Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Tortricidae Members:	Eugnosta Members:	29 NC Records

Eugnosta erigeronana (Riley, 1881) - Fleabane Cochylid

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Tortricoidea

Family:
Tortricidae

Subfamily:
Tortricinae

Tribe:
Cochylini

P3 Number:
51a0098.1

MONA Number:
3790.00

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

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

Technical Description, Adults: Riley (1881)

Adult Markings: Eugnosta erigeronana is distinctively marked with a contrasting two-toned appearance. The head, palps, thorax, and basal third of the forewing vary from white to sordid white and the antennae are light brown. The costa on the basal third often has a thin border of reddish-brown. The white coloration on the forewing contrasts sharply with a wide median blackish band that extends from the costa to the inner margin. The apical third typically has varying amounts of blackish to steel-blue and reddish brown mottling. This species has a distinctive hump-backed shape with the thorax and head curving downward. The apical two-thirds of the wing often have raised patches of scales that produce a coarsely granular appearance. The fringe is dark gray to brownish-black with a narrow blackish basal line, and the hindwing is grayish-brown with a concolorous fringe and a narrow black basal band.

Wingspan: 11 mm (Riley, 1881).

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

Immatures and Development: A limited observation suggests that the larvae may be specialists that feed in the galls of a cecidomyid fly that grows on fleabanes (Riley, 1881). This is based on a single individual being raised from a gall and it is uncertain if other hosts or modes of feeding occur.

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Eugnosta erigeronana is found primarily in the southeastern US from North Carolina southward to southern Florida and westward to central Texas, central Oklahoma, eastern Missouri, western Kentucky, and southern Illinois. A few scattered records occur farther north in Indiana and Ohio. As of 2023, all of our records are from the Coastal Plain and eastern Piedmont.

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 fly from February through October in Florida and mostly from April through September elsewhere. As of 2023, our records range from early May through early August.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: The preferred habitats are poorly documented. We have records from residential neighborhoods, a xeric barrier island, and a Longleaf Pine community in the Sandhills that adjoined a wetland site.

Larval Host Plants: The only known rearing record is for an adult that was reared from a gall of a cecidomyid fly that was growing on a fleabane (Erigeron sp.; Riley, 1881). It is uncertain if other hosts or modes of feeding occur. - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.

Wikipedia

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 North Carolina. More information is needed on its host use, preferred habitats, and distribution and abundance before we can accurately assess its conservation status.

Photo Gallery for Eugnosta erigeronana - Fleabane Cochylid

Photos: 27

	Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-08-26 Wake Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-31 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-31 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, John Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-09 Cumberland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-07 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-07 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Bonnie Eamick on 2025-04-25 Wake Co. Comment:		Recorded by: F. Williams, S. Williams on 2024-07-19 Gates Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-06-14 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-05-30 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-17 New Hanover Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2023-08-02 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-18 New Hanover Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2023-05-12 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2022-08-18 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-07-15 Guilford Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-07-15 Guilford Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson, Stephen Dunn on 2022-07-15 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-05-21 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2022-05-02 Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2021-07-21 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-07-10 Onslow Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-06-11 Onslow Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-06-05 Onslow Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-05-26 Onslow Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2019-05-01 Cabarrus Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Harry Wilson on 2015-08-01 Wake Co. Comment: