Moths of North Carolina
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102 NC Records

Agriphila vulgivagellus (Clemens, 1860) - Vagabond Crambus Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Pyraloidea Family: CrambidaeSubfamily: CrambinaeTribe: CrambiniP3 Number: 800922.00 MONA Number: 5403.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Immature Stages: Miller (1938)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following is based in part on the description by Fernald (1896). The palps are dull yellow with dark fuscous on the outside, and are heavily scaled at the tip. The head, thorax and ground color of the forewing vary from cream-colored to dull yellow. There are numerous dark brown, longitudinal streaks formed by lines of dark scales between the veins. The terminal line is represented by a row of seven black dots, and the fringe is brownish-bronze. The hindwing varies from light-brown to grayish-brown, and the fringe is long and slightly paler than the wing. 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 that are present on A. ruricolellus.
Wingspan: 20-39 mm (Fernald, 1896); 22-25 mm (Ainslie, 1924).
Adult Structural Features: Miller (1939) has descriptions and illustrations of the male genitalia.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: This species mostly feeds on grasses. It can reach very high densities in some areas and cause major damage to lawns, pastures and grasslands. The following life history account is from Miller (1939), who summarized much of the published literature by Felt (1894) and others. After mating, the females fly over grassy areas and drop their dry eggs over the ground. The cylindrical, ridged eggs are initially white but become bright coral red within a few days. Miller (1939) reported an average clutch size of 98 eggs for 58 females that he studied in Kansas. The hatchlings initially feed by rasping on the epidermis of the grass leaves. As they grow longer they first feed deeper and make long channels on the grass blade between the veins. With time they eventually move to the base of the plant where they construct shelter tubes of loosely woven silk. As cool winter weather approaches, the larvae spin vertical cocoons in the ground that consist of tightly interwoven silk and soil. The upper end of the cocoon is at ground level or slightly below the surface, averages around 20 mm in length, and has a fibrous plug that allows the adult to escape. The larvae overwinter, resume feeding in the spring, then pupate within the cocoon, with the adults emerging after two weeks on average. This is a late-flying species and the larvae aestivate in their cocoons during the late spring and early summer months before pupating (Miller, 1940). Ainslie (1924) noted that in Tennessee the overwintering larvae stop feeding in early June and then build their cocoons and aestivate during the summer months. Pupation occurs about 10 days before the adults emerge. Felt (1894) reported that larvae in the fall had a jet black head, a deep brown thoracic shield, and a brown body with deep brown pinacula.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Agriphila vulgivagellus is widely distributed across southern Canada and most of the U.S. where it has been found in every state except perhaps New Mexico and Nevada. In Canada, specimens have been documented from British Columbia eastward to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. This species occurs statewide in North Carolina.
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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