Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Tortricidae Members:	Pelochrista Members:	31 NC Records

Pelochrista cataclystiana (Walker, 1863) - Solidago Pelochrista

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Tortricoidea

Family:
Tortricidae

Subfamily:
Olethreutinae

Tribe:
Eucosmini

P3 Number:
51a0996.1

MONA Number:
3142.00

MONA Synonym:
Eucosma cataclystiana

Other Common Names:
Goldenrod Pelochrista Moth, Goldenrod Eucosma Moth, Solidago Eucosma Moth

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.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

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

Technical Description, Adults: Wright and Gilligan (2017)

Adult Markings: The following is based on the description by Wright and Gilligan (2017). The head, palps, and thorax vary from yellowish gray to light brown or brownish yellow. The forewing is pale brownish yellow (sometimes with reddish-brown tints) and has weakly contrasting brown markings. An obscure, narrow median fascia is often present that extends from the middle of the costa to the inner margin and abuts the anterior edge of the ocellus. A thin, dark, longitudinal streak is often present that extends from the middle of the wing base to the middle of the wing. A series of thin longitudinal lines are present on the proximal two-thirds of the wing before the ocellus, and the costa has a series of prominent pale lines of the distal half that converge towards the ocellus. The ocellus is cream-colored with one or two black dots, and the termen has a narrow salt-and-pepper colored band that extends from the tornus to the apex. The hindwing is light grayish-brown with a concolorous fringe.

Forewing Length: 6.6-9.2 mm; mean 8.0 mm (Wright and Gilligan, 2017)

Adult Structural Features: Wright and Gilligan (2017) have illustrations of the male and female genitalia. The following is from their descriptions of the genitalia. In males the uncus is triangular and clearly differentiated from the dorsolateral shoulders of the tegumen, with the apex rounded and the basal width approximately equal to the height. The socii are moderately broad and fingerlike, and the phallus tapers distally -- wlth the base loosely surrounded by the anellus. The vesica has 9-12 cornuti. The costal margin of the valva is strongly concave, and the neck is short and moderately broad with the medial surface of the neck densely setose. The papillate saccular corner is angulate, and the rectangular basal process is strongly developed. The cucullus is relatively small and has a dorsal lobe that is strongly developed and a rounded apex with the distal margin nearly straight. The ventral lobe is weakly developed and triangular, and the basoventral margin extends in a ridge-like manner onto the medial surface of the neck. The setatlon of the medial surface is short and fine, and the anal angle has a cluster of moderately long setae.

In females, the papillae anales are flat, sparsely setose, and minutely microtrichiate along the margins of the ventral openings. The sterima is Type II. The lamella postvaginalis is trapezoidal, with the length of the posterior margin approximately 1.5 times the ostium diameter and with the central trough microtrichiate. The lamella antevaginalis is ring-like and has ridgelike lateral margins. Sternum 7 has the posterior margin concavely indented to about two-thirds the length of the sterigma and with a conspicuous weakly-sclerotized window. The corpus bursae has two signa, with one larger than the other, and the ductus bursae has a substantial sclerotized patch at the juncture with the ductus seminalis.

Genitalia and other structural photos

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

Immatures and Development: The larvae were reported by Putnam (1942) to bore into the lower stems and rhizomes of a composite (Grass-leaved Flat-top Goldenrod) in Canada, but details of the larval life history are largely undocumented.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Pelochrista cataclystiana has a nearly transcontinental distribution. In occurs in Canada from British Columbia to Nova Scotia, and in the US from the Rocky Mountains and vicinity eastward to the Atlantic coast, and southward to Florida and the Gulf states. In North Carolina this species is relatively common in the Sandhills, and has been found at scattered localities elsewhere in the Coastal Plain, Piedmont, and Blue Ridge.

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: The adults have been found from April through October in different areas of the range, with a seasonal peak from June through August at most localities. As of 2022, our records extend from early May through mid-October. Seasonal activity in the Coastal Plain is bimodal, with adults active in May through early April, and again in August through October.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Local populations are commonly found in open habitats that support herbaceous composites. Many of our records are from Longleaf Pine communities or other habitats with well-developed herbaceous ground cover. Other sites include a coastal dune site and a mesic forest on Bluff Mountain in the Blue Ridge.

Larval Host Plants: Very little is known about the hosts. The only reported host is Grass-leaved Flat-top Goldenrod (Euthamia graminifolia) from Canada (Putnam, 1942). This species is restricted to the mountains in North Carolina, but a related species (E. caroliniana) is common in the Coastal Plain where most of our records come from and could be a potential host. Goldenrods (Solidago spp.) have been suspected to be hosts, but we are unaware of any documented use of goldenrods to date. - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights. We need more information on host use and the larval ecology for North Carolina populations.

Wikipedia

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S3S4

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

Comments: This species appears to be locally common in the Sandhills but uncommon elsewhere. We currently do not have sufficient information on its distribution and abundance to accurately assess its conservation status within the state.

Photo Gallery for Pelochrista cataclystiana - Solidago Pelochrista

Photos: 17

	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-10-03 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-10-03 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-09-11 Moore Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-09-11 Moore Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Larry Chen, Sarah Toner on 2025-09-06 Beaufort Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish, John F. Jarvis on 2025-09-05 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger, Becky Elkin on 2025-08-29 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-05-24 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-05-24 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin on 2025-05-24 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Brian Bockhahn, Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, John Petranka on 2025-05-09 Cumberland Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-09 Cumberland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Patrick Coin on 2024-06-22 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-06-19 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-06-19 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: J.B. Sullivan on 2022-06-24 Craven Co. Comment: 2 traps, selected
	Recorded by: T. DeSantis on 2011-06-08 Camden Co. Comment: