Moths of North Carolina
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44 NC Records

Agriphila ruricolellus (Zeller, 1863) - Lesser Vagabond Sod Webworm

Agriphila ruricolellusAgriphila ruricolellusAgriphila ruricolellus
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Pyraloidea Family: CrambidaeSubfamily: CrambinaeTribe: CrambiniP3 Number: 80a1540 MONA Number: 5399.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following description is based in part on those of Fernald (1896) and Forbes (1923). The head and thorax are light yellowish-tan to cream-colored, while the palps are light yellowish-tan with darker speckling near the base of the scales. The ground color of the forewing is mostly yellowish-tan to cream-colored, but shades into a darker brownish-orange along the costa and submarginal area. The forewing is dusted with dark orangish-brown scales that are arranged in six or seven horizontal lines on the basal half of the wing. Similar lines are present on the apical half beyond the median line, but tend to be more diffuse and less well-defined. The median line is brown and diffuse. It originates about midway along the costa and projects obliquely outward for about one-fourth of its length. It then bows outward and run obliquely inward to the inner margin at about one-third the wing length. A similar subterminal line originates at around the outer fourth of the costa and runs nearly parallel to the median line before ending in the sub-tornal region of the inner margin. The terminal line is composed of a marginal row of seven black dots. The fringe is golden-bronze, while the hindwing pale-gray to light-brown with a dull whitish fringe.

Agriphila ruricolellus resembles A. vulgivagellus, but the latter is larger (20-39 mm versus 18-20 mm), darker overall, and lacks the median and subterminal lines.
Wingspan: 18-20 mm (Fernald, 1896).
Adult Structural Features: Ainslie (1924) has descriptions of the male and female genitalia.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Although it is widely noted that the larvae feed on numerous grasses and cereal grains, we are unaware of any specific examples of this where adults were reared to confirm the identity of the larvae. Felt (1894) reared larvae in an insectary and noted that the eggs, which are initially white and turn orange-buff with age, hatched in about 12 days. The young larvae had black heads and brick red bodies. A late-instar larvae that was depicted by Rogers (2014) had a dull yellow body with rows of dark amber-colored pinaculae, along with a dark brown head and prothoracic shield with several small black marks.

Felt (1894) noted that the young larvae mostly rejected Timothy (Phleum pratense) for the first 10 days, but later readily ate it. They rejected clover but ate Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella). When not feeding, the younger larvae remained close to the stalks of the host plant. When feeding on older plants they frequently bored through the stalks or leaves and spun a web that concealed them. Late in the season the larvae built silk-lined retreats composed of silk, soil, and leafy debris if available. These were constructed under the soil, along with a tunnel that led to the surface. The larvae would leave these to clip off and consume stalks of grass. The larvae permanently retreated to their underground retreats with the arrival of winter weather. Felt (1894) lost all of his larvae over winter and as unable to rear the adults. Although unverified, this species presumably follows the pattern seen in several of the late-season Crambus species of remaining in a dormant state in the underground retreat after the spring warm-up, then pupating a couple of weeks before the adults emerge during the summer months.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Agriphila ruricolellus is broadly distributed in North America, including the eastern U.S., Alaska, the Yukon, most of southern Canada (British Columbia eastward to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island) and at a few scattered localities in the western U.S., including Colorado, Utah, California and Washington. In the eastern U.S. the range extends from Maine and other New England states southward to Georgia and Alabama, and westward to northwestern Arkansas, eastern Oklahoma, eastern Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. This species is absent or uncommon in much of the southeastern Coastal Plain. As of 2023, we have a single record from the western Coastal Plain, with all others from the Piedmont and Blue Ridge.
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 June through November in different areas of the range, with the peak months being July through September. As of 2023, our records range from late-August through mid-October. Local populations in North Carolina are univoltine.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Most of our records come from either residential neighborhoods or from fragmented landscapes that have mixtures of forests and fields. Felt (1894) noted that the adults are most commonly see around damp areas and near forests.
Larval Host Plants: The host plants are poorly documented. Felt (1894) was able to raise captive larvae on Timothy (Phleum pratense) and Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella), although they largely rejected the grass for the first 10 days. Robinson et al. (2010) also listed corn as a host. Rogers (2014) repeatedly sampled plots for larvae in Creeping Bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera), Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis), and turf type Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea) and was only able to recover a single larva from the fescue plot, even though numerous adults were observed at light traps. It was uncertain if the larva was actually feeding on the fescue. Clearly, much more work is needed to document the hosts of this species in the wild. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S3S5
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This species is not very common in North Carolina. Information is needed on its preferred habitats, host plants, and abundance before we can accurately assess its conservation status within the state.

 Photo Gallery for Agriphila ruricolellus - Lesser Vagabond Sod Webworm

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

Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-09-21
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-17
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-13
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-08-27
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2024-08-19
Graham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-10-06
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-09-30
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Richard Teper on 2023-09-25
Caswell Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-09-25
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-09-24
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-09-20
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Morgan Freese on 2023-09-18
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan and Becky Elkin on 2023-09-15
Macon Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan and Becky Elkin on 2023-09-14
Macon Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-09-11
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2022-09-08
Graham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Hall, Ed Corey, Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Tom Howard, Carol Tingley, Brian Bockhahn, and Van Cotter on 2021-09-30
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2021-09-14
Ashe Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-09-13
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-10-08
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-10-08
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-10-08
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-09-26
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-09-13
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2019-10-01
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2019-09-25
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2019-09-25
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-09-22
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-09-09
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-09-16
Madison Co.
Comment: TL = 10 mm