Moths of North Carolina
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22 NC Records

Palpita quadristigmalis (Guenée, 1854) - Four-spotted Palpita Moth

Palpita quadristigmalisPalpita quadristigmalisPalpita quadristigmalis
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Pyraloidea Family: CrambidaeSubfamily: PyraustinaeTribe: SpilomeliniP3 Number: 80a0978 MONA Number: 5218.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Diaphania costata and Palpita quadristigmalis are two very similar species with semitranslucent, satiny white wings that have a brown to brownish-orange costa. The latter is best distinguished by the presence of four black dots on the forewing, including three along the costa before the middle of the wing, and a fourth at the lower, outer corner of the discal cell near the middle of the wing. Diaphania costata either lacks all of the dots, or has a single obscure dot on the discal cell. Palpita quadristigmalis also has a discal dot on the hindwing that is not present on D. costata.
Forewing Length: 2.6–3.0 cm (Hayden and Buss, 2012).
Adult Structural Features: Hayden and Buss (2013) has descriptions and illustrations of the male and female genitalia, along with comparisons with closely related species.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Villegas-Luján et al. (2019) reported that the larvae severely defoliated Japanese Privet hedges in Mexico. The larvae folded leaves on the young, tender growth and fed irregularly on the leaves beneath a scant webbing. Fully-grown larvae were mostly light to dark green with a yellowish brown head and reached a maximum size of 1.9-2.2 cm. The dorsal pinacula of the second thoracic segment were distinctive in being black.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Palpita quadristigmalis is a largely tropical and subtropic species that occurs from Central America and the Caribbean southward to central South America. It occurs throughout much of the eastern and southwestern U.S. from Massachusetts southward to southern Florida, and westward across the Gulf States and Texas to Arizona, Colorado, eastern Nebraska, Indiana and Ohio. As of 2023, we have a single record from the southeastern Coastal Plain, with the remainder from the Piedmont and Blue Ridge.
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: The adults fly year-round in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas, and mostly from May through October farther north. As of 2023, we have records from late-May through mid-November, with most from June and July.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Most of our records are from fragmented landscapes and often from residential neighborhoods. A few are from more natural habitats, including hardwood-pine forests.
Larval Host Plants: The larvae feed on members of the Oleaceae (Robinson et al., 2010; Villegas-Luján et al., 2019), including Japanese Privet (Ligustrum japonicum), California Privet (L. ovalifolium), European Privet (L. vulgare) and Cultivated Olive (Oleo europaea). Ken Kneidel reared an adult from a leaf roll that was on Green Ash (Fraxinus pennsylvania), which is a new host record for the species. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
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: We need additional information on host use and preferred habitats before we can accurately assess the conservation status of this species.

 Photo Gallery for Palpita quadristigmalis - Four-spotted Palpita Moth

Photos: 22

Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-10-08
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-10-07
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-07-19
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Maurice Cullen, Todd Pusser, F. Williams, S. Williams on 2024-07-08
Gates Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-06-28
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Patrick Coin on 2024-06-22
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2024-06-13
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: Adult reared from a leaf roll in Fraxinus pennsylvanicus collected on 5/29/24 and kept indoors in the interim. Pupa noticed on 6/4.		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2024-06-13
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: Adult reared from a leaf roll in Fraxinus pennsylvanicus collected on 5/29/24 and kept indoors in the interim. Pupa noticed on 6/4.
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2024-06-13
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: Pupa from a leaf roll in Fraxinus pennsylvanicus collected on 5/29/24 and kept indoors in the interim. Pupa noticed on 6/4.		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2024-05-29
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: A larva that was in a leaf roll in Fraxinus pennsylvanicus; collected on 5/29/24 and kept indoors in the interim. Pupa noticed on 6/4; adult emerged on 6/03/2024 (see companion photos).
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2024-05-29
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: A larva that was in a leaf roll in Fraxinus pennsylvanicus; collected on 5/29/24 and kept indoors in the interim. Pupa noticed on 6/4; adult emerged on 6/03/2024 (see companion photos). 		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2024-05-29
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: A leaf roll on Green Ash.
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-26
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-26
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-05-11
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-05-09
Pender Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-08-05
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2020-08-08
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2020-08-08
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-06-24
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Julie Tuttle on 2017-11-16
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Doug Blatny/Jackie Nelson on 2012-07-20
Ashe Co.
Comment: