Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Glyphipterigidae Members:	Abrenthia Members:	6 NC Records

Abrenthia cuprea Busck, 1915 - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Family:
Glyphipterigidae

P3 Number:
36a0186

MONA Number:
2336.00

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

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

Technical Description, Adults: Busck (1915)

Adult Markings: Abrenthia cuprea is a small and distinctive sedge moth that has a dark-bronze thorax with golden reflections, and a dark purplish-blue forewing with whitish violaceous lines. The following description is based on that of Busck (1915). The labial palp is light golden-purple and the antenna purplish-black. The thorax, patagia and extreme base of the forewing are dark bronze with strong metallic golden reflections. The forewing is dark purplish-blue with numerous thin, equidistant, longitudinal, whitish-violaceous lines from the base to the apex. The apical edge is strongly metallic violaceous, and the fringe is dark brown. The hindwing is blackish-brown with a whitish fringe, while the legs are dark brown with white tarsal annulations.

Wingspan: 11 mm (Forbes, 1923)

Genitalia and other structural photos

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

Immatures and Development: As of 2025, the larval life history is undocumented.

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: The adults have been observed from scattered localities across the eastern US. The known range extends from Iowa and Illinois eastward across Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania to Massachusetts, and southward to Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee. Isolated records are also known from Minnesota, Quebec, and northern Florida. As of 2025, we have a few records from one site in the northeastern Coastal Plain and two others in the Piedmont.

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: Local populations are univoltine and the adults have a relatively short flight period. Individuals have mostly been observed from June through August in different areas of the range, with a seasonal peak in June and July. There are also isolated records from November and March. As of 2025, our records are from late-April through late-June.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Local populations are generally associated with deciduous forests with wetlands or wet soils that support sedges.

Larval Host Plants: This species belongs to a taxonomic group (Subfamily Glyphipteriginae) whose larvae bore into the stems of sedges, rushes, grasses. Abrenthia cuprea presumably uses one of these groups as hosts, but the exact hosts are undocumented as of 2025.

Observation Methods: The adults are diurnally active and are often seen resting on vegetation. They are also attracted to lights.

Wikipedia

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [S2]

State Protection:

Comments:

Photo Gallery for Abrenthia cuprea - No common name

Photos: 6

	Recorded by: Robby Deans on 2025-06-22 Forsyth Co. Comment: iNat record - iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/304619307 some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)		Recorded by: F. Williams, S. Williams on 2025-06-14 Gates Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: F. Williams, S. Williams on 2025-06-12 Gates Co. Comment:		Recorded by: F. Williams, S. Williams on 2025-05-22 Gates Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: F. Williams, S. Williams on 2025-05-22 Gates Co. Comment:		Recorded by: jfox16 on 2024-06-00 Davidson Co. Comment: iNat record - iNat: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/219837468; jfox16; some rights reserved (CC-BY)