Moths of North Carolina
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16 NC Records

Nemapogon acapnopennella (Clemens, 1863) - No Common Name

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tineoidea Family: TineidaeSubfamily: NemapogoninaeTribe: [Nemapogonini]P3 Number: 300105.00 MONA Number: 261.00
Comments: Nemapogon is a genus with approximately 70 named species that reach their greatest diversity in the Old World. There are 17 described species in North America.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG; BugGuide: BAMONATechnical Description, Adults: Deitz (1905)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following is based on a redescription of this species by Deitz (1905). The head is white or ochreous white, intermixed with fuscous. The palps are yellowish and dusted externally with brownish scales, while the antenna is pale ochreous and finely annulated with brown. The thorax is dull white and speckled with brown scales. The forewing has a dull white ground color that is sprinkled with pale brown scales that sometimes form faint, irregular transverse lines. The remaining markings are dark brown to brownish black. Patterning of the dark markings varies considerable among individuals, but the following marks are usually present. A rather poorly defined dark patch or short streak is present near the wing base that extends from the costa obliquely outward to about the middle of the wing. There is a small dark costal spot at about one fourth. Just beyond the middle there is a large and roughly rectangular patch that extends from the costa to about the middle of the wing. A smaller opposing spot occurs along the inner margin near the beginning of the dorsal cilia. Just anterior to the coastal patch and the matching dorsal spot, there is a posteriorly curved streak or blotch that typically extends from near the inner margin to about the middle of the wing. Just posterior to the postmedian rectangular patch there is usually a small, but well-defined, dark costal spot. A similar spot or larger blotch is often evident opposite it, and near the middle of the wing. Additional spots or fine streaks are sometimes evident in the general vicinity. The cilia are whitish and often have a dark line that extends through the middle. A row of small, dark, elongated spots are usually present along the base of the cilia. The hindwing is a little narrower than the forewings, obtusely pointed, and grayish fuscous with gray cilia. The abdomen is ochreous fuscous above, and the legs ochreous with dark banding on the tarsi.
Wingspan: Exp. 11.5-14.0 mm (Dietz, 1905)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae are whitish, with dark heads and cervical shields. Although they are known to feed on polypore fungi, little is known about the larval life cycle.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Nemapogon acapnopennella is found throughout much of the eastern US. It occurs from Illinois eastward to Maine, to as far south and west as Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas. This species also occurs in southern Canada from British Columbia and Saskatchewan to as far east as Quebec. We have scattered records for North Carolina from throughout the state.
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: Most adult records are from April-August, but specimens have been observed during almost every month of the year. As of 2020, our records extends from January-September. Populations near the coast are often active in January and February.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: This species is associated with hardwood forests, where the host fungus grows on decaying logs, tree trunks and limbs of hardwoods.
Larval Host Plants: The larvae feed on a fungi (Irpex lacteus), which is a resupinate polypore that forms rather shapeless, toothed growth mats across the bottom of dead hardwood logs (Forbes, 1923).
Observation Methods: The adults appear to only occasionally visit lights. More information is needed on the larval ecology, so searches for larvae on Irpex lacteus may yield important natural history observations.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SU
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: Populations are presumably more common than our limited records suggest since the adults do not appear to be strongly attracted to lights.

 Photo Gallery for Nemapogon acapnopennella - No common name

Photos: 19

Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-18
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-05-26
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-05-26
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-05-21
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2021-04-08
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-03-10
Onslow Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-03-02
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-02-05
Onslow Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-01-10
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2019-09-30
Onslow Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-08-11
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-08-11
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-08-07
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-08-07
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2015-05-12
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: T. DeSantis on 2015-04-29
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Kyle Kittelberger on 2014-09-26
Gates Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Harry Wilson on 2013-05-09
Wake Co.
Comment: Very likely this is Nemapogon acapnopennella.
Recorded by: Harry Wilson on 2011-03-07
Wake Co.
Comment: