Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGelechiidae Members: Helcystogramma Members: 18 NC Records

Helcystogramma melanocarpa (Meyrick, 1929) - No Common Name

Helcystogramma melanocarpaHelcystogramma melanocarpaHelcystogramma melanocarpa
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Gelechioidea		 Family:
Gelechiidae		Subfamily:
Dichomeridinae		P3 Number:
59a0506		 MONA Number:
2269.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Hodges (1986, as Helcystogramma melanocarpum)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Helcystogramma melanocarpa is a distinctive species with a light grayish-orange forewing that has three prominent dark-brown to blackish spots, along with a series of seven or eight dark-brown spots around the outer margin. The following detailed description is based mostly on that of Hodges (1986).

The labial palp is long, recurved and finely-tapered, with the tip reaching to the back of the head. The first and second segments are grayish-orange, while the third segment is a lighter orangish-white, with darker tipped scales on the outer surface. The frons, antennal shaft, head and vertex are all more-or-less grayish-orange and concolorous with the ground color of the forewing.

The veins of the forewing are weakly to moderately outlined with a pale straw color, and there are three prominent, rounded, dark-brown to blackish spots. These include a pair at around one-half the wing length (with one just beyond one-half the length of the cell; the second at two-thirds the length of the fold), and a larger spot at around three-fourths at the end of the cell. The only other conspicuous marks are a series of seven or eight dark-brown spots around the outer margin that may be poorly defined in worn specimens. The hindwing is light orangish-brown to brown, while the legs are predominantly orangish-brown, but more whitish on the dorsal surfaces.
Forewing Length: 4.8-6.9 mm (Hodges, 1986)
Adult Structural Features: Hodges (1986) has illustrations and descriptions of the male and female genitalia. Also, see images of North Carolina specimens below.
Genitalia and other structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Helcystogramma melanocarpa is found throughout the eastern US and in adjoining areas of southern Canada (Manitoba; Ontario; Quebec; New Brunswick; Nova Scotia). Pohl et al. (2018) also report records for British Columbia. In the US, this species ranges from Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont southward mostly along coastal regions to northern Florida, then westward to Louisiana, eastern and central Texas, central Oklahoma, eastern Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. As of 2025, all of our records are from the eastern Piedmont and Coastal Plain.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Helcystogramma melanocarpaAlamance 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.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Our records come primarily from wet, open herblands, including Sandhill Seeps, Longleaf Pine Savannas, and wet, marshy areas in the Piedmont.
Larval Host Plants: Larval host plants appear to be unknown, but Hodges states that "Helcystogramma larvae are leaf rollers and tiers on Gramineae, Convolvulaceae, and Compositae" (Hodges, 1986). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Wet Grasslands
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S3S4
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Helcystogramma melanocarpa - None

Photos: 10
Helcystogramma melanocarpa
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-09-04
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Helcystogramma melanocarpa
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-04-19
Orange Co.
Comment:
Helcystogramma melanocarpa
Recorded by: Steve Hall on 2022-08-02
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Helcystogramma melanocarpa
Recorded by: Steve Hall on 2022-06-30
Durham Co.
Comment:
Helcystogramma melanocarpa
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-06-21
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Helcystogramma melanocarpa
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-06-16
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Helcystogramma melanocarpa
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-06-16
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Helcystogramma melanocarpa
Recorded by: J.B. Sullivan on 2020-09-09
Scotland Co.
Comment: 2 traps, one each side of road
Helcystogramma melanocarpa
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-06-30
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Helcystogramma melanocarpa
Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-04-30
Onslow Co.
Comment: