Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGelechiidae Members: Dichomeris Members: 4 NC Records

Dichomeris costarufoella (Chambers, 1874) - No Common Name

Dichomeris costarufoellaDichomeris costarufoella
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Gelechioidea		 Family:
Gelechiidae		Subfamily:
Dichomeridinae		P3 Number:
59a0578		 MONA Number:
2293.00
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, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Hodges (1986)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Dichomeris costarufoella is distinctive in having a mostly dark violet-gray forewing except for a brownish-orange to dull reddish-orange costal streak that runs from the wing base. The streak gradually narrows and terminates at varying distances from the base, but commonly near the middle of the wing. An isolated costal spot of the same color is present at around three-fourths the wing length. The forewing also has a set of blackish spots with white scale patches along the margins, including an antemedial spot, a pair of medial spots, and a postmedial spot. The dark spots are often masked by the overall ground color of the wing, but the white scale patches often stand out. The thorax, head and labial palps are more-or-less concolorous with the costal streak. The antenna is dark grayish-brown dorsally except for yellowish-orange on the first two or three segments of the shaft, while the legs are mostly dark-brown, with the last pair paler than the other two.
Forewing Length: 4.9-7.5 mm and geographically variable (Hodges, 1986).
Adult Structural Features: Hodges (1986) has illustrations and descriptions of the male and female genitalia. Also, see image below of a specimen from North Carolina.
Genitalia and other structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The host plant and larval life history are poorly documented, with the only reported host being a Rudbeckia sp. based on a rearing record for a museum specimen.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Dichomeris costarufoella has prairie and grassland affinities and is most common in an area extending from southern and central Alabama northward to northern Ohio and southern Ontario, and westward to southeastern Manitoba, southern Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, central Oklahoma and central Texas. Populations in North Carolina may be isolated from those farther south and west, with the nearest known record that we are aware of being from central Georgia. As of 2025, our only records are from the Sandhills and coastal areas of North Carolina.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Dichomeris costarufoellaAlamance 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 found from March through October, except in Texas where the flight season is longer. As of 2025, our very limited records are from mid-April through mid-October.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: This species prefers open habitats such as prairies, infrequently mowed fields, open Vineland's, and other areas that support Rudbeckia species. As of 2025, our records are mostly from Longleaf Pine stands in the Sandhills.
Larval Host Plants: The host plants are poorly documented, with the only reported host as of 2025 being an adult that was reared from a Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia sp.; Hodges, 1986). - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SNR [S1S3]
State Protection:
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Dichomeris costarufoella - None

Photos: 3
Dichomeris costarufoella
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Dichomeris costarufoella
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Dichomeris costarufoella
Recorded by: J.B. Sullivan on 2020-10-13
Scotland Co.
Comment: