Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Gelechiidae Members:	Dichomeris Members:	14 NC Records

Dichomeris xanthoa Hodges, 1986 - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Gelechioidea

Family:
Gelechiidae

Subfamily:
Dichomeridinae

P3 Number:
59a0563

MONA Number:
2301.10

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

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

Technical Description, Adults: Hodges (1986)

Adult Markings: Dichomeris xanthoa 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 abruptly narrows towards the apex and terminates just before reaching it. The dark band commonly has three or four small teeth that project into the pale band; these occur from around three-fourths the wing length to near the wing base. The head is pale-yellow to cream-colored above, but becomes grayish towards the sides. The thorax is dark-brown, and the palps are uniformly yellowish white (Hodges, 1986).

Dichomeris xanthoa might be confused with D. bolize since both have the pale band terminating before reaching the apex. They can be distinguished by the latter having only two teeth that are restricted to the distal half of the dark band, and palps and scale tufts that have conspicuous, reddish-brown scales.

Forewing Length: 5.5- 6.6 mm (Hodges, 1986).

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

Genitalia and other structural photos

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable only by close inspection of structural features or by DNA analysis.

Immatures and Development: As far as we are aware, the host plants and larval life history are undocumented as of 2025.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Dichomeris xanthoa has been found at scattered locations across the eastern and central North America, including North Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, southeastern Alberta and Manitoba.

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: North Carolina records are from xeric to somewhat mesic habitats, including coastal scrub and maritime forests, xeric Sandhills communities, Longleaf Pine savannas, and Coastal dune grasslands.

Larval Host Plants: The larval host plants are apparently unknown (Hodges, 1986). - 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 xanthoa - None

Photos: 9

	Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2025-05-01 Pender Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2025-05-01 Pender Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-04-29 Pender Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-04-29 Pender Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-05-06 Pender Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-05-06 Pender Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-05-04 Pender Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2021-04-26 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2021-04-26 Carteret Co. Comment: