Moths of North Carolina
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Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Family (Alpha):
ACROLEPIIDAE-
ADELIDAE-
AMPHISBATIDAE-
AUTOSTICHIDAE-
BATRACHEDRIDAE-
BEDELLIIDAE-
BLASTOBASIDAE-
BOMBYCIDAE-
BUCCULATRICIDAE-
CARPOSINIDAE-
CHOREUTIDAE-
COLEOPHORIDAE-
COSMOPTERIGIDAE-
COSSIDAE-
CRAMBIDAE-
DEPRESSARIIDAE-
DREPANIDAE-
ELACHISTIDAE-
EPERMENIIDAE-
EPIPYROPIDAE-
EREBIDAE-Erebid Moths
ERIOCRANIIDAE-
EUTELIIDAE-
GALACTICIDAE-
GELECHIIDAE-
GEOMETRIDAE-
GLYPHIDOCERIDAE-
GLYPHIPTERIGIDAE-
GRACILLARIIDAE-
HELIOZELIDAE-
HEPIALIDAE-
HYBLAEIDAE-
INCURVARIIDAE-
LASIOCAMPIDAE-
LECITHOCERIDAE-Long-horned Moths
LIMACODIDAE-
LYONETIIDAE-
MEGALOPYGIDAE-Flannel Moths
MICROPTERIGIDAE-
MIMALLONIDAE-
MOMPHIDAE-Mompha Moths
NEPTICULIDAE-
NOCTUIDAE-Owlet Moths
NOLIDAE-
NOTODONTIDAE-
OECOPHORIDAE-
OPOSTEGIDAE-
PELEOPODIDAE-
PLUTELLIDAE-
PRODOXIDAE-
PSYCHIDAE-Bagworm Moths
PTEROPHORIDAE-
PYRALIDAE-
SATURNIIDAE-Saturniids
SCHRECKENSTEINIIDAE-
SESIIDAE-
SPHINGIDAE-Sphinx Moths
THYATIRIDAE-
THYRIDIDAE-
TINEIDAE-
TISCHERIIDAE-
TORTRICIDAE-
URANIIDAE-
URODIDAE-
XYLORYCTIDAE-
YPONOMEUTIDAE-
YPSOLOPHIDAE-
ZYGAENIDAE-
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Hepialidae Members:
Gazoryctra sciophanes
Korscheltellus gracilis
Sthenopis argenteomaculatus
Korscheltellus
Members:
Korscheltellus gracilis
3 NC Records
Korscheltellus gracilis
(Grote, 1864) - Conifer Swift Moth
No image for this species.
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Hepialoidea
Family:
Hepialidae
Subfamily:
[Hepialinae]
Tribe:
[Hepialini]
P3 Number:
110011.00
MONA Number:
31.00
Comments:
Korscheltellus gracilis
is a member of the ghost moth, or swift family, a primitive group of over 500 species that is found worldwide. In North America the family is made up of at least 20 species in four genera, a vast majority of them of northerly or westerly affinities.
Korscheltellus gracilis
is one of only two
Korscheltellus
species that are currently recognized in North America, and the only one found in North Carolina. The taxonomy of the group remains in flux, and
K. gracilis
may eventually prove to be better placed in
Pharmacis
(Wagner, 1988).
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions:
Beadle and Leckie (2012)
Online Photographs:
MPG
,
BugGuide
,
GBIF
,
BOLD
Technical Description, Adults:
Forbes (1923), Wagner (1988)
Adult Markings:
This species is smaller than the other hepialids which occur in North Carolina. The forewings show a variable pattern of mottled gray and cream bands and patches, against a dark to rusty brown background. The banding is heaviest through the median and post-median areas, but also appears along the inner margin, along the costa, and in the subterminal area. These lighter areas are typically edged with black scaling, which is also peppered across the rest of the forewing. The fringe on both the forewing and hindwing is checked black and white. The hindwings, which are proportionally large and similar in shape to the forewings, are light to dark brown and largely unmarked, though some gray and brown patterning can sometimes be seen along the costa. The antennae are greatly reduced, and females are typically paler, with less distinctly patterning than the males. Males in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park tend to be darker than the mean (Wagner, 1988).
Adult ID Requirements:
Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development:
The larvae are subterranean borers that feed mostly on or in the roots of coniferous trees. The late instar of
K. gracilis
is very similar to that of
Sthenopis auratus
(see account) but can be differentiated by its uniformly whitish coloration and its unmodified dorsal pinacula (McCabe & Wagner, 1989). The life cycle takes two years to complete (Wagner, 1988).
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
Korscheltellus gracilis
is widely distributed across southern Canada and adjoining areas of the eastern US, then southward along the Appalachians to North Carolina. In North Carolina, populations are restricted to the higher elevations of the western mountains.
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