Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFPsychidae Members: Astala Members: 8 NC Records

Astala confederata (Grote & Robinson, 1868) - Confederate Microbagworm Moth

Astala confederataAstala confederataAstala confederata
Taxonomy
Family:
Psychidae		Subfamily:
Psychinae		P3 Number:
300013		 MONA Number:
443.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Davis (1964)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Davis (1964)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The females are flightless and live within their cases. The body and wings of the males of this species are uniformly dark fuscous, and the body has a somewhat sparse covering of hairs (Davis, 1964). The antenna has 22-24 segments, and the abdomen reaches to the hind margin of the hind wings. Davis (1964) noted that the wings are closely scaled and that the discal scales of the forewing are moderately broad and oblanceolate, with the apex usually acute.
Wingspan: 16-20 mm (Davis, 1964).
Adult Structural Features: Wing venation can be helpful in identifying this species (Davis, 1964). Spur 1A of the forewing is often atrophied. The hindwing has an oblique crossvein between Sc+Ri, and Rs is closer to the apex of the discal cell than in other congenerics. In addition, M2 and 3 are usually widely separate and rarely connate.
Immatures and Development: The larval life history is poorly documented, but the larvae are thought to feed mostly on grasses since the cases are typically constructed of grass culms. The hatchlings spin small cases that are initially upright, but soon drag behind the growing larva due to the increased weight of the case. Davis (1964) reported that the cases of mature larvae and females vary from 15-20 mm long and 4-5 mm in diameter. The silk is grayish white and is heavily covered and interwoven with minute plant fragments. These are typically longitudinal pieces of grass culms, with other small stems attached firmly anteriorally. The pieces diverge somewhat as they project backwards and typically extend for most of the bag length. The larval period is undocumented, but likely last a minimum of 2-3 months as is the case for psychids in general. Pupation occurs within the larval case, with the adult males emerging from the rear end of the case. Mating presumably occurs within the case, with the males have a telescoping abdomen that allows them to reach the females genitalia on the other end of the case (Davis, 1964).
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Astala confederataAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Immature Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: immatures.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Larval Host Plants: Robinson et al. (2010) list chestnut (Castanea), cherry (Prunus), oak (Quercus), and privet (Ligustrum) as hosts. We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks:
State Protection:
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Astala confederata - Confederate Microbagworm Moth

Photos: 11
Astala confederataRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Patrick Coin, Steve Hall, Carol Tingley, Tom Howard on 2024-07-27
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Astala confederataRecorded by: Brittany Case on 2024-06-07
Henderson Co.
Comment:
Astala confederataRecorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-03-03
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Astala confederataRecorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-03-03
Orange Co.
Comment:
Astala confederataRecorded by: David George, John Petranka on 2023-07-07
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Astala confederataRecorded by: John Petranka on 2023-06-27
Orange Co.
Comment:
Astala confederataRecorded by: John Petranka on 2023-06-27
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Astala confederataRecorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2021-05-17
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: This adult was reared from a larva collected on 4-13-21 from Mecklenburg County (see companion photo). The case was kept indoors prior to its eclosion on 5-17-21.
Astala confederataRecorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2021-05-17
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: This photo shows broad scales in the disc of the forewing, which is one of the characters that key this to A. confederata as described in Davis (1964). 		Astala confederataRecorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2021-05-17
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: This photo shows broad scales in the disc of the forewing and a scaled forewing margin without a white fringe. These are the characters that key this to A. confederata as described in Davis (1964).
Astala confederataRecorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2021-04-13
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: A larva and case that was collected on 4-13-21. The larva was kept indoors prior to its eclosion on 5-17-21 (see companion photo of the adult)..