Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGelechiidae Members: Dichomeris Members: 3 NC Records

Dichomeris vindex Hodges, 1986 - No Common Name

Dichomeris vindexDichomeris vindex
Taxonomy
Family:
Gelechiidae		Subfamily:
Dichomeridinae		P3 Number:
59a0538		 MONA Number:
2302.10
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)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Hodges (1986)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Dichomeris vindex, D. bilobella and D. setosella are three closely related species that have very similar patterning and coloration on the forewings. The basal half has a dull, pale-yellow wash except for a conspicuous dark mark along the inner margin. The mark begins basally as a roughly triangular-shaped feature that contracts posteriorly to a narrow neck before expanding again into a broad, weakly curved, diagonal bar that projects towards the costa. The bar terminates before reaching the costa and is followed posteriorly by a wide zone of grayish to grayish-black wash in the post-medial area. Within this is a small black spot at the end of the cell that is bordered basally and distally to varying degrees with pale-yellow scales. The grayish zone is followed by a narrow, pale-yellow, transverse line that can vary from straight to wavy, particularly in the medial area. The subterminal portion of the forewing has a similar grayish to grayish-black wash, but is often a shade darker than that in the postmedial region. A line of dark dots is present at the base of the termen, with the dots having varying degrees of yellow scaling posteriorly. The prominent dark mark on the basal half of the wing extends to the inner margin.

North Carolina specimens of these three species are best identified using either genitalia, size, or the morphology of the labial palps. For a large series of specimens that have been identified using genitalia (J.B. Sullivan, pers. comm.), the wing length of D. bilobella in North Carolina typically varies from 8-9 mm versus 6-7 mm for D. setosella. The scaling on the second segment of the labial palps is also diagnostic (Hodges, 1986), with D. setosella having a strong ventral tuft at the apex that projects forward. In contrast, D. bilobella and D. vindex lacks a prominent ventral tuft and have scales on the ventral side that are more or less appressed to the second segment. The most conspicuous scaling is on the dorsal surface. Worn specimens of D. setosella may not have an obvious projecting tuft and can cause confusion.

Hodges (1986) noted that the shape of the pale-yellow transverse line at two-thirds the wing length is usually helpful in sorting out these species. In D. setosella, the line is slightly waved medially and angled slightly toward the base on the costal margin. In D. vindex the line is straight medially and angled slightly toward the apex on the costal margin. In D. bilobella the line is waved medially and often more broadly angled toward the apex. As of 2025, D. vindex has only been found at a single site in Madison County and probably does not occur east of the Appalachians (Hodges, 1986). Because external patterning on the forewing widely overlaps between all three species, specimens should be submitted with both a wing length measurement and a lateral view of the labial palps whenever feasible.
Forewing Length: 6.2-8.3 mm (Hodges, 1986).
Adult Structural Features: Hodges (1986) has illustrations and descriptions of the male and female genitalia.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Immatures and Development: Braun (manuscript notes reported by Hodges, 1986) reared a larva that was on Helianthus hirsutus and noted that the smaller leaves were rolled by larvae. The larva was collected on 3 October 1945 and overwintered, with the adult emerging on 22 April 1946. A late-instar larvae that George Smiley found on H. hirsutus in late-May pupated in mid-June, with the adult emerging in late-June.

The late-instar larvae have a dark-brown to blackish head and a black prothoracic shield, with a line of white blotches where it meets the mesothorax (Hodges, 1986; BugGuide). The remainder of the thorax and the abdomen vary from dull green to purplish gray, with black tubercles that are encircled with whitish, irregular, longitudinally placed dashes that tend to form irregular, broken stripes. The prepupal larva is similar, but has a dull, reddish-brown ground color.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Dichomeris vindex occurs in southern Canada (Manitoba; Ontario; Quebec) and in the US mostly west of the Appalachian Mountains. The range extends from eastern Texas northward to Illinois and Indiana, and eastward to eastern Kentucky, western North Carolina, Mississippi, and the western Florida Panhandle. Isolated records that appear to be valid are also known from northeastern Florida and Maryland. As of 2025, we only have records from a single site in the Blue Ridge. David George and Jeff Niznik have collected several specimens from Chatham and Orange Counties in the Piedmont that appear to be this species, but that need additional verification based on genitalia.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Dichomeris vindexAlamance 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 September in different areas of the range. As of 2025, our three records are from mid-May through mid-August.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Local populations are generally found in sunny or partially shaded habitats such as woodland openings, roadway corridors, fields and prairies.
Larval Host Plants: As of 2025, the only known host is Hairy Sunflower (Helianthus hirsutus; Hodges, 1986, BugGuide) but other sunflowers might serve as hosts. As of 2025, we do not have any feeding records for North Carolina.
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
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 Photo Gallery for Dichomeris vindex - No common name

Photos: 3
Dichomeris vindex
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-05-19
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Dichomeris vindex
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-08-12
Madison Co.
Comment:
Dichomeris vindex
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-07-04
Madison Co.
Comment: