Moths of North Carolina
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6 NC Records

Rhyacionia adana Heinrich, 1923 - Adana Pine Tip Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: OlethreutinaeTribe: EucosminiP3 Number: 620704.00 MONA Number: 2877.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Powell and Miller (1978).Technical Description, Immature Stages: Martin (1960)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Rhyacionia adana has grayish palps and antennae. The lateral hairs on the basal third of the antennae of both sexes are very short, with the antennae appearing almost smooth. The head tuft is reddish, and the tegula has a reddish tinge. The basal half of the dorsal half of the forewing is striated with irregular light gray and dark-gray to grayish-brown crossbands, while the costal half is similar, but with the crossbanding extending to about two-thirds the length of the forewing. The remainder of the wing is washed with diffuse, reddish-yellow and reddish blotching, except for a red terminal band that commonly has an inward projection near the middle of the outer margin. The fringe is predominantly gray with a darker basal band, while the hindwing is light gray with a fringe that is similar to that of the forewing.

Rhyacionia adana is most easily confused with R. granti, but in the latter the length of the lateral hairs on the basal third of the antenna of males greatly exceeds the length of the antennal segments (versus being very short in R. adana). These two species sort out geographically in North Carolina, with R. granti restricted to the Blue Ridge and R. adana known only from a single site in the eastern Piedmont as of 2024. Rhyacionia adana might also be confused with R. busckana, but the latter has relatively long lateral hairs that project from the antennal shafts of males and a gray head tuft. The grayish crossbands also extends about the same distance rearward on both the costal and dorsal halves of the forewing, versus extending farther out into the wing on the costal half than on dorsal half of forewing.
Wingspan: 15-17 mm (Martin, 1960).
Forewing Length: 6.5-9.0 mm for males and 5.5-8.5 mm for females (Powell and Miller, 1978).
Adult Structural Features: Powell and Miller (1978) have descriptions and illustrations of the genitalia. They note that for males the valva is moderately constricted
preceding the cucullus, the aedeagus is gradually attentuated and curved, and the vesica has from two to four spines.
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The following life history account is based on observations made by Martin (1960) in Ontario where the larvae feed on Jack Pine, Red Pine and Scots Pine, and typically on plants that are < 1 m high in nurseries, plantations, and natural stands. Overwintering occurs as pupae in cocoons that are constructed at the root base and just below the soil level. With the spring warm-up, the pupae break through the cocoons and wiggle to the ground surface where the adults emerge and crawl up the young pines. Copulation and oviposition is restricted to warm days when temperatures exceed 15.5°C (60°F), and mostly during the day. When the temperature falls, the moths drop to the ground and remain there in torpor until it rises to 15.5°C or above.

Mated females typically lay a single egg (occasionally up to four eggs) on the inner side of a needle just above the needle fascicle, then quickly move to new fascicles and repeat the process -- either on the same plant or after flying to nearby plants. The hatchlings emerge in about three weeks and each spins a thin, silken case between two needles just above the fascicle while boring into the needle. The larvae then mine the needle towards the tip, and usually on only one side of the needle. The first two instars mine the needle for about 12-13 mm, then exit either through the entrance hole or a newly constructed exit hole. They then move to newly emerging shoots where they feed within the fascicles on developing pine needles that are just beginning to emerge from the fascicle, and on the new green bark in the immediate vicinity of the fascicle. If several larvae are present on a shoot, the external feeding is followed by tunnelling in the shoot until it is completely riddled with bore holes. Just before leaving the shoots, the larvae move to the tips and destroy the new buds that have developed for the following year. The infested shoots eventually die and turn brown and brittle.

When the last-instar larvae have ceased feeding (typically around the end of June in Ontario), they crawl down the shoots, enter the soil, and spin white cocoons just beneath the surface on the root collar. To do this a larva first chews a hole in the bark of the tree, then spins a cocoon using pitch that flows from the hole, a blood-red secretion from its mouth and silk. The mixture solidifies to form a dry, hard case that is cemented to the stem and coated with soil particles on the outside. Pupation occurs before the arrival of winter weather and the adults emerge the following spring. Martin (1960) reported that the mature larva can reach 7.5 mm in length. The head capsule is dark brown to black, the prothoracic shield is black, and the anal plate is dark brown. The remainder of the body is light yellowish-brown to reddish-brown. The crotchets are unevenly uniordinal, and there are 16 to 20 on the ventral and 11 to 13 on the anal prolegs.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Rhyacionia adana is mostly found in the northeastern and midwestern U.S. and adjoining areas in Ontario. In the U.S. the range extends from Massachusetts westward across the Great Lakes region to Michigan and Wisconsin, and southward to northern Virginia (Powell and Miller, 1978). Apparent disjuncts are present in central Mississippi and northwestern Louisiana (iNaturalist). As of 2024, we have a single known population in Orange County in the eastern Piedmont that was recently documented by John Petranka. This population appears to be a disjunct population from the main range farther north.
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 documented from mid-January through May in different areas of the range, with northern population not becoming active until after the spring thaw. As of 2024, our limited records range from mid-January to mid-February. Most local populations throughout the range appear to be univoltine.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: The larvae in northern populations appear to prefer pine seedlings and samplings that are found either in nursery settings or even-age stands. Our one site record is from a residential neighborhood with a mixture of hardwoods and pines.
Larval Host Plants: Martin (1960) reported that the larvae in Ontario feed on Jack Pine (P. banksiana), Red Pine (Pinus resinosa) and Scots Pine (P. sylvestris), and typically on plants that are less one meter in height in nurseries, plantations, and natural stands. At our one known site where the species occurs in North Carolina (as of 2024), the only species that could serve as hosts are Loblolly Pine (P. taeda) and Virginia Pine (P. virginiana). - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR[S1S2]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: As of 2024, this species is currently only known from a single residential site in Orange County, where it appears to be part of a southern disjunct population from the main range farther north.

 Photo Gallery for Rhyacionia adana - Adana Pine Tip Moth

Photos: 7

Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-02-16
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-02-10
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-02-15
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-02-14
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-01-31
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-01-19
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-01-19
Orange Co.
Comment: