Moths of North Carolina

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Dichomeris punctipennella (Clemens, 1860) - Many-spotted Dichomeris

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Gelechioidea

Family:
Gelechiidae

Subfamily:
Dichomeridinae

P3 Number:
59a0520

MONA Number:
2288.00

Comments: Dichomeris is a large genus with several hundred species that occur throughout the world. Hodges (1986) recognized 74 species in North America north of Mexico, with 19 species groups. Most are leaftiers and they use a taxonomically diverse array of plant hosts, including members of 18 families of plants in North America. As of 2025, North Carolina has 35 documented species, and at least one undescribed species from the Sandhills.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

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

Technical Description, Adults: Hodges (1986)

Adult Markings: Dichomeris punctipennella has an arrowhead shape due to its elongated and pointed forewings and labial palps that project forward. The forewing is often mottled with a mixture of light ocherous-yellow and darker grayish-brown scales, and there are several diffuse, dark spots on the thorax and wing. These include three posteriorly-oblique, parallel pairs of spots that are roughly equidistant and found in the antemedial, medial, and postmedial regions of the wing. A series of fine spots is present along the costa, outer margin, and inner margin on the terminal third of the wing. The head and thorax are more-or-less unicolorous with the forewing, and there are three dark spots on the distal end of the thorax. The labial palps project forward and are dark-brown externally with a strong dorsal scale tuft that is less-developed on the female. The shaft of the antenna has a notch on the dorsal surface of segments two and three, and is marked with alternating dark-brown and ocherous-yellow bands (Forbes, 1923; Hodges, 1986). The hindwing is pale brownish-gray.

Forewing Length: 4.0-6.1 mm (Hodges, 1986).

Adult Structural Features: Hodges (1986) has descriptions and illustrations of the male and female genitalia. Also, see images below for North Carolina specimens.

Genitalia and other structural photos

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

Immatures and Development: Very little is known about the host plants and larval life history. Charley Eiseman (BugGuide) collected a larva that had constructed a silk tube as a shelter and was feeding on a Sugar Maple leaf. The larvae had a blackish head and prothoracic shield and a rather drab, light-brownish abdomen.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Dichomeris punctipennella is broadly distributed across much of the eastern US and southern Canada where it occurs in Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. The range in the US extends from Maine southward to southern Florida and westward to central Texas, then northward to Minnesota. Populations are generally uncommon west of the Mississippi River in the central and northern US. As of 2025, we have records from all three physiographic provinces, with numerous records from the Blue Ridge and Piedmont, and relatively few from the Coastal Plain.

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
Flight Comments: The adults fly year-round or nearly so in Florida, Alabama and other areas in the southernmost portion of the range. Farther north the main flight period is commonly from May through September. As of 2025, our records extend from mid-March through late-October. Populations in the Piedmont appear to have two or more broods per year, while those in the high mountains appear to produce only one.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Local populations are associated with hardwood forests or sites where hardwoods are present. These include mesic hardwood slopes, bottomland forests, semi-wooded residential neighborhoods, and dry ridges.

Larval Host Plants: The host plants are poorly documented. Charley Eiseman has a BugGuide record for a larva on Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) in Massachusetts. - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.

Wikipedia

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks:

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.

Comments:

Photo Gallery for Dichomeris punctipennella - Many-spotted Dichomeris

102 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-10-17 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-10-13 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Marilyn Westphal on 2025-10-12 Henderson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson, John F. Jarvis, S. L. Reeves on 2025-10-07 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-08-16 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Marilyn Westphal on 2025-07-27 Haywood Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2025-07-03 Macon Co. Comment:		Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2025-07-03 Macon Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2025-06-22 Transylvania Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-06-17 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-06-17 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, John Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-04-14 Bladen Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-06 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-13 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06 Transylvania Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06 Transylvania Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-08-02 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Patrick Coin, Steve Hall, Carol Tingley, Tom Howard on 2024-07-27 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2024-07-23 Macon Co. Comment:		Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2024-07-14 Macon Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-07-14 Watauga Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-07-11 Watauga Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George on 2024-07-04 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Patrick Coin on 2024-06-22 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-06-12 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Hunter Phillips on 2024-06-07 Onslow Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-06-07 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-25 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13 Chatham Co. Comment: