Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFCrambidae Members: Vaxi Members: 20 NC Records

Vaxi auratellus (Clemens, 1860) - Curve-lined Vaxi

Vaxi auratellusVaxi auratellusVaxi auratellusVaxi auratellus
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Pyraloidea		 Family:
Crambidae		Subfamily:
Crambinae		Tribe:
Argyriini		P3 Number:
80a1457		 MONA Number:
5465.00		 MONA Synonym:
Argyria auratella		Other Common Names:
Curve-lined Argyria, Curved-lined Vaxi Moth
Comments:
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Martinez and Brown (2007)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Vaxi auratellus is a distinctively marked crambid that is boldly patterned with orange and white. The palps and head are white above, with the sides of both colored orange. The forelegs are orange, and the thorax has a thin white center with orange dorsally and laterally. The forewing has a silvery-white ground color with a broad, orange, outwardly-oblique median band that widens markedly as it approaches the inner margin. The terminal line and fringe are both orange, with the former connected to the median band by a narrow orange neck along the inner margin. The median band is margined on both sides by a thin line of dark orangish-brownish scales, while the terminal line has a similar margin of dark scales on its inner side. The hindwing is white with a white fringe. Vaxi critica is similar, but the median band does not widen dramatically as it approaches the inner margin to produce a connecting neck between it and the terminal line.
Wingspan: 15-18 mm (Covell, 1984).
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: Vaxi auratellus is widely distributed across much of the eastern and central U.S., and in adjoining areas of southern Canada (Saskatchewan;Manitoba;Ontario;Quebec;New Brunswick;Nova Scotia). In the U.S. the range extends from Maine southward to southern Florida, and westward to central Texas, central Oklahoma, eastern Kansas, eastern Nebraska, Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Isolated records are also known from Colorado. As of 2023, we have one site record from the northern Blue Ridge, with the remainder from the Piedmont and Coastal Plain.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Vaxi auratellusAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Flight Comments: The adults fly year-round in Florida and from April through October elsewhere, with a seasonal peak typically from June through August. As of 2023, our records range from late-April through mid-September. Coastal Plain populations appear to have two or three generations per year.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: This species is generally associated with wet, open habitats. We have records from a mountain bog, from sites in the Sandhills with seepage slopes or headwater streams adjoining Long-leaf Pine communities, and from lake margins, wet savannas, and other coastal wetlands.
Larval Host Plants: The hosts are apparently undocumented. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights and can be flushed from ground vegetation during the day.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [S2S3]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This species is uncommon in the state and generally associated with wetlands. Additional informations is needed on its host plants and preferred habits before we can accurately assess its conservation status

 Photo Gallery for Vaxi auratellus - Curve-lined Vaxi

Photos: 12
Vaxi auratellusRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-05-24
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Vaxi auratellusRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin on 2025-05-24
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Vaxi auratellusRecorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Vaxi auratellusRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-03
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Vaxi auratellusRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-03
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Vaxi auratellusRecorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson, Stephen Dunn on 2022-06-04
Orange Co.
Comment:
Vaxi auratellusRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2022-05-25
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Vaxi auratellusRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2022-05-17
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Vaxi auratellusRecorded by: Mark Shields on 2019-09-14
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Vaxi auratellusRecorded by: Mark Shields on 2019-09-14
Onslow Co.
Comment:
Vaxi auratellusRecorded by: Chris Talkington on 2015-07-10
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Vaxi auratellusRecorded by: FKW on 2006-07-05
Gates Co.
Comment: