Moths of North Carolina
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Rhyacionia Members:
34 NC Records

Rhyacionia frustrana (Comstock, 1880) - Nantucket Pine Tip Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: OlethreutinaeTribe: EucosminiP3 Number: 620710.00 MONA Number: 2882.00
Comments: The genus Rhyacionia is widespread in the Holarctic Region, ranging from Japan and Asia to the Caribbean Antilles and Mexico (Powell and Miller, 1978). There are 33 described species worldwide and 24 in North America. The larvae feed on the needles, buds, and growing tips of pines.
Species Status: Rhyacionia frustrana is a common pest of pine plantations throughout the eastern United States where is causes damage to developing buds and shoots. Larval feeding can cause shoot mortality and tree deformity.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: (Powell and Miller, 1978)Technical Description, Immature Stages: (Asaro et al., 2003)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following description is based in part on that of Powell and Miller (1978). The palps, front of the head, and crown are light frosted gray, while the dorsum of the thorax is similar but sometimes slightly darker. The basal one-fourth of the forewing is mottled with shades of gray and form a faint basal patch. The relatively dark basal patch is bordered by a lighter gray to pale cross-band that is less than one-half the width of the basal patch. The basal patch and cross-band are often separated by a narrow reddish or reddish brown fascia. A large reddish costal blotch typically borders the gray cross-band posteriorly and extends inward to around two-thirds. It sometimes continues to the inner margin to form a complete reddish cross-band. Between this and the apex there are a variable number of smaller blotches or irregular orange to rust bands that either partly or entirely cross the wing. The apex is often heavily dusted with reddish scales. The fringe is dark gray, and often has a black line extending around the termen. The hindwing is pale grayish brown with a paler fringe. The abdomen is shining light gray above, and the legs are gray with paler bands exteriorly.

Powell and Miller (1978) noted that Rhyacionia aktita is externally similar to R. frustrana and is best identified by genitalia. In North Carolina, R. aktita appears to be restricted to sites close to the coast and typically flies during the late-winter and early spring months. In contrast, R. frustrana is well-represented in the Piedmont and has a much longer flight period from late winter through early September. Both species can co-occur locally along the coast, and forewing length is helpful in sorting the two species out locally, with R. aktita averaging around 7 mm versus only 5 mm for R. frustrana. Genitalia may be required to separate the two at coastal locales for specimens with intermediate wing lengths, particularly when specimens are collected during the winter and spring months.
Forewing Length: 4.0 to 7.0 mm for males; 4.0 to 7.5 mm for females (Powell and Miller, 1978)
Adult Structural Features: Powell and Miller (1978) provide descriptions and illustrations of the male and female genitalia, which are distinctive.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Immatures and Development: The larvae feed on a variety of pines. Females lay eggs singly on needles and the first-instar larvae mine the needles. Second and third instars feed within needle or bud axils where they construct a silken tent that becomes covered in resin. The fourth and fifth instars feed within the buds and shoots, which causes the shoot to die (Asaro et al., 2003). The later instars are yellow to orange, and the mature larvae are 9-10 mm long. Pupation occurs within the dead shoots, where there can be as many as 17 pupae in a single shoot (typically less that five). Local populations have 2-6 broods per year depending on the latitude and elevation, and the pupae of the last generation overwinter in the dead shoots.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Rhyacionia frustrana is found in eastern North America, central America, and the Caribbean. In the US it occurs from Massachusetts south to Florida, and westward to Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas (Asaro et al., 2003; Powell and Miller, 1978). An introduced population is also in southern California. As of 2021, all of our records are from the Coastal Plain and eastern Piedmont.
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)

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