 on 2017-06-09
Davidson Co.
Comment: iNat record - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/6563871***(c) jfox16, some rights reserved (CC BY)| Public Positional Accuracy=28606 m
Strobisia iridipennella
iNaturalist		Recorded by: allenratzlaff - J. Allen Ratzlaff on 2016-06-26
Buncombe Co.
Comment: iNat record - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/3530184***(c) John Ratzlaff, all rights reserved| Public Positional Accuracy=6 m Elevation=2565.7 feet		Strobisia iridipennella
iNaturalist		Recorded by: allenratzlaff - J. Allen Ratzlaff on 2016-06-15
Buncombe Co.
Comment: iNat record - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/3468406***(c) John Ratzlaff, all rights reserved| Public Positional Accuracy=6 m Elevation=2565.6 feet
Strobisia iridipennella
iNaturalist		Recorded by: junomoon - Carole Bloom on 2015-06-15
Guilford Co.
Comment: iNat record - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/229371419***(c) Carole Bloom, all rights reserved| Public Positional Accuracy=28563 m		Strobisia iridipennella
Recorded by: Harry Wilson on 2011-06-22
Wake Co.
Comment:

Photos of Strobisia iridipennella from iNaturalist

Strobisia iridipennella
© allenratzlaff - J. Allen Ratzlaff - 2016-06-15 - Buncombe Co.
iNat record 		Strobisia iridipennella
© allenratzlaff - J. Allen Ratzlaff - 2016-06-26 - Buncombe Co.
iNat record 		Strobisia iridipennella
© allenratzlaff - J. Allen Ratzlaff - 2017-06-24 - Buncombe Co.
iNat record 		Strobisia iridipennella
© steven307 - Steven Joyner - 2021-07-24 - Cumberland Co.
iNat record
Strobisia iridipennella
© izi_izi - Izzy Ibarra - 2023-06-24 - Buncombe Co.
iNat record 		Strobisia iridipennella
© junomoon - Carole Bloom - 2015-06-15 - Guilford Co.
iNat record 		Strobisia iridipennella
© hydaticus - Robby Deans - 2025-07-16 - Randolph Co.
iNat record 		Strobisia iridipennella
© jfox16 - 2017-06-09 - Davidson Co.
iNat record
Strobisia iridipennella
© hydaticus - Robby Deans - 2022-07-11 - Forsyth Co.
iNat record