Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Pyralidae Members:	Elasmopalpus Members:	65 NC Records

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

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, BOLD

Technical Description, Adults: Neunzig (1996)

Genitalia and other 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.


Flight Dates: High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft. Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft. Piedmont (Pd) Coastal Plain (CP) Click on graph to enlarge

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: GNR SNR [S3S4]

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

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

	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-11-08 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-11-08 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-10-19 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-28 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-28 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-27 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-09-16 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2025-09-09 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2025-09-09 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-06 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-06 Brunswick 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 2025-08-03 Moore Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-24 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-24 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rob Van Epps, Kevin Metcalf on 2025-07-20 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rob Van Epps, Kevin Metcalf on 2025-07-20 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2024-10-28 Pender Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-17 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-17 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-07-19 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-12 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-12 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-04-02 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-10-02 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-09-03 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-09-03 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-09-02 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-09-02 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2023-08-15 Carteret Co. Comment: