Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGelechiidae Members: Anacampsis Members: 5 NC Records

Anacampsis lupinella Busck, 1901 - Lupine Leafroller Moth

Anacampsis lupinellaAnacampsis lupinellaAnacampsis lupinellaAnacampsis lupinella
Taxonomy
Family:
Gelechiidae		Subfamily:
Anacampsinae		P3 Number:
59a0484		 MONA Number:
2242.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Otis et al. (2020)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Otis et al. (2020)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Anacampsis lupinella is best recognized by its uniformly brownish-black forewing, and a pale-whitish fascia at around four-fifths the wing length that is usually interrupted in the middle so that there is a matching spot along the costa and inner margin. Specimens are occasionally encountered that lack the fascia altogether, or have a complete fascia. Three or four smaller black spots can sometimes be made out in the middle (discal) area, but these are usually masked by the dark wing color. The hindwing is dark blackish-brown and the eyes dark red (Otis et al., 2020). The thorax and head are concolorous with the forewing ground color, while the antenna has alternating brownish-yellow and dark-brown rings. The recurved palps vary from medium-brown to tan-colored, with the third segment longer than the heavily-scaled second segment, and extended well above the level of vertex.

Anacampsis agrimoniella is similar to A. lupinella, but the forewing ground is grayish on the basal half of the wing, and the white fascia at around four-fifths the wing length is broader, complete, and angled posteriorly at the costa.
Forewing Length: 5.4-6.2 mm (Otis et al., 2020).
Adult Structural Features: Otis et al. (2020) provide illustrations and detailed descriptions of the male and female genitalia, which are distinctive.
Genitalia and other structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae are leaftiers that feed on at least two species of lupines and Baptisia. Otis et al. (2020) reported that each larva constructs a leaf nest by webbing 2-3 lobes of Sundial Lupine together. The larvae skeletonize the leaf tissue in and around the web, and pupation occurs within the nest. The later instars have an amber-colored head and prothoracic shield, with the other thoracic segments having a row of three black spots laterally on each side. The abdomen is dull white with 3-4 black tubercles on the sides of each segment. Similar nests with leaves stitched together have been observed on Baptisia species (BugGuide; iNaturalist).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Anacampsis lupinella occurs in the eastern US and southern Ontario, with widely scattered records that are thought to be valid from Iowa, Illinois, southern Minnesota, southwestern Ohio, New York, Maryland, eastern Texas, Louisiana, and the Florida Panhandle (MPG; BugGuide). As of 2025, we also have recent records from the Sandhills.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Anacampsis lupinellaAlamance 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.
Flight Comments: Local populations appear to be univoltine, with the adults flying May through July in different areas of the range. As of 2025, our records are from late-May through mid-June.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Our records are all from xeric habitats in the Sandhills, and at sites that have either Baptisia or Lupinus species present.
Larval Host Plants: Forbes (1923) lists lupines (Lupinus) and Otis et al. (2020) found the larvae on Sundial Lupine (Lupinus perennis) in Canada. Godfrey et al. (1987) list White Wild Indigo (Baptisia alba) as host plants; there is also BugGuide and iNaturalist records of larva feeding on Yellow Wild Indigo (B. tinctoria). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
Observation Methods: The adults can be collected by sweep-netting the host plants and by searching for larvae in leaf ties.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Dry-Xeric Sand Barrens and Glades
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S1S2
State Protection:
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Anacampsis lupinella - Lupine Leafroller Moth

Photos: 4
Anacampsis lupinella
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Joye Zhou on 2025-06-20
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Anacampsis lupinella
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Anacampsis lupinella
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Anacampsis lupinella
Recorded by: J. B. Sullivan on 2021-06-08
Richmond Co.
Comment: