Moths of North Carolina

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Samea castellalis Guenée, 1854 - Stained-glass Moth

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Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Pyraloidea

Family:
Crambidae

Subfamily:
Pyraustinae

Tribe:
Spilomelini

P3 Number:
80a1098

MONA Number:
5150.00

MONA Synonym:
Samea ecclesialis

Comments: Landry (2016) resurrected Samea castellalis that was previously synonymized with S. ecclesialis. According to Landry, S. ecclesialis is tropical and subtropical and does not occur north of Mexico. Specimens from North Carolina that we previously treated as S. ecclesialis have been reassigned to S. castellalis.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

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

Technical Description, Adults: Hayden (2014)

Technical Description, Immature Stages: Hayden (2014)

Adult Markings: The following description is based in part on that of Hayden (2014). The ground color of the forewing varies from warm brown to reddish-brown and is overlain with an array of opaque light yellowish-brown and nearly translucent, whitish patches or windows. The patches are roughly arrayed in three bands, with the whitish patches either thinly margined basally and apically with black, or divided in half by a black line. The basal band has three or four very small whitish patches and two larger yellowish ones. The median band has a squarish white patch below the costa that is followed by another white patch and two yellow patches inwardly. The subterminal band consists of a cluster of small white and yellowish patches. The costa has four blackish spots in the subapical area, while the fringe is white with a row of diffuse dark brown spots at the base that are fused or nearly so near the middle of the termen. The hindwing has three large translucent areas on the basal half that are separated by dark brown lines, while the apical half of the wing has a warm brown to reddish-brown ground with a cluster of small, whitish patches. Females either closely resemble the males as described above, or can be melanic with the patches greatly reduced in size (Hayden, 2014).

This species is very similar to S. multiplicalis. It can be distinguished by the darkened area of the fringe midway along the margin (S. multiplicalis has a row of unfused, equally spaced spots along the termen), and by the pale and white spots in the forewing median area near the inner margin that are separated by a black line (see red arrows on the marked image above). In Samea castellalis the spots are of equal size, while in S. multiplicalis, the more basal spot is noticeably larger than the other.

Forewing Length: 8.5–11 mm (Hayden, 2014).

Adult Structural Features: Hayden (2014) has descriptions and illustrations of the male and female genitalia. The males are also easily distinguished from all similar species in North America by the presence of nearly black scale tufts on the sides of the fifth abdominal segment.

Structural photos

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

Immatures and Development: Hayden (2014) reported that the larvae in Florida feed on Tropical Mexican-clover (Richardia brasiliensis). Females lay their eggs either singly or in small groups on the leaves and the larvae loosely web leaves together. The larvae graze the epidermis of either leaf side, and form rounded windows in the leaf. The final instars pupate within white silken shelters that are constructed among webbed leaves. The time from hatching to pupation takes about one month.

The late-instar larvae are around 18-20 mm long and have greenish yellow bodies with a row of grayish-brown pinacula on either side of the mid-dorsum. The head is light brown and mottled with darker brown, while the prothoracic shield is yellow along the dorsal midline with a broad, dark-brown, submedial stripe (Hayden, 2014). The larvae closely resemble the larvae of several other species, but can be distinguished by the fact that the posterior corner of the prothoracic shield extends below the adjoining spiracle.

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from close inspection of specimens or by DNA analysis.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Samea castellalis is primarily found in the southeastern U.S. from North Carolina westward to Oklahoma, and southward to southern Texas, the Gulf Coast states, and southern Florida. Scattered records occur farther north in Ontario, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, and Missouri, Iowa, and Indiana. As of 2023, we have records from all three physiographic regions, with most from the southern 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 are active year-round or nearly so in Florida, Alabama, and Texas, and mostly from May through November elsewhere. As of 2023, our records range from mid-June through late-December

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: This species is commonly found in open, xeric habitats in the Coastal Plain, and in residential neighborhoods in other areas of the state.

Larval Host Plants: Tropical Mexican-clover (Richardia brasiliensis) is the only known host (Hayden, 2014). Hayden (2014) noted that several records of this species feeding on aquatic plants were incorrect and turned out to be Samea multiplicalis. - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights and can be found nectaring on wildflowers at night (Atwater, 2013).

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 can be locally abundant in the Coastal Plain, but more information is needed on the host plants and preferred habitats before we can accurately assess its conservation status.

Photo Gallery for Samea castellalis - Stained-glass Moth

74 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-26 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-20 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-19 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-06 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-23 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-23 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-22 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-08-09 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-21 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-11-18 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-11-02 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-11-01 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2024-11-01 Pender Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2024-10-31 Pender Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2024-10-30 Pender Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2024-10-28 Pender Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-10-20 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-10-19 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-10-19 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-10-04 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-09-21 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-03-08 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-10-27 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2023-10-25 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2023-10-25 Pender Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2023-10-24 Pender Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2023-10-13 Onslow Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-10-08 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-10-08 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-10-07 Brunswick Co. Comment: