Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFDepressariidae Members: Semioscopis Members: 27 NC Records

Semioscopis merriccella Dyar, 1902 - Merrick's Semioscopis

Semioscopis merriccellaSemioscopis merriccellaSemioscopis merriccella
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Gelechioidea		 Family:
Depressariidae		Subfamily:
Depressariinae		Tribe:
[Depressariini]		P3 Number:
59a0127		 MONA Number:
913.00
Comments: Semioscopis is a small genus with 13 recognized species, six of which occur in North America.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Leckie and Beadle (2018)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Clarke (1941); Hodges (1974)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following is primarily based on the description by Clarke (1941). The labial palp is white and the second segment is suffused with blackish fuscous exteriorly. The third segment has a fuscous spot at the base anteriorly and a broad black sub-apical annulus. The antenna has a dark base, while the remainder is light fuscous with narrow and indistinct gray annulations. The head and thorax are gray, with the latter suffused with fuscous. The forewing is light gray to grayish brown and lightly shaded and strigulated with brown. The costa from the base to the middle of wing is slightly lighter. Beginning at the end of the cell there is a sinuous narrow black bar that widens anteriorly and continues to about one-third the wing length. The outwardly curved portion at the beginning of the cell is followed by a rapidly fading and spreading brownish shade. Between the discal portion of the bar and the costa, there is a short, poorly defined blackish-fuscous bar followed by a blackish-fuscous spot before the apex. A series of blackish-fuscous spots extends from the apex around the termen. The cilia are pale gray and lightly suffused with brown. The hindwing is shining gray with a fine terminal brown line. The cilia are lighter and shining, with a narrow sub-basal and two sub-terminal faint brown bands. The legs are shining creamy white and strongly overlaid with blackish fuscous except at the joints and on the hind tibia. The abdomen is sordid ochreous and faintly suffused with fuscous beneath.
Wingspan: 24-31 mm (Clarke, 1941)
Forewing Length: 11-15 mm (Hodges, 1974)
Adult Structural Features: Clarke (1941) provides detailed descriptions and illustrations of the male and female genitalia. This species and S. packardella have very similar genitalia. They can be most easily separated based on the number and shape of the spines on the cornuti of males, and the number of inwardly directed projections of the signum of females (Hodges, 1974).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larval ecology and life history are undocumented.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Semioscopis merriccella is primarily found in eastern North America, but scattered populations have been found out west in Washington, California, British Coulmbia, Alberta, and elsewhere. In the East, the range includes portions of southern Canada (Ontario; Quebec; Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island) and the northeastern states westward to Minnesota and Illinois. The range extends as far south as northern Mississippi and northern Georgia. As of 2020, all of our records are from the mountains.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Semioscopis merriccellaAlamance 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 Hanover 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.