Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFPyralidae Members: Dioryctria Members: 7 NC Records

Dioryctria pygmaeella Ragonot, 1887 - Bald Cypress Coneworm Moth


Dioryctria pygmaeellaDioryctria pygmaeellaDioryctria pygmaeella
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Pyraloidea
Family:
Pyralidae
Subfamily:
Phycitinae
Tribe:
Phycitini
P3 Number:
80a0370
MONA Number:
5849.00
Comments: One of forty species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Pohl et al., 2016). Eight species have been recorded in North Carolina.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Leckie and Beadle (2018)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Heinrich (1956); Neunzig (1997)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Mottled with patches or bands of red, black, white, orange, and purple. The pattern and coloration are similar to other species of Dioryctria, including amatella, merkeli, taedivorella, and zimmermani. However, pygmaeella is relatively smooth and lacks the heavy ridges of raised scales found in those species.
Wingspan: 15-21 mm (Heinrich, 1956)
Adult Structural Features: Both male and female reproductive structures are distinctive (see Heinrich, 1956, and Neunzig, 1997, for descriptions and illustrations)
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae are borers in the cones of cypress (Heinrich, 1956)
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Dioryctria pygmaeellaAlamance 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: Except for the record from Mecklenburg County, our records all come from the Coastal Plain, with nearly all from sites that contain cypresses. One record from Onslow County, however, comes from a site without any cypresses known to occur nearby but where Red Cedars are likely to occur.
Larval Host Plants: Feeds on Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) (Heinrich, 1956) and also Pond Cypress (T. ascendens). Heppner (2003), however, also lists Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) as a host plant, at least in Florida. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Cypress Swamps and Savannas
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S2S4
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: The possible use of Red Cedars as a larval host plant needs to be investigated here in North Carolina. While we currently assume that this species is a member of the Cypress Swamp and Savannas guild, that could easily change if it feeds to any extent on Red Cedars growing in Coastal Marshes, Dune Grasslands, or other types of habitats further inland.

 Photo Gallery for Dioryctria pygmaeella - Bald Cypress Coneworm Moth

Photos: 7
Dioryctria pygmaeellaRecorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2024-08-14
Pamlico Co.
Comment:
Dioryctria pygmaeellaRecorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2024-08-13
Pamlico Co.
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Dioryctria pygmaeellaRecorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2024-08-12
Pamlico Co.
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Dioryctria pygmaeellaRecorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2024-07-08
Perquimans Co.
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Dioryctria pygmaeellaRecorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2024-07-08
Perquimans Co.
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Dioryctria pygmaeellaRecorded by: Mark Shields on 2019-06-06
Onslow Co.
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Dioryctria pygmaeellaRecorded by: Mark Shields on 2019-06-06
Onslow Co.
Comment: