Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Tortricidae Members:	Pelochrista Members:	37 NC Records

Pelochrista fraudabilis Heinrich, 1923 - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Tortricoidea

Family:
Tortricidae

Subfamily:
Olethreutinae

Tribe:
Eucosmini

P3 Number:
51a0917.1

MONA Number:
3053.00

MONA Synonym:
Eucosma fraudabilis

Comments: Pelochrista is a large Holarctic genus of tortricids with around 75% of the 226 described species being native to North America (Wright and Gilligan, 2017). The highest species richness occurs in the western half of North America. The genus has a long and confusing taxonomic history, with many of the species formerly placed in the genus Eucosma. Gilligan et al. (2014) conducted a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of Pelochrista, Eucosma, and related genera and redefined the genus Eucosma and Pelochrista based on differences in female genitalia. The great majority of Pelochrista species are known only from adults, which likely reflects the fact that the larvae of most species bore into stem bases and roots and are concealed from view. Members of the Asteraceae are the likely hosts for most species (Wright and Gilligan, 2017), but much work need to be done to identifying the hosts.

Species Status: Type series is from Southern Pines

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD

Technical Description, Adults: Heinrich (1923), Gilligan and Wright (2013)

Adult Markings: The following is based on the description by Gilligan and Wright (2013): The frons is creamy white, while the vertex, antenna, and thorax are straw yellow. The labial palp is creamy white with pale brown tints on the lateral surface of the second segment. The fore- and mid-legs are pale brown and the hind-legs creamy white, with the tarsi of all with weakly contrasting white annulations. The forewing ground color is straw yellow and is overlain with a metallic-gray subbasal and median bands that extend from the costa to the dorsum. A large circular ocelloid region extends from the tornus nearly to the costa and has the apical quadrant edged by a metallic-gray arc and the anterior portion filled with gray-brown scales with whitish apices. The ocellus consisting of four obscurely defined rows of black dots on a creamy white field, with transverse metallic-gray bars at the proximal, medial, and distal positions. The subcostal area anterior to the ocelloid region is crossed by metallic-gray striae and/or fragments, and the distal one-half of the costa has obscure whitish strigulae. The fringe is brown and the hindwing is brownish gray.

Pelochrista fraudabilis is rather distinctive in having a light straw-color, two fascias (crossbands) on the forewing, and a conspicuously marked ocelloid region. Pelochrista fratruelis is similar, but has an orange ground color on the forewing, a dark basal patch, and a single fascia in the basal half of the wing.

Wingspan: 13-16 mm (Heinrich, 1923)

Forewing Length: 5.1–7.8 mm; mean = 7.1 mm (Gilligan and Wright, 2013; Wright and Gilligan, 2017)

Adult Structural Features: Gilligan and Wright (2013) have illustrations and descriptions of the male and female genitalia as follows. In males the uncus is strongly produced, tapers distally, and is clearly differentiated from the dorsolateral shoulders of the tegumen. The socii are fingerlike, while the phallus is stout, moderately long, and tapers distally. The anellus is approximate to the phallobase and the vesica has 9–20 deciduous cornuti. The valva has a concave costal margin, and the ventral emargination is moderate. The saccular corner is broadly rounded, and the distal margin of the basal excavation has a broad tab-like pulvinus. The cucullus has a semicircular apex, and the distal margin is weakly convex with a nearly uniform curvature. The anal angle is acute and moderately produced. The setation of the medial surface is coarse towards the distal margin and the anal angle grades to fine towards the costal margin and apex. The vertex of the anal angle has one spiniform seta of about twice the size of adjacent setae on the medial surface of the cucullus.

In females the papillae anales has posterior lobes that face ventrally, and anterior lobes that are produced into laterally facing ventral extensions. The margins of the posterior lobes have long ventrally curving setae, and the margins of the anal opening have moderately long hook-tipped setae. The lamella postvaginalis gradually widens posteriorly, with the posterior margin concavely indented. The lamella antevaginalis is ringlike. Sternum 7 has lateral margins that are concavely inflected, and a posterior margin that is invaginated to one-half the length of the sterigma and diverging from the lateral margins of the sterigma. The scaling of sternum 7 is dense on the posterior projections and anterolateral corners, but sparse elsewhere. The ductus bursae has a sclerotized patch at the juncture with the ductus seminalis, and with microspinules on the inner surface in the vicinity of that juncture. The corpus bursae has two signa, with one much larger than the other.

Genitalia and other structural photos

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.

Immatures and Development: The larval life history is undocumented.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Pelochrista fraudabilis is found in Coastal Plain habitats from New Jersey southward through the Atlantic Coast states to northern Florida, then westward to Louisiana. As of 2022, our records are all from the Sandhills and vicinity.

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: Gilligan and Wright (2013) examined specimens that were collected from late May through mid-August. As of 2022, our records extend from early June to early August. The type series as collected from Southern Pines from June 1 to July 23 (Heinrich, 1923).

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: In North Carolina our records are all from sandy, xeric habitats that often support Longleaf Pine or xeric adapted hardwoods. The sites all have a well-developed herbaceous ground cover.

Larval Host Plants: The hosts are undocumented. - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Fire-maintained Sandhills

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S1S3

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.

Comments: This species is uncommon throughout its range, but the hosts and larval life history are undocumented. In North Carolina, it appears to be restricted to the Sandhills and vicinity in areas with sandy soils.

Photo Gallery for Pelochrista fraudabilis - None

Photos: 24

	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-29 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2025-08-29 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-03 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-02 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rob Van Epps, Kevin Metcalf on 2025-07-20 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-07-04 Moore Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-07-04 Moore Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George on 2025-06-29 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jim Petranka on 2025-06-29 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-29 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-28 Moore Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Joye Zhou on 2025-06-20 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Joye Zhou on 2025-06-20 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-06-17 Moore Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-06-17 Moore Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Bo Sullivan on 2023-06-13 Scotland Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan, and Steve Hall on 2022-07-25 Scotland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan, and Steve Hall on 2022-07-24 Moore Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan, and Steve Hall on 2022-07-24 Moore Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan, and Steve Hall on 2022-07-24 Moore Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Bo Sullivan on 2021-08-10 Moore Co. Comment: