Moths of North Carolina
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7 NC Records

Crambus girardellus Clemens, 1860 - Girard's Grass-veneer Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Pyraloidea Family: CrambidaeSubfamily: CrambinaeTribe: CrambiniP3 Number: 800953.00 MONA Number: 5365.00
Comments: The genus Crambus includes around 155 species that are distributed globally. Some of the species are significant pests that can cause damage to agricultural crops, lawns and rangelands. This is one of 41 species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Pohl and Nanz, 2023), and one of fifteen species that occur in North Carolina.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Fernald (1896).                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This is one of our most distinctive Crambus species that is predominantly white with contrasting markings. The palps, head, thorax and abdomen are white when viewed from above. When viewed from the sides the labial palps are pale fuscous and the thorax is orangish-yellow (Fernald, 1896). The ground color of the forewing is silvery white, with the most prominent marking being an orangish-yellow longitudinal stripe that is bordered dorsally with dark-brown scales. The stripe extends from the base of the wing to around three-fifths the wing length where it smoothly curves towards the apex before terminating in the subterminal area. Specimens sometimes deviate from the description above by have an apical dash and an oblique, double-lined connecting piece from the costa that forms an angulated subterminal fascia near the end of the stripe (Forbes, 1923). The terminal line is dark brown to blackish and edged with yellow, and there are five short, dark-brown dashes before it on the dorsal half of the wing. The hindwing is pure white, but sometimes smoky on the anterior half.
Wingspan: 23-25 mm (Fernald, 1896); 22-32 mm (Ainslie, 1924)
Adult Structural Features: Ainslie (1924) has a description of the male genitalia.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larval life history is undocumented. Ainslie (1924) reared larvae and adults in captivity on Kentucky Bluegrass, but it is uncertain if they are grass-feeders in the wild. He noted that the larvae have pale bodies with brown pinacula, and a pale yellow head with distinct pattern of brown or black on the face.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Crambus girardellus has northern affinities, with the range in the U.S. extending from Maine southward to North Carolina, northeastern South Carolina and northern Georgia, and westward to western Tennessee, eastern Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and northeastern North Dakota. This species also occurs in bordering areas of southern Canada from Alberta and Saskatchewan eastward to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. As of 2023, all of our records are from lower elevation sites in the Blue Ridge, except for one isolated record from the Piedmont and another from the 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 have been observed from May through September in different areas of the range, with most states having a seasonal peak in June and July. As of 2023, all of our records are from late-June through late-July, except for one late-season Piedmont record from early September.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Our limited records are mostly from mesic hardwood forests or bottomland floodplains.
Larval Host Plants: The host plants are undocumented. Ainslie (1924) reared larvae and adults in captivity on Kentucky Bluegrass. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [S2-S3]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This is an uncommon species in North Carolina that is near the southern limit of its range. More information is needed on its distribution, abundance, preferred habitats and larval life history before we can accurately assess its conservation status within the state.

 Photo Gallery for Crambus girardellus - Girard's Grass-veneer Moth

Photos: 1

Recorded by: J.B.Sullivan and L.Deutschman on 2002-07-07
Transylvania Co.
Comment: BOLD specimen: LNAUW3734-18; specimen in the USNM (ENT 01451092).