Moths of North Carolina
Home Page
Recent Entries
Recent Account Updates
County Searches
General Search
Submit a Public Record
Larval Hosts
References
Maps
Draft Checklists
Family PDFs
NC Biodiversity Project
Comments
Significant Contributors
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Family (Alpha):
ACROLEPIIDAE-
ADELIDAE-Fairy moths
AMPHISBATIDAE-
AUTOSTICHIDAE-
BATRACHEDRIDAE-Batrachedrid Moths
BEDELLIIDAE-Bedelliid Moths
BLASTOBASIDAE-
BOMBYCIDAE-
BUCCULATRICIDAE-
CARPOSINIDAE-
CHOREUTIDAE-Metalmark Moths
COLEOPHORIDAE-Casebearer Moths and Relatives
COSMOPTERIGIDAE-Cosmopterigid Moths
COSSIDAE-Carpenter Moths, Goat Moths
CRAMBIDAE-Grass Moths, Snout Moths
DEPRESSARIIDAE-
DREPANIDAE-Hook-tips and Thyatirid Moths
ELACHISTIDAE-Grassminer Moths and Relatives
EPERMENIIDAE-
EPIPYROPIDAE-
EREBIDAE-Erebid Moths
ERIOCRANIIDAE-
EUTELIIDAE-
GALACTICIDAE-
GELECHIIDAE-Gelechiid Moths; Twirler Moths
GEOMETRIDAE-Geometer Moths, Loopers
GLYPHIDOCERIDAE-
GLYPHIPTERIGIDAE-Sedge Moths
GRACILLARIIDAE-Leafblotch miner moths
HELIOZELIDAE-Shield bearer moths
HEPIALIDAE-Ghost or Swift Moths
HYBLAEIDAE-
INCURVARIIDAE-
LASIOCAMPIDAE-Tent Caterpillar Moths, Lappet Moths
LECITHOCERIDAE-Long-horned Moths
LIMACODIDAE-Slug Caterpillar Moths
LYONETIIDAE-Lyonetiid Moths
MEGALOPYGIDAE-Flannel Moths
MICROPTERIGIDAE-Mandibulate Moths
MIMALLONIDAE-
MOMPHIDAE-Mompha Moths
NEPTICULIDAE-Minute leaf miners
NOCTUIDAE-Owlet Moths
NOLIDAE-
NOTODONTIDAE-Prominents
OECOPHORIDAE-Oecophorid Moths
OPOSTEGIDAE-
PELEOPODIDAE-
PLUTELLIDAE-Diamondback Moths
PRODOXIDAE-Yucca Moths
PSYCHIDAE-Bagworm Moths
PTEROPHORIDAE-Plume Moths
PYRALIDAE-Pyralid Moths, Snout Moths
SATURNIIDAE-Giant Silkworm Moths
SCHRECKENSTEINIIDAE-Schreckensteiniid Moths
SESIIDAE-Clearwing Moths
SPHINGIDAE-Sphinx Moths
THYATIRIDAE-
THYRIDIDAE-Window-winged Moths
TINEIDAE-Clothes moths
TISCHERIIDAE-Tischerid Moths
TORTRICIDAE-Leafroller Moths
URANIIDAE-
URODIDAE-Urodid Moths
XYLORYCTIDAE-
YPONOMEUTIDAE-Ermine Moths
YPSOLOPHIDAE-Ypsolophid Moths
ZYGAENIDAE-
«
Home
»
View
PDF
Sesiidae Members:
Albuna fraxini
Alcathoe carolinensis
Alcathoe caudata
Carmenta bassiformis
Carmenta ithacae
Carmenta pyralidiformis
Carmenta texana
Eichlinia cucurbitae
Osminia ruficornis
Paranthrene asilipennis
Paranthrene dollii
Paranthrene pellucida
Paranthrene simulans
Pennisetia marginatum
Podosesia aureocincta
Podosesia syringae
Sannina uroceriformis
Synanthedon acerni
Synanthedon acerrubri
Synanthedon alleri
Synanthedon arkansasensis
Synanthedon castaneae
Synanthedon decipiens
Synanthedon exitiosa
Synanthedon fatifera
Synanthedon fulvipes
Synanthedon kathyae
Synanthedon pictipes
Synanthedon pyri
Synanthedon refulgens
Synanthedon rhododendri
Synanthedon richardsi
Synanthedon rileyana
Synanthedon rubrofascia
Synanthedon scitula
Synanthedon unidentified species
Vitacea polistiformis
Vitacea scepsiformis
Vitacea unidentified species
Synanthedon
Members:
Synanthedon acerni
Synanthedon acerrubri
Synanthedon alleri
Synanthedon arkansasensis
Synanthedon castaneae
Synanthedon decipiens
Synanthedon exitiosa
Synanthedon fatifera
Synanthedon fulvipes
Synanthedon kathyae
Synanthedon pictipes
Synanthedon pyri
Synanthedon refulgens
Synanthedon rhododendri
Synanthedon richardsi
Synanthedon rileyana
Synanthedon rubrofascia
Synanthedon scitula
Synanthedon unidentified species
75 NC Records
Synanthedon acerni
(Clemens, 1860) - Maple Callus Borer Moth
view caption
Male
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Sesioidea
Family:
Sesiidae
Subfamily:
Sesiinae
Tribe:
Synanthedonini
P3 Number:
55a0095
MONA Number:
2554.00
Comments:
North America has 136 or more species in the family Sesiidae, and the large genus
Synanthedon
constitutes around half of the 37 species found in North Carolina, many being similar in appearance to one another. Some sesiids, known broadly as clearwing borers, are significant pests of commercial crops, and most are mimics of wasps and hornets.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions:
Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)
Online Resources:
MPG
,
BugGuide
,
iNaturalist
,
Google
,
BAMONA
,
GBIF
,
BOLD
Technical Description, Adults:
Eichlin and Duckworth (1988)
Adult Markings:
Synanthedon acerni
is best recognized by its orangish vertex and collar, brownish-orange thorax, and mostly orange anal tuft. The forewing is hyaline, and has a large black discal mark and yellowish-orange between the veins on the outer one-third. Engelhardt (1946) described two color variants ("buscki" and "tepperi") that occur in Georgia, Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi and are not present in North Carolina. The following detailed description of the male is based on those of Engelhardt (1946) and Eichlin and Duckworth (1988) and is for the typical form that occurs in North Carolina and throughout most of the eastern US.
The antenna is long, slender and shiny black or brown-black, while the palps are orange. The head has an orange or orange-red vertex, while the front is brown with orange or yellow medially and white laterally. The occipital fringe (collar) is orange, while the thorax is dark orange above and pale orange beneath. The abdomen is covered with varying amounts of orange and blackish scales that are more or less mixed, with darker scales predominating on segment 3, and faint transverse striping often evident on the last four segments. The anal tuft is broadly fan-shaped, bright orange, and touched with black at the base. The legs are mostly yellow to orangish, with the tibia of the hindleg bluish-black between the spurs, or sometimes wholly bluish-black above. The forewing is mostly transparent and narrow, with the costa, veins, marginal border and the large discal mark all black. Yellowish to yellowish-orangish dusting is present on the costa, the inner margin, and between the veins on the apical third of the wing. A small, diffuse, black spot is also usually present just beyond the larger discal mark. The hindwing is transparent and has a conspicuous black discal mark. The females are very similar to the males, but with the wings more contrastingly black and pale yellow, and with the orange or reddish anal tuft shorter and depressed in the center.
Wingspan:
20-25 mm for both sexes (Engelhardt, 1946).
Forewing Length:
7-13 mm (Eichlin and Duckworth, 1988).
Structural photos
Male reproductive structures. May 3, 2016, Wilkes County, J.B. Sullivan. Confirmed by Bill Taft
Aedeagus. May 3, 2016, Wilkes County, J.B. Sullivan. Confirmed by Bill Taft
Abdominal pelt. May 3, 2016, Wilkes County, J.B. Sullivan
Adult ID Requirements:
Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development:
The larvae are borers that feed in maple trunks and can cause the death of trees. They commonly attack shade trees in residential areas and the life history has been well-documented for over 100 years (e.g., Felt, 1905). The following life history account is based on that of Felt (1905), Engelhardt (1946) and Baker (1962).
Adults that emerge in the spring often swarm about the trunks of maple trees, where mating and egg laying typically occur. Females prefer to lay their eggs on roughened bark and often in the immediate vicinity of tree wounds or areas with blistering. The hatchlings bore into the bark and make their way to the cambium where they feed on the inner bark and sapwood. The larvae feed within galleries during the warmer months, then winter within the galleries and resume feeding with the spring warm-up. When mature, the larvae construct oblong cocoons that are made of wood chips, frass and silk. The cocoons are constructed in a gallery that is made close to the bark surface, and that has a thin escape window. At emergence, the pupa cuts through the cocoon and window, and partially emerges from the bark surface. The adult soon emerges, typically early in the morning, and the pupal skin is left partially protruding from the bark. Engelhardt (1946) noted that the adults will often continue to use the same tree year after year, which can result in the gradual weakening and death of the tree.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
Synanthedon acerni
is found throughout most of the eastern US and in adjoining areas of southern Canada from Ontario eastward to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. In the US the range extends from Maine southward along the Atlantic Seaboard states to southern Florida, and westward to eastern Texas, eastern Oklahoma, eastern Kansas, eastern Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and northeastern North Dakota. This species appears to occur essentially statewide, but it is far less common in the Coastal Plain compared to the Piedmont and Blue Ridge.
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)
Click on graph to enlarge
Flight Comments:
The adults have been observed during all months of the year in different areas of the range, with the southernmost populations flying essentially year-round, and northernmost populations for only 2-4 months, and commonly from May through August. As of 2024, our records are from early-April through early-October, with a seasonal peak from May through July. Local populations in North Carolina are univoltine, with about a year required to complete the life cycle.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Populations are commonly found in bottomland and mesic forest communities with maples, and in residential neighborhoods where maples are planted as shade trees.
Larval Host Plants:
The larvae are borers that feed on both ornamental and native species of maples (Felt, 1905; Engelhardt, 1946; Baker, 1962; Eichlin and Duckworth, 1988). Native species that are used include Red Maple (
Acer rubrum
), Silver Maple (
A. saccharinum
) and Sugar Maple (
A. saccharum
). -
View
Observation Methods:
The largely diurnally-active adults are attracted to lights in the early-evening. They are frequently seen resting on vegetation and nectaring on wildflowers during the day. The males are attracted to pheromone lures.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks:
GNR[S4S5]
State Protection:
Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:
Synanthedon acerni
is common and widespread in the state and appears to be secure.
Photo Gallery for
Synanthedon acerni
- Maple Callus Borer Moth
48 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-06-15
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-28
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2024-04-29
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-25
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-06-24
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2023-06-18
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2023-06-18
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-03
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2023-05-17
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Richard Teper on 2022-06-26
Avery Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson, Stephen Dunn on 2022-06-18
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-05-21
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-01-02
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-10-01
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-08-13
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-07-30
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-06-26
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-06-14
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-05-20
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-05-19
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2021-05-06
Onslow Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2021-04-28
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-08-29
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-06-22
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-06-02
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2019-08-30
Onslow Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: L. M. Carlson on 2019-08-04
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-07-04
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-07-04
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-05-26
Madison Co.
Comment: