Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFTineidae Members: Diachorisia Members: 67 NC Records

Diachorisia velatella Clemens, 1860 - Brown-spotted Diachorisia

Diachorisia velatellaDiachorisia velatellaDiachorisia velatellaDiachorisia velatella
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Tineoidea		 Family:
Tineidae		Subfamily:
Meessiinae		Tribe:
[Meessiini]		P3 Number:
300213		 MONA Number:
279.00
Comments: Diachorisia is a monotypic genus that is restricted to eastern North America.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1923)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following description is based in part on Forbes' description (1923). The head has a mix of brown and gray scales and the palps are dark outwardly. The antenna is whitish with varying levels of faint fuscous dusting. The ground color of the forewing is white and dusted with fuscous. There are four or five small dark spots along the costa. These begin just before the base and are spaced roughly equidistantly to about two-thirds the wing length. Two larger, elongated blotches occur near the mid-length of the wing. These are spaced between the costa and inner margin, and the costal blotch is slightly more basal. Two additional large blotches are usually evident, one posteriorly and one anterior to the two paired blotches at the mid-length of the wing. Both are centered between the costa and inner margin. The apical region typically has one or more additional small spots or blotches, and one or two other small blotches are sometimes present along the inner margin. The cilia are white with scattered fuscous dusting, and often have two or more rather poorly organized blotches. The legs are white with varying levels of darker spotting and banding.
Wingspan: 9 mm (Forbes, 1923).
Adult Structural Features: On the antenna, the outer whorls of scales on each segment are nearly complete, but no longer than the inner whorls. The ventral surface has strong pubescence. It is as long as a segment in the male, but shorter in the female. The hindwing shows the cubitus and Cu2 running straight across to the inner margin, with a quarter of the width of the wing below it. Cu2 is half as long as the width of the wing. In the rest of the genus, Cu is closely parallel to the inner margin, and the free part of Cu is very short (Forbes, 1923).
Genitalia and other structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Despite having numerous adult records, the larval ecology and life history are largely unknown.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Diachorisia velatella is found in eastern North America, including Ontario and much of the eastern US. Populations have been found from Maine and Massachusetts southwestward to the Gulf Coastal region. The range extends as far west as central Texas and central Oklahoma. We have scattered records from throughout the state.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Diachorisia velatellaAlamance 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)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.