Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Crambidae Members:	Lipocosma Members:	33 NC Records

Lipocosma adelalis (Kearfott, 1903) - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Pyraloidea

Family:
Crambidae

Subfamily:
Glaphyriinae

Tribe:
[Glaphyriini]

P3 Number:
80a1209

MONA Number:
4883.00

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

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

Technical Description, Adults: Kearfott (1903); Munroe (1972)

Technical Description, Immature Stages: Kearfott (1903)

Adult Markings: The following description is mostly based on that of Forbes (1923) and Munroe (1972). The ground color of the forewing is white and is lightly shaded with light brown or clay colors on the apical fifth of the wing and near the middle. The antemedial and postmedial lines are obscure, and a conspicuous, black, discocellular spot is present below the costa and just beyond the middle of the wing. A dark spot is also present at the apex. The hindwing is white and has conspicuous raised tufts of black-tipped scales near the inner margin. There is also a small light brown to grayish subterminal shade near the black tufts. The abdomen is mostly white, but with black scaling on the middle segments.

Lipocosma adelalis is generally similar to our other two Lipocosma species, but is easily distinguished by the presence of a clear, distinct, black discocellular spot on the forewing and prominent tufts of raised black scales on the hindwing.

Wingspan: 12-16 mm (Kearfott, 1903)

Adult Structural Features: Munroe (1972) has descriptions of the genitalia.

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

Immatures and Development: Our knowledge of the larval life history is based entirely on Kearfott’s (1903) observations and rearing records from a population in New Jersey. He observed numerous larvae that were on oak tree trunks where they fed on a white lichen. The larvae lived within cases that were 14-16 mm long, 6-7 mm wide and 2.5 mm thick in the middle. The cases were composed of small particles of a whitish lichen and were held together with silk. The outside appearance was rough and closely resembled the lichen when growing on a fairly smooth piece of bark. The inside was neatly lined with a thin layer of white silk.

The case is bivalvular, with the under valve only two thirds the length of the upper. This design allows the larva to stretch its head and two or three body segments from the closed case and feed under the protection afforded by the projecting ends of the upper valve. The full grown larvae are 10-11 mm long and have flattened bodies. The head is shiny and very dark brown, while the prothoracic shield is brown, clouded with paler shades, and edged posteriorly and laterally with black. The prothoracic shield is divided from the head by a pale cream-colored collar. Pupation occurs within the case, with the pupal stage lasting around 8-10 days. Kearfott (1903) surmised that the females lay their eggs shortly after emergence, with the larvae overwinter in small cases that are begun in the fall.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Lipocosma adelalis is found in the eastern U.S. from Rhode Island and New York westward to Ohio and Missouri, then southward to central Mississippi, central Alabama and South Carolina. As of 2023, we have records from all three physiographic regions. Most are from lower elevation sites in the Blue Ridge, while only one is from the 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: The adults have been observed from June through August in different areas of the range, with a seasonal peak in June and July. Local populations in North Carolina are univoltine, with almost all of our records from July.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: The adults have mostly been observed in mesic hardwood forests or semi-wooded residential neighborhoods.

Larval Host Plants: The larvae feed on lichens (Kearfott, 1903), but it is uncertain if they rely on particular species that are associated with certain tree species. - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights and the case-dwelling larvae have been observed among lichens on oak tree trunks.

Wikipedia

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR[S3-S4]

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, but additional information is needed on its preferred habitats, distribution and abundance before we can fully assess its conservation status.

Photo Gallery for Lipocosma adelalis - None

Photos: 30

	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kenneth Geisert, David Bradley, Julie Tuttle, Patrick Coin, Kaitlyn Elliott, Becky Watkins on 2024-08-17 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Patrick Coin, Steve Hall, Carol Tingley, Tom Howard on 2024-07-27 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-07-08 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-06 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-02 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-26 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-26 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-07-31 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-31 Swain Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-29 Swain Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-19 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-16 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-16 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-07-16 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-12 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2021-07-14 Cabarrus Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-07-14 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-07-08 Swain Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-07-08 Swain Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-07-18 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-07-18 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Rob Van Epps on 2020-07-18 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Rob Van Epps on 2020-07-18 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Lenny Lampel on 2020-07-18 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-07-05 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-07-05 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2019-07-02 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-07-11 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-07-04 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-07-04 Madison Co. Comment: