Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFCrambidae Members:
Donacaula Members:
1 NC Records

Donacaula maximellus (Fernald, 1891) - No Common Name

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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Pyraloidea Family: CrambidaeSubfamily: SchoenobiinaeTribe: [Schoenobiini]P3 Number: 80a1293 MONA Number: 5324.00
Species Status: Members of the genus Donacaulis are found worldwide, but reach their greatest diversity in the Nearctic region. The group has proven to be taxonomically challenging due to the fact that most of the species are sexually dimorphic, are very similar externally, and exhibit substantial variation within species. Genitalia have proven to be the most useful diagnostic characters for delineating species, but almost all of the species were originally described based on external coloration and patterning. Descriptions and illustrations of genitalia were also lacking for most species until Martinez (2010) undertook a major revision of the Nearctic species. Her work revealed that there were at least 10 undescribed species in addition to the 11 described species in the New World. Additional studies of DNA barcoding and genitalia, including for North Carolina material, indicate that additional undescribed species remain to be formally described. "Some of these are probably identifiable, but, even with the Martinez thesis, there is a great deal of variation, and especially sexual dimorphism that makes these difficult" (Scholtens, 2017).
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Martinez (2010)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following description is based on that of Martinez (2010). The frons, antennae, labial palps and thorax are yellow in females and pale-yellow in males. In males, the forewing ground is pale-yellow and irrorated with brown. The dark marks include a small discal spot, and an oblique row of spots that project from the apex to the outer two-thirds of the inner margin before ending or fading near the center of the wing. Scattered small spots occur along the fold that are sometimes inconspicuous, and a line of terminal dots is present along the outer margin. The forewing of females is yellow and irrorated with brown. There is a brown band between the costa and the discal cell from near the wing base to near the apex. An oblique line of spots projects from the apex to the outer two-thirds of the inner margin before ending or fading near the center of the wing. A line of terminal spots is present along the outer margin between the veins. The apex is acute versus more quadrate in the males. The abdomen is yellow and the anal tuft pale yellow. The hindwing of the females is yellowish-white and irrorated with pale-yellow, and there is a row of terminal spots on the outer margin between the veins. Males have a yellowish-white hindwing that is irrorated with brown, along with terminal spots on the outer margin between veins.
Wingspan: Blanchard (1963) reported that adult females that he reared has a wingspread of about 60 mm versus 40 mm for a male.
Forewing Length: A male and female illustrated by Martinez (2010) were 18 mm and 20 mm.
Adult Structural Features: Martinez (2010) has descriptions and illustrations of the male and female genitalia.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable only by close inspection of structural features or by DNA analysis.
Immatures and Development: The following is a summary of Blanchard’s (1963) life history study of the larvae that fed on the aquatic emergent, Southern Wild-rice (Zizaniopsis miliacea), in a lake in Texas. The larvae are borers that feed vertically along the axis of the host, in the leaves, and even several millimeters into the hard root crown. They consistently feed with the head down except when they pupate. When pupating, the larvae reverse their position and face heads up at the bottom of its burrow, or very close to it, after covering the walls with a fine layer of white silk to make a cocoon. The top of the cocoon is closed by a series of trap-door-like covers that are more or less evenly spaced a few millimeters apart. The cover which is immediately on top of the pupa is denser than the others and is very often the only one which remains watertight. It is not uncommon to have five or six covers in a single burrow. The exit hole for the adult is sideways, and just above the top cover.

Blanchard (1963) collected both late-instar larvae and numerous pupae in December. The adults emerged during January and the first two weeks of February. He also collected a larva and two pupae in late April that presumably reflected a second generation.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Donacaula maximellus is primarily found in the southeastern U.S. in coastal wetlands. Specimens have been verified from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Nebraska (Blanchard, 1963; Martinez, 2010).
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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Flight Comments: The adults have been found year-round in different areas of the range, including South Carolina and Louisiana. Our one record as of 2023 is from late-January.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Local populations are associated with marshes, shallow ponds and similar habitats that have emergent vegetation.
Larval Host Plants: Southern Wild-rice (Zizaniopsis miliacea) is the only documented host (Blanchard, 1963), but it is possible that other aquatic species are used. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [S1-S3]
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 rare in North Carolina with only one known record. It is a wetland species, but more information is needed on its distribution, abundance, and host plants before we can accurately assess its conservation status within the state.