Moths of North Carolina

Scientific Name:	Common Name:		Family (Alpha): Choose a Family

Home

View PDF	Crambidae Members:	Crambus Members:	48 NC Records

Crambus satrapellus (Zincken, 1821) - Beautiful Grass-veneer

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Pyraloidea

Family:
Crambidae

Subfamily:
Crambinae

Tribe:
Crambini

P3 Number:
80a1582

MONA Number:
5372.00

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:

Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD

Technical Description, Adults: Fernald (1896)

Adult Markings: This is one of the more distinctive silver-striped species of Crambus. The palps and the head vary from yellowish gray to gray, and the thorax and ground color of the forewings is golden yellow, with the area along the costa darker than the remainder of the ground color (Fernald, 1896). The silvery white stripe on the forewing gradually widens from the wing base to around four-fifths the wing length, then narrows to a sharp point at the subterminal line. A prominent tooth extends off of the dorsal margin about mid-way along its length and tapers to a fine point as it projects towards the anal angle. A separate spindle-shaped white spot is present between the costa and the tapered tip of the white stripe at around four-fifths the wing length. The apex has a short white streak. The post terminal line runs from the costa towards the outer margin, then angles back to run more or less parallel to the outer margin to the sub-tornal region. The area between it and the dark-brown terminal line is pale gray with darker reddish-brown striations, and has four or five black dashes that are on the dorsal two-thirds of the wing. The fringe is dull gray, and the hindwing is pale ashy gray with a slightly lighter fringe. This species is easily distinguished by the long, slender tooth that comes off of the white stripe, and the spindle-shaped white spot near the tip of the stripe.

Wingspan: 25-35 mm (Fernald, 1896).

Structural photos

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.

Immatures and Development: The larval life history is undocumented.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Crambus satrapellus is found in the eastern U.S. as two isolated groups. The first is in the Great Lakes region in southern Michigan and northern Ohio, and the second centered in the Southeast from New York and New Jersey southward to southern Florida, then westward along the Gulf Coast region to southeastern Texas. There also are scattered records in Arkansas, Kentucky, western Tennessee and northern Alabama. As of 2023, all but one of our records (Mecklenburg Co.) is from the southern Coastal Plain, including the Sandhills and maritime and coastal sites.

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 fly year-round or nearly so in Florida, Louisiana and Georgia, and from April through September in the northern part of the range. As of 2023, our records range from late-March through mid-November. Populations in the Coastal Plain are multivoltine, which appears to be the case in most areas of the range.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Most of our records are from sandy habitats that are often in or near the margins of small lakes and shallow ponds, seepage slopes and headwater streams.

Larval Host Plants: The host plants are undocumented, but probably are graminoids that grow in close proximity to bodies of water. - View

Observation Methods: The adults come to lights. They can also can be flushed from or observed on low-growing vegetation.

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 species can be locally common in the vicinity of wetlands, but is generally uncommon within the state. Additional information is needed on its habitat requirements, hosts and larval life history before we can accurately assess its conservation status within North Carolina.

Photo Gallery for Crambus satrapellus - Beautiful Grass-veneer

33 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-10-03 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-30 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-30 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Kaitlyn Elliott on 2025-08-16 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rob Van Epps, Kevin Metcalf on 2025-07-20 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-05-24 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin on 2025-05-24 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-09 Cumberland Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-09 Cumberland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-03 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-03 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2025-05-01 Anson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, Steve Hall, David George on 2025-04-20 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-28 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-28 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Larry Chen, Sarah Toner on 2024-05-31 Beaufort Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-09 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-09 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-07 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-07 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-16 New Hanover Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-04-14 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2023-04-21 Onslow Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-11-20 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-05-01 Onslow Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-04-30 Onslow Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Shields, Hunter Phillips on 2020-03-27 Onslow Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Shields, Hunter Phillips on 2019-10-23 New Hanover Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2019-10-07 Scotland Co. Comment: