Moths of North Carolina

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Microcrambus elegans (Clemens, 1860) - Elegant Grass-veneer

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Pyraloidea

Family:
Crambidae

Subfamily:
Crambinae

Tribe:
Crambini

P3 Number:
80a1497

MONA Number:
5420.00

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)

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

Technical Description, Adults: Fernald (1896); Forbes (1923).

Technical Description, Immature Stages: Allyson (1986)

Adult Markings: The following description is based mostly on that of Fernald (1896) and Forbes (1923). The palps are white above and slightly fuscous on the outside. The head and thorax are white with dull brown dusting. The ground color of the forewing is white and is heavily shaded with dull brown in places, particularly on the apical third of the wing before the subterminal line, along the basal two-thirds of the costa, and as a blackish-brown basal patch near the base of the wing. A wide white fascia is present at the middle of the wing that begins near the middle of the costa and extends obliquely outward for about one-fourth of its length, then angles sharply backwards and runs to the inner margin at around one-third the wing length. It often fuses with a diffuse, narrow, white streak that runs from near the middle of the wing base to the fascia. The white fascia adjoins a short, curved, diffuse, blackish streak on the dorsal half that forms a semicircular or horseshoe-shaped band when an individual is resting with the wings closed. The subterminal line is brown and slightly excurved, and is preceded by a parallel, white line that is the same width. The area between the middle white fascia and the subterminal line is heavily dusted with dull brown except for a white costal spot at around three-fourths the wing length. The subterminal area beyond the subterminal line is white, but sometimes has a light dusting of dull brown scales. The terminal line is represented as a line of seven black dots, and the fringe varies from metallic ashy-gray to light-brown. The hindwing varies from light-brown to light reddish-brown and has a lighter fringe.

Microcrambus elegans is often confused with M. minor and is best distinguished by having a costa that is white beyond the subterminal line, along a well-defined subterminal line that is bordered with an adjoining white line. In M. minor, the costa has a diffuse, dark-brown, apical patch that extends across the subterminal line, and a subterminal line that is diffuse and rather obscure.

Wingspan: 12-15 mm (Fernald, 1896).

Adult Structural Features: Klots (1968) has a description of the male genitalia.

Structural photos

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

Immatures and Development: The larval life history is undocumented. Allyson (1986) successfully reared the larvae on corn silk. The final instars were 8-10 mm long and had an unmarked yellowish-brown head. The prothoracic shield was brown with scattered dark spots, while the body was pale with distinct, light brown pinacula. She also provided a detailed, technical description of the larvae. Ainslie (1924) provided evidence that mosses may be the primary dietary item of this species, at least during the early larval stages.

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from close inspection of specimens or by DNA analysis.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Microcrambus elegans is a common species that is found in the eastern U.S. and adjoining areas of Canada. In the U.S., the range extends from Maine southward to southern Florida, and westward to central Texas, central Oklahoma, central Kansas, central Nebraska, Minnesota and northeastern Nebraska. It occurs in adjoining areas of Canada in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, 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) Click on graph to enlarge
Flight Comments: The adults fly year-round in Florida, and mostly from May through October elsewhere in the range. In North Carolina the adults fly from mid-March through late-October in the Coastal Plain, and from early-May through mid-October elsewhere. North Carolina populations appear to produce two or three generations per year.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Our records come from a wide range of habitats, including residential neighborhoods, fields, xeric Sandhill communities, coastal scrub communities, alluvial forests and mesic hardwoods. Ainslie (1924) noted that populations in eastern Tennessee are almost always found in low or damp places where broadleaf species such as goldenrods and ironweed serve as resting places for the adults.

Larval Host Plants: The hosts are poorly documented. Robinson et al. (2010) reported that the larvae feed on grasses, including corn, but this may reflect earlier work by Felt (1894) who reported that the larvae feed on 'grass'. Ainslie (1916) noted that not a single species of Crambus or Microcrambus had been successfully reared to adults other than those of his own, and he was unsuccessful in getting the hatchlings of M. elegans to feed on grasses or other potential hosts that were provided as food. In later studies in the laboratory, Ainslie (1924) reported that the larvae readily fed on mosses and would only eat grasses as larger larvae, and only when forced to. These observations suggest that mosses may be the primary hosts in the wild, at least during the early larval stages. Allyson (1986) was successful in raising the hatchlings to adults on corn silk rather than grasses. - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Mixed Habitats

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S5

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.

Comments: This is a secure species that is very common and found statewide.

Photo Gallery for Microcrambus elegans - Elegant Grass-veneer

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

	Recorded by: Marilyn Westphal on 2025-10-14 Henderson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-10-13 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-10-08 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-12 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-01 Rowan Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Marilyn Westphal on 2025-08-29 Henderson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-23 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2025-08-16 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson, Randy Emmitt on 2025-08-12 Alamance Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-12 Ashe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Marilyn Westphal. on 2025-08-09 Henderson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Marilyn Westphal on 2025-08-06 Henderson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-03 Moore Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-02 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Dale Morgan, Patrick Coin, Julie Tuttle, Becky Watkins, et al. on 2025-07-26 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Melody McMichael on 2025-07-24 Forsyth Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Melody McMichael on 2025-07-24 Forsyth Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-23 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-07-04 Wake Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-07-03 Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-07-01 Wake Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-06-30 Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Patrick Coin on 2025-06-29 Moore Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, David Bradley, Becky Watkins, David Cheng, Michelle Lotker, Tracy Feldman, et al. on 2025-06-28 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-25 Mitchell Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Joye Zhou on 2025-06-20 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Joye Zhou on 2025-06-20 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2025-06-17 Alamance Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George on 2025-06-07 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2025-06-03 Currituck Co. Comment: