Moths of North Carolina
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17 NC Records

Carmenta ithacae (Beutenmüller, 1897) - No Common Name

Carmenta ithacae
view caption 		Carmenta ithacae
view caption 		Carmenta ithacae
view caption 		Carmenta ithacae
view caption
Taxonomy
Family:
Sesiidae		Subfamily:
Sesiinae		P3 Number:
55a0146		 MONA Number:
2600.00
Comments: Of the 136 or more members of the Sesiidae that occur in North American north of Mexico, 37 have been recorded in North Carolina. Some sesiids, known broadly as clearwing borers, are significant pests of commercial crops. The great majority are mimics of wasps and hornets.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Engelhardt (1946)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Engelhardt (1946)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following description is based primarily on that of Engelhardt (1946). In the males, the antenna is metallic black with a short area of whitish shading near the tip. The palp is whitish or pale yellow below and black above, while the head is lustrous bluish-black and the collar pale yellow. The thorax varies from black to bluish-black and has a long, thin yellow stripe along the sides, along with tufts of sordid yellow scales that extend from the metathorax. The abdomen is long and slender, with violaceous or coppery reflections, and with thin, whitish bands on segments 2, 4, 6 and 7, although North Carolina specimens usually lack the band on segment 6. The bands narrowly unite on the sides, and the one on segment 4 encircles the body. The large, fan-shaped anal tuft is mostly shiny black with whitish scales along the sides and through the center on the underside. The forewing is transparent, with a narrow, black border and black outer margin that has golden-yellowish rays between the veins. The discal mark is purplish-black and squarish to rectangular. The hind tibia and tarsi are mostly black, with the latter having whitish or light-yellowish coloration on both sides of the joints.

Females are generally similar, but the antenna has a larger whitish area before the tip and the abdomen is broader. Abdominal segments 2, 4 and 6 have narrow light-yellow or pale white bands, along with broad whitish patches on the sides. The anal tuft is less fan-shaped than that of the male and mostly shiny black with little or no whitish scaling along the outer margins.

Carmenta bassiformis is most easily confused with C. ithacae. The latter tends to have the light mark on the antenna, the bands on the abdomen, and the lateral fringe on the anal tuft more whitish or yellowish-white, although the antennal mark on female C. bassiformis is often whitish. Female C. ithacae lack the prominent yellowish tip of the anal brush as seen in female C. bassiformis, and the whitish region below the tip of the antenna is generally shorter than that of female C. bassiformis. Both sexes of C. ithacae have hind tarsi with long black bands that alternate with shorter yellowish or whitish bands. In C. bassiformis, males have yellow hind tarsi while the females have alternating dark and yellowish bands on the tarsi, with the dark bands less prominent and boldly contrasting than those of C. ithacae. Size differences for a given sex are also useful, with C. bassiformis being larger and having minimal size overlap with C. ithacae.
Wingspan: 15-17 mm for males; 16-18 mm for females (Engelhardt, 1946).
Forewing Length: 6-8 mm (Brown and Mizell, 1993).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Engelhardt (1946) reported that Smooth Oxeye (Heliopsis helianthoides) appears to be the primary host in New York and presumably elsewhere. The larvae bore in the crown roots and lower parts of the stems and produce frass-filled galleries. In New York the larvae pupate in early summer in the lower stem where they build a silk-lined case behind a thinly covered circular exit hole for the adult.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Carmenta ithacae occurs in the eastern US and in adjoining portions of southern Canada (Manitoba; Ontario; Quebec). In the US the range extends from Vermont, New York and Massachusetts southwestward to North Carolina and northern Georgia, and westward to western Tennessee, eastern Kansas, eastern Nebraska, and Minnesota. Apparent geographic isolates occur in northern Florida (Brown and Mizell, 1993) and eastern Texas, with the latter needing taxonomic clarification. As of 2024, all of our records are from the Piedmont and lower elevations in the mountains.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Carmenta ithacae
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: The adults have been observed from May through September in different areas of the range, with a seasonal peak commonly in June and July. As of 2024, our records extend from mid-June through early-September.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Local populations are patchily distributed across the landscape where the host plants are found and often in mesic forested sites with edge habitats that are partially sunny to sunny.
Larval Host Plants: The adults have been reared from Common Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale) and Smooth Oxeye (Heliopsis helianthoides), with the latter appearing to be the primary host (Engelhardt, 1946). Reports of this species using Parthenium likely refer to an undescribed species (Carmenta sp. nr ithacae) from Mexico (Dhileepan and McFadyen, 2012). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina.
Observation Methods: The adults are not attracted to lights or bait. They are diurnal and can be found on flowers or resting on the upper surfaces of vegetation during the day. The males are attracted to pheromone traps.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR[S2S3]
State Protection:
Comments: This species appears to be somewhat uncommon in the state. It has probably been undercollected due to the fact that the adults are diurnally active and do not come to lights.

 Photo Gallery for Carmenta ithacae - No common name

Photos: 15

Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-26
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: katrous on 2023-07-00
Guilford Co.
Comment: Creative Commons: CC BY-NC 4.0; image cropped.
Recorded by: funnystuff2495 on 2023-06-15
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: Creative Commons: CC BY-NC 4.0		Recorded by: Jamie M. Simancas on 2021-07-02
Guilford Co.
Comment: Creative Commons: CC BY-NC 4.0
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2021-06-21
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2021-06-21
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-06-23
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-06-23
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2020-06-08
Durham Co.
Comment: ithacae?		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2020-06-08
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2019-07-19
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Patrick Coin on 2019-06-23
Durham Co.
Comment: Creative Commons: CC BY-NC 4.0
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2018-06-15
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2018-06-15
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2018-06-15
Guilford Co.
Comment: