Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFCrambidae Members:
Catoptria Members:
1 NC Records

Catoptria latiradiellus (Walker, 1863) - Three-spotted Crambus Moth

No image for this species.
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Pyraloidea Family: CrambidaeSubfamily: CrambinaeTribe: CrambiniP3 Number: 80a1469 MONA Number: 5408.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This is a distinctively marked species. The head is white above, and the palps white above and beneath, but brown on the outside (Fernald, 1896). The thorax is white above and brownish on the sides. The forewing ground color is pale golden-brown to brown, with a snow-white stripe that extend through the middle of the wing from the base to near the outer border. The stripe and the outer portion of the wing are edged with the ground color, and there are two slightly curving, outwardly oblique, dark brown bars that cross the white stripe. The first is at the middle of the wing, and the second just before the outer end of the stripe. A terminal line is represented as a row of black dots. The fringe is dark smoky brown with an even darker sub-basal line, and is cut by three or four white lines along the apical half. The hindwing is pale fuscous with a well-developed pale whitish fringe.
Wingspan: 19-24 mm (Fernald, 1896)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larval life history is undocumented. Forbes (1923) found a caterpillar under moss that as brown, with black head and cervical shield.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Catoptria latiradiellus is found in eastern North America and has northern affinities. This species is distributed as two disjunct groups that include western and eastern populations. In the West, the range extends from the Yukon southeastward to western Washington, British Columbia and Alberta, then along the Rocky Mountain region to as far south as Colorado and northeastern Utah. The eastern group includes portions of southern Canada (Manitoba; Ontario; Quebec eastward to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland) and adjoining areas of the northeastern states, including Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, eastern New York, western Massachusetts, northeastern Pennsylvania, western Connecticut, and northern Michigan, northern Wisconsin and northern Minnesota. As of 2023, we have a single historical record of this species from Raleigh that may reflect a vagrant.
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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Flight Comments: The adults have been observed from June through September in different areas of the range, with a seasonal peak in July and August. Our one historical record that was reported by Brimley (1938) is undated.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Larval Host Plants: The hosts are apparently undocumented. Forbes (1923) found a caterpillar under moss, while Heckford and Leverton (2018) successfully reared a European species (C. permutatellus) and noted that the larvae accepted seven species of mosses and a sedge. These observations suggest that C. latiradiellus may feed on mosses. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SU
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: As of 2023, we have a single historical record from Raleigh that may reflect a vagrant.