Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFTortricidae Members: Olethreutes Members: 2 NC Records

Olethreutes monetiferanum (Riley, 1881) - Buckeye Olethreutes

Olethreutes monetiferanum
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Tortricoidea		 Family:
Tortricidae		Subfamily:
Olethreutinae		Tribe:
Olethreutini		P3 Number:
51a0543		 MONA Number:
2774.00
Comments: Olethreutes is a large genus with over 130 recognized species worldwide. North America has around 80 recognized species, with at least 37 species occurring in North Carolina. Some species are very difficult to identify due to interspecific similarities in color and forewing pattern and only subtle differences in genitalia (Gilligan et al., 2008). In many instances, knowledge of the host plant is essential for a confident determination. All of the Nearctic species are leaf-tiers or leaf-rollers on deciduous trees and shrubs.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Immature Stages: Gibson and Merkel (2007)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This is a distinctively marked Olethreutes with a brown to reddish-brown ground color on the forewing that is ocellated with numerous straw-colored spots. The spots have a faint reddish-brown wash in the center, and tend to shift from being mostly rounded on the basal half of the wing, to more elongated on the apical half. The costa has a series of six or seven elongated pale spots along its length that resembles the elongated spots on the remainder of the forewing. The head tuft and thoracic tuft vary from light-brown or pale to reddish-brown, while the fringe is reddish-brown with a narrow basal line that is darker than the overall ground of the fringe. The hindwing is brown with a slightly lighter fringe.
Wingspan: 16-21 mm (Heinrich, 1926).
Forewing Length: 9.0-11.0 mm (Gilligan et al., 2008).
Adult Structural Features: Gilligan et al. (2008) have illustrations of the male and female genitalia.
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The only life history information for the larvae is that of Gibson and Merkel (2007) who observed larvae in leaf rolls of Yellow Buckeye and Ohio Buckeye in Kentucky. Two larvae that were collected on Yellow Buckeye on 8 April pupated on 15 April, followed by the emergence of two females on 29 April. Two late-instar larvae that were collected on Yellow Buckeye the following year on 2 April produced a male and female adult on 18 and 20 April. At another site three larvae were found in leaf rolls of Ohio Buckeye, but all were parasitized. The larvae at this site were very well developed compared to larvae of O. ochrosuffusana and O. sciotana that were at that same location and still in very early instars. The late-instar larvae were dull, olivaceous green with shining black heads. The authors noted that they are unlike those of O. ochrosuffusana, O. sciotana, and O. appalachiana, whose larvae also feed on buckeyes, and are all bright, kelly green with shining black heads.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Olethreutes monetiferanum is a seemingly uncommon species that occurs in the eastern US. The range is poorly documented, with scattered specimens observed as of 2024 in Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, eastern Tennessee, western North Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana and northeastern Texas. As of 2024, we have only two records, and both are from Watauga County in the northern Blue Ridge.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Olethreutes monetiferanumAlamance 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%20Hanover 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: The adults have been observed from April through June in different areas of the range. As of 2024, both of our records are from early-June.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: This species is most abundant in limestone areas of central Kentucky and southwestern Ohio, and generally appears to use rich sites with circumneutral soils elsewhere. Our two records as of 2024 are both from mesic hardwood sites.
Larval Host Plants: Larva feed on buckeyes, including Ohio Buckeye (Aesculus glabra) and Yellow Buckeye (A. flava; Gibson and Merkel, 2007). - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights, and are sometimes active diurnally (Gilligan et al., 2008).
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Rich Montane Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: [GNR] S1S3
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: Olethreutes monetiferanum appears to be rare in North Carolina where we have only two site records, with both from Watauga County.

 Photo Gallery for Olethreutes monetiferanum - Buckeye Olethreutes

Photos: 1
Olethreutes monetiferanumRecorded by: Merrill lynch on 2013-06-07
Watauga Co.
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