Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada

Species Fascista bimaculella - Hodges#2203

Filatima biminimaculella - Fascista bimaculella Twirler Moth - Hodges #2203 - Fascista bimaculella Filatima biminimaculella - Fascista bimaculella Filatima biminimaculella - Fascista bimaculella unknown moth - Fascista bimaculella Filatima biminimaculella - Fascista bimaculella Moth ID Request:  Something in Gelechioidea? - Fascista bimaculella Filatima biminimaculella - Fascista bimaculella
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Gelechioidea (Twirler Moths and kin)
Family Gelechiidae (Twirler Moths)
Subfamily Gelechiinae
Tribe Gelechiini
Genus Fascista
Species bimaculella (Fascista bimaculella - Hodges#2203)
Hodges Number
2203
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Fascista bimaculella (Chambers, 1872) (1)
Depressaria bimaculella Chambers, 1872
Gelechia sylvaecolella Chambers, 1878
Gelechia ternariella Zeller, 1873
Identification
Dr. Mark A. Metz pointed out a long standing confusion with the similarly named Filatima biminimaculella, a fairly plain brown moth which looks nothing like Fascista bimaculella. (See syntype of biminimaculella now posted on the species page on MPG.) The comments below would appear to have resulted from this confusion but are retained struck through pending confirmation from the editor who authored those comments:
"Possibly mistaken for Filatima biminimaculella (of which see BugGuide photo 364610 for a good example), from which it can be differentiated via the following particulars: in Fascista bimaculella, (1) Ground color of forewing uniformly dark gray (versus darker on either side of the central white spot in Filatima biminimaculella); (2) White patch near base of forewing absent (versus present); (3) Dorsum of prothorax dark gray (versus contrastingly ochreous); (4) Head dark gray (versus white or whitish)."
A basal white patch on the forewing is not mentioned in the original description of Fascista bimaculella but it apparently is for its synonyms sylvaecolella and ternariella.
Identifications on BugGuide and MPG should be considered tentative. "There are some other gelechiids in other genera (e.g., Chionodes) with similar markings, but they would probably need dissected to determine species." - Dr. Mark A. Metz (pers. comm., 5/13/2022).
Range
Midwestern USA; common in Illinois and Kentucky; also recorded from Colorado.
Type locality (bimaculella): Kentucky.
Type locality (sylvaecolella): Kentucky.
Type locality (ternariella): Texas.
Habitat
Sometimes common in light-trap samples from tallgrass prairie, but also collected at light in other plant communities. Based on its morphological structure, it does appear to be closely related to the redbud leaffolder, Fascista cercerisella, which is a tree feeder. Being a gelechiid, F. bimaculella probably is hostplant specific. Rearing is needed, to assess its biotic affinities. Who among us will be the first to figure out and make known its life history?
Season
Records of adults collected at light indicate general summer occurrence.
Food
Unknown.
Print References
Chambers, V.T., 1872. Micro-Lepidoptera. The Canadian Entomologist, 4: 108.
Chambers, V.T., 1878. Descriptions of new Tineina from Texas, and others from more northern localities. Bulletin of the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories, 4(3): 86.
Clarke, J.F., 1947. Notes on, and new species of, American moths of the genus Filatima Busck (Gelechiidae: Lepidoptera). Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences, 37: 275. (transferred from Filatima to Fascista)
Zeller. P.C., 1873. Beiträge zur Kenntniss der nordamericanischen Nachtfalter, besonders der Microlepidopteren. Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 23: 264.