Moths of North Carolina
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Talponia Members:
9 NC Records

Talponia plummeriana (Busck, 1906) - Speckled Talponia Moth

Talponia plummerianaTalponia plummerianaTalponia plummeriana
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: OlethreutinaeTribe: GrapholitiniP3 Number: 51a1295 MONA Number: 3417.00
Comments: The genus Talponia contains only two described species, with only one occurring in North America.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Busck (1906a).                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This is a strikingly patterned species that is difficult to confuse with others. The following description is primarily based on that of Busck (1906a). The labial palps are whitish yellow with black tips and the head and thorax are whitish and profusely mixed with black scales. The forewing is sharply bicolored -- with the basal two-thirds light ashy and boldly striated with undulating blackish lines -- and the apical third a mixture of dark purplish and rusty-brown. A bluish-metallic line separating the two parts. The apical third of the costa has a black margin that is cut by 5-6 short, whitish streaks, and two bluish-metallic lines that cut through the rusty-brown ground color and project towards the termen. Additional patches of bluish-metallic coloration extend towards the subtornal area. A black rounded dot is present at the apex, and several blackish spots occur along the termen. The fringe is grayish with a dark basal line. The hindwing is dark purplish-brown with a whitish costal edge and a marginal line of golden yellow in the apical region. The legs are silvery and barred and annulated with black.
Wingspan: 10 mm (Busck, 1906a).
Forewing Length: 5.0-6.0 mm (Gilligan et al., 2008)
Adult Structural Features: Gilligan et al. (2008) have illustrations of the male and female genitalia.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Eiseman et al. (2020) and Eiseman (2022) provide a detailed summary of the larval life history as follows. The larvae are mostly borers in the flowers, peduncles, fruit, roots, and stems of pawpaws. The eggs of the first brood are laid in flowers and the larvae initially feed on the anthers. They next bore into the peduncles and then the twigs and feed on the pith. At least some larvae of the next generation start out feeding in leaves. The adults have been reared from larvae that Tracy Feldman found mining the leaf midribs in North Carolina in early June, forming galleries that were externally visible as straight or winding brown lines. In some cases the larval entrance hole was not in the midrib but in the adjacent leaf lamina. At the same site, larvae were found mining in leaf blades from early June to early July. These mines are full-depth and linear, 2–8 mm long, with granular frass scattered irregularly inside. They are usually initiated adjacent to a major vein and frequently in a vein axil. In captivity, the midrib-mining larvae were able to complete development on deteriorating leaves, window-feeding, skeletonizing, and eating holes in them. Each constructed a pupal case that consisted of oval sections excised from two leaves and tied together with silk. Observations in Ohio indicate that in nature, midrib-mining larvae continue down the petioles and into the stems, where they form frass-filled galleries. Cocoons are spun within the twigs and stems, and adults emerge in April or May in Ohio when pawpaws are in bloom, leaving the pupal exuviae protruding from the stem next to a bud.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Talponia plummeriana ranges from Maryland and vicinity southward to Florida and to Alabama, western Tennessee, western Kentucky, and Illinois. As of 2022, we have records from both 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
Immature 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: Many local populations appear to have two generations per year. The adults have been documented from February through September in different portions of the range. As of 2022, our very limited records are all from May.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Local populations are strongly dependent on pawpaws as hosts and are only found where pawpaw stands are found locally.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on pawpaws (Eiseman, 2020; Robinson et al., 2010; Sedlacek et al., 2012), including Dwarf Pawpaw (Asimina parviflora) and Common Pawpaw (A. triloba). We have records of both hosts being used in North Carolina. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights and are occasionally found resting on vegetation during the day. The larvae should to sought after on pawpaw flowers and in peduncles and stems during the spring bloom.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Rich Wet-Mesic Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: [GNR] S2S4
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 uncommon in the state, but may have been undercollected due to it being strongly affiliated with pawpaws, which tend to be patchily distributed across the landscape.

 Photo Gallery for Talponia plummeriana - Speckled Talponia Moth

Photos: 5

Recorded by: Tracy Feldman on 2024-07-25
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, Kaitlyn Elliott on 2024-03-11
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Rob Van Epps on 2022-05-04
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Tony DeSantis on 2013-05-30
Camden Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Tony DeSantis on 2013-05-03
Camden Co.
Comment: