Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFPyralidae Members: Elasmopalpus Members: 60 NC Records

Elasmopalpus lignosella (Zeller, 1848) - Lesser Cornstalk Borer Moth

Elasmopalpus lignosellaElasmopalpus lignosellaElasmopalpus lignosellaElasmopalpus lignosella
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Pyraloidea		 Family:
Pyralidae		Subfamily:
Phycitinae		Tribe:
Phycitini		P3 Number:
80a0409		 MONA Number:
5896.00		 MONA Synonym:
Elasmopalpus lignosellus
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Neunzig (1996)                                                                                 
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.
Elasmopalpus lignosellaAlamance 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:
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are polyphagous, consuming many crop species and grasses. Reported hosts include onion, peanut, oats, beets, cabbage, turnip, peppers, Bermuda Grass, nutsedges, Sweet Potato, rice, beans, tomatoes, wheat, and corn (Gill et al., 2000). - View
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks:
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Elasmopalpus lignosella - Lesser Cornstalk Borer Moth

 70 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2025-09-09
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2025-09-09
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment:
Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-06
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-06
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-03
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-03
Moore Co.
Comment:
Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-24
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-24
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rob Van Epps, Kevin Metcalf on 2025-07-20
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rob Van Epps, Kevin Metcalf on 2025-07-20
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2024-10-28
Pender Co.
Comment: 		Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-17
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-17
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2024-07-19
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-12
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-12
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2024-04-02
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-10-02
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-09-03
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-09-03
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-09-02
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-09-02
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2023-08-15
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2023-05-21
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2023-03-27
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-10-30
Wake Co.
Comment:
Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2022-10-27
Pender Co.
Comment: 		Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2022-10-12
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-07-11
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Elasmopalpus lignosellaRecorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-07-11
Guilford Co.
Comment: