Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
« Home »
View PDFGelechiidae Members: Dichomeris Members: 13 NC Records

Dichomeris bolize Hodges, 1986 - Glaser's Dichomeris

Dichomeris bolize
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Gelechioidea		 Family:
Gelechiidae		Subfamily:
Dichomeridinae		P3 Number:
59a0558		 MONA Number:
2297.20
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Hodges (1986)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Dichomeris bolize has a two-toned appearance with the forewing having a pale-yellow to cream-colored costal band that extends from the wing base to near the apex, and an adjoining broad, toothed, dark-brown band that extends from the base to the outer margin. The pale band gently narrows towards the apex and terminates just before reaching it. The dark band commonly has two small teeth that project into the pale band; one at around two-fifths the wing length, and the second at around two-thirds the wing length. The head is pale-yellow to cream-colored above, while thorax is dark-brown in the middle and pale-yellow to cream-colored on the sides.

The first segment of the labial palp is dark gray, while the outer surface of the second segment is dark gray with reddish-brown scales ventrally. The scale tuft on the second segment that is reddish-brown basally and pale yellow towards the apex. The third segment is pale yellow, while the antenna is grayish-brown except for being pale yellow on the base and the first two or three segments of the shaft (Hodges, 1986).

Dichomeris bolize can be confused with two other Dichomeris that are found in coastal areas (the dark morph of D. ligulella and D. pelta). Dichomeris bolize and D. pelta have a yellowish to cream-colored, longitudinal band along the costa that lacks the scattered dark flecking that is typically present in D. ligulella. In D. bolize, the light costal band terminates just before reaching the apex, while in D. pelta the band terminates at the apex, as is the case with D. ligulella. Dichomeris pelta also has a small black spot in the yellow band near the base of the forewing that the other two species lack. Both of these species lack the prominent, forward-projecting, scale tufts on the labial palps that are typical of D. ligulella. Worn specimens of all three can be distinguished using genitalia.
Forewing Length: 5.5- 7.4 mm (Hodges, 1986).
Adult Structural Features: Hodges (1986) has illustrations and descriptions 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: As of 2025, we are unaware of any documentation of the larval life history other than a brief comment by Hodges (1986) that a larva was found on flowers of a Brassica species in New York City on 21 May. An adult emerging on 5 June.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Dichomeris bolize appears to be most common in sandy Coastal Plain habitats, with the range extending from Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York southward to central Florida and westward to Louisiana and southeastern Texas. Specimens have also been found at scattered sites in West Virginia, northern Ohio, northwestern Illinois, Nebraska and southern Ontario. As of 2025, all of our records are from the Coastal Plain, including the Sandhills and from sites near the coast.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Dichomeris bolizeAlamance 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 documented from March through October in different areas of the range. As of 2025, we have records from late-March to late-October, with little evidence of a strong seasonal peak in activity.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: The preferred habitats are poorly documented. We have records from a xeric Sandhills community, a maritime forest and a few wetland sites.
Larval Host Plants: The hosts are poorly documented, but there is one record for a larva the was found on a species of Brassica in New York (Hodges, 1986). As of 2025, we do not have any host records for North Carolina. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SNR [S2S3]
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 bolize - Glaser's Dichomeris

Photos: 4
Dichomeris bolize
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Dichomeris bolize
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Brian Bockhahn, Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, John Petranka on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment:
Dichomeris bolize
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Brian Bockhahn, Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, John Petranka on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Dichomeris bolize
Recorded by: Newman, Randy on 2006-03-31
Carteret Co.
Comment: