Moths of North Carolina
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15 NC Records

Scardia anatomella (Grote, 1881) - Pied Scardia

Scardia anatomellaScardia anatomella
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tineoidea Family: TineidaeSubfamily: ScardiinaeTribe: [Scardiini]P3 Number: 300204.1 MONA Number: 311.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Leckie and Beadle (2018)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Robinson (1986)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following description is based on the description by Dietz (1905). The antenna is dark brown, and the head is ocherous, with pale fuscous on the sides. The labial palp is dark brown with pale ocherous at the base and terminus of the second and third joints. The thorax is dark brown anteriorly and mixed with ocherous posteriorly. The posterior part of patagia is pale yellow. The forewing is rounded at the apex and deep brown to blackish. There are four pale spots on the costal margin that are often H-shaped. Two are before the middle and two after, and the last one is reduced in size. The terminal part of wing has a large, irregular pale patch with dark, transverse strigulae. The dorsal margin has a pale, irregular longitudinal band that bulges inward just before the middle, at the anal angle, and at the beginning of the dorsal cilia. The band has fine dark brown to blackish lines, and the bulges at the middle and the beginning of the cilia each contain a distinct, dark spot. The cilia are pale yellow. They have a dark dividing line about the middle, and are transversed by several dark bars. The hindwing is grayish fuscous. The anterior and middle legs are dark brown, with the apex of the tibial and tarsal joints banded with pale yellow. The hindleg is similar but paler. A few other species superficially resemble S. anatomella in terms of having dark forewings with a wavy whitish band on the inner margin (e.g., Monopis dorsistrigella; Chimoptesis pennsylvaniana). These, however, lacks the cream-colored sub-terminal patch and the H-shaped marks along the costa.
Wingspan: 25-26 mm (Dietz, 1905); 20-34 mm (Robinson, 1986).
Adult Structural Features: Robinson (1986) has descriptions and illustrations of the male and female genitalia.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larval life history is poorly documented. Walsingham (1882) found larvae that were boring round holes in a fallen pine tree in Oregon. Adults were reared from larvae that were collected in March. Other than this brief note, we know little about the larval ecology.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Scardia anatomella is primarily found in the eastern US, with a few widely scattered populations reported from the West in Washington, Oregon, Utah, California, and Arizona. In the East, populations occur in extreme southern Canada and the New England states southward to northern Florida. The range extends westward to eastern Texas, Arkansas, western Tennessee, Illinois, and Minnesota. As of 2020, most of our records are from the mountains and foothills, with only two isolated records from farther east in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain.
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: Adults have been taken from February through November in areas outside of North Carolina, with a seasonal peak in activity from April through August for this wide-ranging species. Populations in North Carolina are univoltine, with adults flying during May and June.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: This species appears to feed on fungi in decaying logs and trees, and most of our records are from forested habitats.
Larval Host Plants: This species belongs to a group of tineids (Scardiinae) whose members are all believed to be fungal specialists. The larvae feed in either the fruiting bodies of bracket fungi, or in the wood of dead or moribound trees that have the fungal hyphae (Robinson, 1986). Walsingham (1882) found larvae in a fallen pine tree where they were likely feeding on fungi in the wood. - View
Observation Methods: The adults occasionally appear at lights.
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: We currently do not have sufficient information on the distribution and abundance of this species to assess its conservation status.

 Photo Gallery for Scardia anatomella - Pied Scardia

Photos: 5

Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2023-05-29
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-28
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-28
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2014-05-13
McDowell Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Britta Muiznieks on 2014-05-07
Dare Co.
Comment: