Species Crambus albellus - Small White Grass-veneer - Hodges#5361

5361

Crambus albellus – Clemens, 1860

* phylogenetic sequence #159775

41 Crambus species occur in America north of Mexico.

*plus several known species to be described

wingspan about 16 mm, based on photo by Jim Vargo at MPG

Adult: forewing white with sharply-pointed V-shaped PM line in strongly-marked specimens (otherwise faint or undetectable); ST line double, brownish-yellow, parallel to outer margin in lower two-thirds of wing, then bending basally and meeting costa at acute angle; terminal line thin, black, solid near costa, breaking into 4 or 5 dots in lower two-thirds of wing; hindwing pale brownish-gray with wide white fringe; thorax with white shoulder patches (tegulae)

some specimens are noticeably darker, with variably partial to complete dusting of gray scales on forewing

Quebec and Ontario to North Carolina/Tennessee, west to Illinois and possibly Wisconsin

adults fly in June through September and earlier in southern areas

larvae feed on grasses

common name reference: Checklist of Moths of Algonquin Provincial Park, 2005, Jason Dombroskie, Ontario (RM has unpublished hard copy of database file)

status in Algonquin Park is given as abundant at the west gate, and common at the east gate

Some other mostly white Crambini species look similar:

Crambus perlella              Arequipa turbatella           Platytes vobisne               Microcrambus copelandi    Microcrambus biguttellus

                            

Moth Photographers Group - range map, photos of living and pinned adults.

BOLD - Barcode of Life Data Systems - species account with collection map and photos of pinned adults.

pinned adult image (Larry Line, Maryland)

pinned adult image by David Smith (John Snyder, Furman U., South Carolina)

presence in Illinois; list (Illinois State Museum)

possible presence in Wisconsin; list although there is no indication that all listed species were collected in Wisconsin (U. of Wisconsin)