Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFPyralidae Members: Hypsopygia Members: 16 NC Records

Hypsopygia thymetusalis (Walker, 1859) - Spruce Needleworm Moth

Hypsopygia thymetusalisHypsopygia thymetusalis
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Pyraloidea		 Family:
Pyralidae		Subfamily:
Pyralinae		Tribe:
Pyralini		P3 Number:
80a0686		 MONA Number:
5529.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Hypsopygia thymetusalisAlamance 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.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: We have records both from Spruce-Fir forests and from cove or alluvial forests at lower elevations in the mountains.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on primarily on spruce (Picea) but have also been reported on fir (Abies), larch (Larix), and pines (Pinus) (Robinson et al., 2010). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Montane Cool Mesic Conifer Forests
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 may be a disjunct species in the Southern Appalachians.

 Photo Gallery for Hypsopygia thymetusalis - Spruce Needleworm Moth

Photos: 4
Hypsopygia thymetusalisRecorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-30
Swain Co.
Comment: 		Hypsopygia thymetusalisRecorded by: John Petranka on 2022-08-07
Watauga Co.
Comment:
Hypsopygia thymetusalisRecorded by: John Petranka on 2022-08-07
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Hypsopygia thymetusalisRecorded by: Owen McConnell on 2018-08-10
Graham Co.
Comment: