Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Tortricidae Members:	Olethreutes Members:	15 NC Records

Olethreutes ferrolineana (Walker, 1863) - Iron-lined Olethreutes

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Tortricoidea

Family:
Tortricidae

Subfamily:
Olethreutinae

Tribe:
Olethreutini

P3 Number:
51a0604

MONA Number:
2838.10

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: Beadle and Leckie (2012)

Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD

Technical Description, Adults: Gilligan et al. (2008)

Adult Markings: In this species the palps are dull yellowish to yellowish-white with varying amounts of darker dusting. The second segment has a black spot on the side and the terminal segment is black. The head and thorax have a varying mixture of black and brownish-yellow to brownish-orange scales. The forewing consists of an orangish to brownish-yellow ground color that is overlain with blackish scales that form fine striations, reticulations and specks. Silvery-blue dots and lines are also present throughout the wing. The black marks are usually sufficiently concentrated to form a large diffuse band or area of heavy dark scaling from near the middle of the costa to the subtornal region. Specimens also almost always have a postmedial bar that is orangish, and usually with varying amounts of dark specks or striations within. The postmedial bar is margined with a silvery-blue line on both sides, with the basal line usually extending nearly to the tornus. The fringe is orangish to yellowish with patches of darker scales on the outer two-thirds, and a narrow dark line at the base. The hindwing is typically dark brown, with a whitish fringe that has a dark basal line. In addition to the form described above, O. ferrolineana has morphs that closely resemble those of O. coruscana. In many cases genitalia are the only reliable way to obtain a positive identification.

Olethreutes astrologana, O. ferrolineana and O. coruscana are similar species that all have mixtures of orangish to brownish-yellow scales that are intermixed with dark-brown to blackish scales, along with silvery-blue dots and lines. These species can all be identified by genitalia, but specimens in North Carolina also exhibit differences in maculation. Olethreutes astrologana has a forewing with a ground composed of orangish scales that are intermixed with darker striations and specks throughout. The silvery-blue dots are uniformly scattered across the wing except where they are organized as lines that extend from the costa. The two most posterior lines in the subapical area tend to break up into dots and usually terminate near the center of the wing. The fringe is pale to tawny with a dark line near the base. Olethreutes coruscana has the orangish and blackish marks segregated to form a series of alternating dark patches with orangish areas between them. Specimens typically have a large basal, medial, postmedial, and pretornal patch, and the silvery-blue dots are more concentrated around the margins of the dark patches. This species has a series of black spots along the entire length of the costa that is not present in O. astrologana. The fringe is darker and the hindwing is typically dark brown.

Olethreutes ferrolineana is often intermediate between these two in some respects. The dark blotches are poorly developed relative to those of O. coruscana, but specimens almost always have a postmedial bar that is orangish and margined with a silvery-blue line on both sides. The basal line that margins the bar may be complete or broken, and usually extends nearly to the tornus. The postmedial bar is preceded by a diffuse medial patch that is darker than the general ground color and marked with silvery-blue spots. The black costal spots are not as well-defined as those on O. coruscana, and there usually are one or more short, silvery-blue, costal strigulae on the basal half of the wing. Olethreutes astrologana typically has the strigulae confined to the apical half of the wing, while O. coruscana often lacks them altogether, except for two associated with the postmedial blotch or bar. The fringe of O. ferrolineana is usually orangish, with a dark basal line and several dark blotches in the posterior half, with the largest occupying the dorsal third or more of the fringe. Olethreutes astrologana has reduced blotching on the fringe relative to the other two species. As mentioned above, certain forms of O. ferrolineana and O. coruscana look so similar that genitalia are the only reliable way to obtain a positive identification.

Forewing Length: 6.5-9.5 mm (Gilligan et al., 2008).

Adult Structural Features: Gilligan et al. (2008) has illustrations of the male and female genitalia, and noted that examination of the genitalia is recommended for distinguishing O. coruscana from O. ferrolineana. The males are nearly identical, but in O. coruscana the medial margin of the neck cavity has a line of spines from the top of the arch to the cucullus, whereas the central portion of that line is lacking in O. ferrolineana (Miller, 1985).

Structural photos

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable only by close inspection of structural features or by DNA analysis.

Immatures and Development: The larval life history is undocumented.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Olethreutes ferrolineana is found in eastern North America, including portions of southern Canada (Manitoba; Ontario; Quebec), and in the US from Massachusetts and New York southwestward through the Appalachian region to western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, and westward to Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa and Wisconsin. As of 2024, all of our records are from the 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 from April through August in different areas of the range, with a seasonal peak in May and June. As of 2024, our records range from late-May through late-June.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Local populations are commonly found in open habitats such as old fields, meadows, forest edges and semi-wooded residential neighborhoods.

Larval Host Plants: The host plants (if any) are undocumented. - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights and are occasionally found resting on the upper sides of low-growing vegetation during the day.

Wikipedia

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR[S2S3]

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.

Comments: This species appears to be uncommon and restricted to the Blue Ridge where is reaches its southern range limit. Individuals have likely been under collected due to the short seasonal flight period.

Photo Gallery for Olethreutes ferrolineana - Iron-lined Olethreutes

Photos: 24

	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-06-03 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-06-03 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-05-24 Transylvania Co. Comment:		Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-05-24 Transylvania Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Melinda Fawver on 2023-06-08 Haywood Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Kevin Metcalf on 2022-06-05 Alleghany Co. Comment: iNat: Creative Commons(CC BY-NC)
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-06-03 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-06-02 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-06-02 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-06-01 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-30 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-28 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-28 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-28 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-27 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-27 Buncombe Co. Comment: so this one looks more like O. ferrolineana to me?
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-26 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-26 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-25 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-25 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-24 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-24 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-06-21 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: J.B. Sullivan on 2017-06-07 Ashe Co. Comment: