Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFCrambidae Members: Prionapteryx Members: 2 NC Records

Prionapteryx nebulifera Stephens, 1834 - Clouded Veneer Moth

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Taxonomy
Family:
Crambidae		Subfamily:
Crambinae		P3 Number:
80a1400		 MONA Number:
5333.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1923).Technical Description, Immature Stages: Daecke (1905).                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Prionapteryx nebulifera is somewhat variable in coloration and patterning, but most specimens are boldly marked with black and white patterning on the forewing. The following description is based in part on that of Forbes (1923).

The head, thorax and prominent palps are mostly blackish. The forewing has alternating bands or patches of black and white scaling. The base of the wing has a complete black patch, and the costa and subcostal region is reddish-brown to black except at the apex where there is a white patch that adjoins a dark tooth on the outer margin. The basal patch adjoins a white fascia at around one-fourth the wing length that terminates in the subcostal region. The white fascia has irregular margins on both sides, and is followed posteriorly by a broad zone of blackish scaling that forms a diffuse medial band that extends from the inner margin to the subcostal region. The black band is often broken by a zigzag white medial line along its posterior half. Beyond that, the dorsal two-thirds of the wing is mostly white except for small amounts of darker dusting along portions of the inner and outer margin. The postmedial line is whitish with darker dusting on the basal margin, and the fringe is pale-colored except on the tooth next to the apex. The legs are boldly marked with alternating black and white bands, and the hindwing is brown to pale-gray with a whitish fringe. This species is most commonly black, but some species have most of the black replace by reddish or reddish-brown scaling.
Immatures and Development: The larvae feed on at least two species of low-growing plants that inhabit sandy soils, including Sand Myrtle. Daecke (1905) described the larval life history of this species from a population in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. The larvae build complex tunnels that are thickened with a tube of sand. Each larva produces a tunnel system that consists of a bulbous or bag-shaped underground chamber with a tube that leads to the ground surface where it diverges to the various branches on the host plant. The larva spins a tube up a branch to where there are leaves, then feeds on these until the branch is nearly defoliated. It then retreats from the tube and spins additional tubes that lead to new branches with fresh foliage. The larvae occasionally build tubes that were away from the host plant, and then extended these towards the plant and low-lying foliage until they made contact. Daecke (1905) found that the underground portion of the tube and bulb was inhabited by Northern Crazy Ant (Nylanderia parvula), which appear to serve as scavengers of the larval fecal pellets that are deposited in the bulb. Pupation occurs underground in the tube system.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Prionapteryx nebulifera is found in Manitoba and Ontario, and in the eastern US where it is confined to regions with sandy soils and the appropriate host plants. The range in the US extends from Alabama, Florida and Georgia northward along the Coastal Plain to Rhode Island and New Hampshire. Populations also occur in sandy habitats in the Great Lakes region in Wisconsin, Michigan and Canada, and as a possible geographic isolate in central Oklahoma. As of 2024, we have two site records from the southern Coastal Plain.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Prionapteryx nebuliferaAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Flight Comments: The adults have been found from May through October in different areas of the range, with northern populations having a brief flight period relative to those in Florida and Alabama. As of 2024, our two records are from mid-July and early-August.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Local populations are restricted to sandy habitats with low-growing members of the Ericaceae, and mostly to mesic, coastal pine forests in North Carolina.
Larval Host Plants: The reported hosts include Sand-myrtle (Kalmia buxifolia [= Leiophyllum buxifolium]) and a huckleberry (presumably Gaylussacia, but possibly Vaccinium as reported by Daecke, 1905). The sand tunnels have also been found on Sand Cherry (Prunus pumila) in Wisconsin (BugGuide).
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights, and the distinctive sand tunnels can be observed on Sand-myrtle and other host plants.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR[S1S2]
State Protection:
Comments: This species appears to be rare in North Carolina, probably due to its dependence of sandy soils to make burrows and Sand-myrtle, which is likely the primary host plant in North Carolina.