Moths of North Carolina
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Oegoconia Members:
41 NC Records

Oegoconia novimundi (Busck, 1915) - Four-spotted Yellowneck Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Gelechioidea Family: AutostichidaeSubfamily: SymmocinaeTribe: [Symmocini]P3 Number: 420002.00 MONA Number: 1134.00 MONA Synonym: Oegoconia quadripuncta
Comments: Oegoconia is a genus with 13 recognized species that are native to the Old World; two of these have been introduced into the US.
Species Status: Oegoconia novimundi was previously treated as a junior synonym of O. quadripuncta. However, the two are distinct species and O. quadripuncta appears to be only found in the Old World. A second species, O. deauratella, was introduced to North America and can only be separated from O. novimundi by using molecular markers or genitalia (Landry et al., 2013). The range of O. deauratella in North America is currently limited to southern Canada and the northern US (Michigan; Vermont; Massachusetts), and it is uncertain whether this species will be able to survive as far south as North Carolina. We are currently treating all Oegoconia collected from the state as Oegoconia novimundi.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Busck 1915; Forbes, 1923; Landry et al., 2013                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following is based on descriptions by Busck (1915) and Forbes (1923). The head is dark fuscous, and the antenna dark fuscous with the apical third pale ocherous. The second joint of the labial palp is dark brown with a yellow apex and inner sides. The terminal joint is dark brown with the extreme tip ocherous. The tips of the tegulae and posterior region of the thorax are light ocherous and together produce a light band near the wing base. The forewings is dark fuscous with three light ocherous marks. The first is a small subcostal spot at about one-fifth the wing length. At one-half, there is a larger spot that often appears as a jagged fascia that extends from the costa to near the inner margin. A third small spot occurs at the apical fourth along the costa, and sometimes has an opposing small dot near the inner margin. The cilia are dark fuscous, and the hindwing light fuscous with whitish fuscous cilia. The abdomen is dark fuscous with a light anal tuft. The legs are dark fuscous with light ocherous annulations at the base of the joints.
Wingspan: 12-13 mm (Forbes, 1923)
Forewing Length: 5.5-7 mm (Powell and Opler, 2009)
Adult Structural Features: Landry et al. (2013) have illustrations of the male and female genitalia, and describe characters that will distinguish this species from O. deauratella. In males, O. deauratella is distinguished from O. novimundi by the indented apex of the uncus, the apex of the sacculus being slightly narrower than the base, the distal portion of the valva not being distinctly narrowed, and the presence of a large patch of densely set, stout spines subapically on the vesica anterad of the terminal bundle of thin spines. In O. novimundi, the apex of the uncus is straight or truncate, the apex of the sacculus is slightly broadened, the distal portion of the valva is slightly narrowed, and the vesica has only a terminal bundle of thin spines. In females, O. deauratella has a smooth-walled ductus bursae with finely spinulose microsculpture, and the signum has a rounded, asymmetrical base and a short terminal spine. in O. novimundi, the ductus bursae has sclerotized wrinkles without microsculpture, and the signum has a subsymmetrical, deeply notched base and a long terminal spine (Landry et al., 2013).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae appear to be detritivores that feed on decaying leaves or other plant debris.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Oegoconia novimundi is native to western Europe. It was apparently introduced to the East Coast over a century ago, and to California sometime around the 1930's (Powell and Opler, 2009). It is now widely distributed across the US and extreme southern Canada. It is common in the West Coast states and in much of the eastern US, except for the southeastern Coastal Plain. Scattered populations occur in the interior regions of the country. As of 2020, our records are all from the Piedmont and lower mountains.
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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