Moths of North Carolina
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Rupela Members:
3 NC Records

Rupela tinctella (Walker, 1863) - Satin Rupela

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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Pyraloidea Family: CrambidaeSubfamily: SchoenobiinaeTribe: [Schoenobiini]P3 Number: 80a1279 MONA Number: 5311.00
Comments: Heinrich (1937) examined the genitalia of what were thought to be two or three white species of Rupela and was surprised to find that these constituted a group of at least 18 cryptic species with very distinctive genitalia. Only two species are known from North Carolina and in most cases they require the examination of genitalia for identification.
Species Status: "I would always dissect Rupela" (Scholtens, 2017)
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Only two species of R. segrega are known from North Carolina. The males and females of R. segrega are identical, with both having an elongated abdomen and the head, thorax, abdomen, and wings white. In contrast, males of our second species, Rupela tinctella, are uniformly brown, while the females are white and indistinguishable from the males and females of R. segrega. Genitalia are required to identify the white forms, while any brown Rupela can be safely assigned to R. tinctella.
Wingspan: 25-42 mm (Heinreich, 1937).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable only by close inspection of structural features or by DNA analysis.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Rupela tinctella is a wide-ranging species that has been documented from southern South America northward through Central America and the Caribbean to the southeastern U.S. where it occurs in coastal habitats from southeastern Texas eastward along the Gulf Coast states to southern Florida and northward to Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Maryland.
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)

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Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Larval Host Plants: Unknown - View
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: [SR]
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S1S3
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
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