Moths of North Carolina
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41 NC Records

Eichlinia cucurbitae (Harris, 1828) - Squash Vine Borer Moth

Eichlinia cucurbitaeEichlinia cucurbitae
view caption 		Eichlinia cucurbitaeEichlinia cucurbitae
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Sesioidea		 Family:
Sesiidae		Subfamily:
Sesiinae		Tribe:
Melittiini		P3 Number:
55a0081		 MONA Number:
2536.00		 MONA Synonym:
Melittia cucurbitae
Comments: This is one of 136 or more members of the Sesiidae that occur north of Mexico, 37 of which have been recorded in North Carolina. Of six species of Eichlinia, this is the only one that is found in the eastern US. It is perhaps the most familiar member of the family, especially to those who tend vegetable gardens, where it can be a destructive pest. Members of this family closely mimic wasps or hornets in both appearance and behavior.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Engelhardt (1946); Eichlin and Duckworth (1988)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This species is among the most easily identifiable members of the family due to the orange to orangish-red abdomen and upper legs that contrast sharply with the dark-gray to dark olive-green forewings and thorax. The thorax and forewings are opaque and gun-metal gray, while the hindwings are hyaline. On males, abdominal segments 1 and 2 are dark and match the color of the forewings. The remaining segments are reddish orange, with most bearing a single dark spot on the dorsum. The females closely resemble the males, but the olive-green coloration is somewhat darker and the antenna is simpler.

The following detailed description of the male is based primarily on the description by Engelhardt (1946). The antenna is black and strongly ciliate ventrally, while the palps are tawny and extend above the head. The head is dark olive-green to greenish-black dorsally, with the face whitish. Similar dark olive-green to greenish-black coloration also covers the collar, thorax, abdominal segments 1 and 2, and often segments 6 and 7. The remaining abdominal segments are orange to orangish-red above with black spots on segments 4-6. The anal tuft is short and greenish-black. The forewing is opaque and lustrous olive-green, except for a narrow hyaline space near the base. The hindwing is transparent, with the veins and wing margins greenish-black. The hindleg is largely reddish orange with black underneath. It bears long, hair-like tufts which give it a distinctive shaggy appearance. The foreleg and midleg are orangish inwardly, with the tarsi boldly marked with black and white crossbanding.
Wingspan: Males 28-30 mm; females 28-32 mm (Engelhardt, 1946).
Forewing Length: 12-15 mm (Eichlin and Duckworth, 1988).
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae are economically-significant pests on squashes, gourds, pumpkins, and other cultivated members of the Cucurbitaceae. The life cycle has been documented in detail by numerous researchers beginning in the 1800’s since the boring larvae often kill the host plants and can destroy entire fields of crops. The following is a brief summary based mostly on the life-history account by Friend (1931).

After emerging and mating, the females lay disc-shaped, reddish-brown eggs singly on the lower surfaces of leaves, or more commonly, on the basal part of the stem of a host plant such as squash. The females are active fliers during the day and can lay 100-200 eggs or more during their brief lifetime. Development to hatching takes 6-15 days, and the hatchlings soon bore into the stems. A single large plant can sometimes have dozens of larvae scattered along the stem. The larvae feed on the tissues in the stem and pass through four-instars, with the larval period commonly lasting 4-6 weeks or more depending on site conditions. The mature fourth-instars then exit their burrows and enter the soil where they burrow to a depth of 3-10 cm or more and spin a tough cocoon. In areas with more than one generation, the first-generation larvae soon pupate, with the adults emerging 14-30 days later. Those from the final seasonal generation commonly overwinter within the cocoon as prepupae or pupae, with the adults emerging in late-spring. The older larvae are grub-like with white bodies and a brown head and prothoracic shield. At emergence, the pupa cuts through the cocoon and makes its way to the ground surface where the adult emerges. Local populations in the US have 1-2 generations annually, with those in the north typically having one. Populations in North Carolina appear to have two generations per year in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain, and only one in the Blue Ridge.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Eichlinia cucurbitae occurs throughout much of the eastern US, in adjoining portions of Ontario and Quebec, and in eastern Mexico. The range in the US extends from central Maine southward along the Atlantic Seaboard to central Florida, and westward to central Texas, central Oklahoma, central Kansas, Nebraska, central South Dakota and Minnesota. This species occurs statewide in North Carolina.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Eichlinia cucurbitae
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
Immature 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: The adults have been observed from March through November in different areas of the range, with northern populations typically flying from June through August, and southernmost populations from April through November. As of 2024, our records extend from mid-May to early-September.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Local populations are commonly associated with vegetable gardens and agricultural fields where the host and nectar plants are found. We have very little information on the use of native plants.
Larval Host Plants: The larvae feed on members of the Cucurbitaceae, especially cultivated squashes, pumpkins, and gourds, but also muskmelons, cucumbers and other cucurbits. Members of the genus Cucurbita are preferred. Friend (1933) reported that Wild Cucumber (Echinocystis lobata) is a native host in New York. In North Carolina, this species is known from only a few counties in the northern Blue Ridge. More information is needed on native plant use throughout the range. - View
Observation Methods: Individuals are most likely to be observed on sunny days in and around vegetable gardens or agricultural fields, but the moths also visit flowers to take nectar. As is the case with other sesiids, the males are strongly attracted to artificial pheromone lures (Eichlin and Duckworth, 1988).
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR[S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This species is common across North Carolina and often does well in urban and residential settings.

 Photo Gallery for Eichlinia cucurbitae - Squash Vine Borer Moth

Photos: 14

Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-16
Madison Co.
Comment: Larva was in the upper stem of a Zucchini squash plant.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-16
Madison Co.
Comment: Larva was in the upper stem of a Zucchini squash plant.
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-16
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Erich Hofmann and Kayla Weinfurther on 2024-05-18
Cumberland Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Morgan Freese on 2023-07-17
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: mlholley1 on 2021-06-04
Wayne Co.
Comment: CC BY-NC
Recorded by: Barbara McRae on 2020-08-01
Macon Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2020-06-22
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: J.B. Sullivan on 2017-05-18
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn on 2015-08-06
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Anthony Shaheen on 2012-06-12
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Harry Wilson on 2010-07-15
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Taylor Piephoff on 2010-06-10
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: FKW on 2009-05-31
Gates Co.
Comment: