Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFMeessiidae Members: Eudarcia Members: 5 NC Records

Eudarcia eunitariaeella (Chambers, 1873) - No Common Name

Eudarcia eunitariaeellaEudarcia eunitariaeellaEudarcia eunitariaeellaEudarcia eunitariaeella
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Tineoidea		 Family:
Meessiidae		Subfamily:
Meessiinae		Tribe:
[Meessiini]		P3 Number:
300001		 MONA Number:
277.00
Comments: The genus Eudarcia contains 70 or more species of small moths that occur in both the Old and New World. Eudarcia eunitariaeella is one of only two species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Pohl et al., 2016).
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD, iNat SearchTechnical Description, Adults: Dietz (1905, as Eudarcia caemitariella, p. 75); Forbes (1923, as Eudarcia caemitariella, p. 77)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Forbes (1923)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Eudarcia eunitariaeella is a minute black-and-white moth with an orange head. The face and top of the head are ochraceous and roughened. The antenna is yellowish with dark annulations, somewhat thickened, and about as long as the body. Both the head and antennae strongly contrast with the forewings, which are dark, purplish brown to black, with a series of narrow, transverse white streaks or spots. A broken white band occurs about 1/3 from the base of the forewing. It is composed of an oblique streak extending down and back from the costa and a similar streak extending inward from the inner margin. A second pair of white streaks is located just beyond midway. The paired streaks sometimes weakly unite to form an angulated or concave fascia. The last pair of streaks is followed by two or more shorter white streaks or spots along the costa, the outermost of which may run obliquely inward or form a curved subapical spot. The hindwing is fuscous (Chambers, 1873; Dietz, 1905; Forbes, 1923). Eudarcia simulatricella is similar but the white streaks are broader and less oblique, and the apical cilia are tipped with white rather than being all brown.
Wingspan: 8-9 mm (Dietz, 1905; Forbes, 1924)
Genitalia and other structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Chambers (1873) found larvae on old stone walls and monuments in cemeteries. He described the cases as being constructed from silk and lime, flattened, and somewhat truncate or emarginate on both ends. While Chambers noted that the cases were abundant on surfaces lacking any lichens, Forbes (1923) describes them as occurring on lichens.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Eudarcia eunitariaeella is found in eastern North America. It occurs in southern Canada (Ontario; Quebec), and throughout much of the eastern US, although it is seemingly absent from most of the southeastern Coastal Plain. As of 2022, we have only three site records and all are from the Piedmont.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Eudarcia eunitariaeellaAlamance 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)

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