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

Semioscopis aurorella Dyar, 1902 - Aurora Flatbody Moth

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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Gelechioidea Family: DepressariidaeSubfamily: DepressariinaeTribe: [Depressariini]P3 Number: 59a0130 MONA Number: 916.00
Comments: Semioscopis is a small genus with 13 recognized species, six of which occur in North America.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: (Clarke, 1941); (Hodges, 1974)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The labial palps are white with a faint roseate tinge. The second segment is overlaid with blackish fuscous exteriorly on the distal half, except at the apex. The third segment has a black spot anteriorly above the base and a black subapical annulus. The antenna is light fuscous, with narrow, grayish annulations. The head is brownish gray and the thorax darker fuscous gray with fuscous posterior tufts. The forewing is shining gray and suffused with brown and blackish fuscous specks. The darker patterning is somewhat variable. The most defining mark is a longitudinal black bar that extends from the wing base just below the costa towards the middle of the wing where it terminates at about one fourth and meets an inverted V-shaped blackish mark on the cell. At the end of the cell there is an outwardly curved blackish-fuscous bar preceded by a whitish or light-gray patch. All of the marks usually have a thin line of white scales on either the inner margin or the anterior margin. In addition to these marks, a thin longitudinal dash is often present just before the apex. The wing tip has a subterminal row of five more or less well defined dark dashes that extend from the costa around the termen. The cilia are pale grayish fuscous and are darker apically. The hindwing is shining grayish fuscous, darker toward the margin, and with a fine fuscous terminal line. The cilia are whitish with a fuscous sub-basal band. The legs are yellowish white and heavily overlaid with blackish fuscous except at the joints and on the hind tibia. The abdomen is light fuscous and narrowly annulated with pale yellowish fuscous at the posterior ends of the segments.
Wingspan: 24-31 mm (Clarke, 1941)
Forewing Length: 11-14 mm (Hodges, 1974)
Adult Structural Features: Clarke (1941) provides descriptions and illustrations of the male and female genitalia.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larval life history is undocumented.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Semioscopis aurorella is found primarily in eastern North America from southern Canada (Manitoba to Nova Scotia) and the New England states westward to Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The range extends southward mostly along the Appalachian region to Tennessee and western North Carolina. Western populations occur in British Columbia and Alberta.
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)

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Flight Comments: Adults have been recorded between February and July, with a seasonal peak in March and April.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: The preferred habitats are unknown.
Larval Host Plants: The hosts are poorly known. Robinson et al. (2010) reported Prunus as a host, but the exact species is not known. - View
Observation Methods: The adults occasionally visit lights.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SU
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This species is near the southern limits of its range in western North Carolina.