Moths of North Carolina
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2 NC Records

Spilonota ocellana (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) - Eye-spotted Bud Moth

No image for this species.
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Tortricoidea		 Family:
Tortricidae		Subfamily:
Olethreutinae		Tribe:
Eucosmini		P3 Number:
51a0735		 MONA Number:
2906.00
Species Status: This European species was introduced to North America sometime prior to 1840, probably on apple nursery stock (Chapman and Lienk, 1971).
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1923)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Chapman and Lienk (1971)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This species has both a light and dark color morph, with the lighter one prevailing in most populations. The following description of the light morph is based in part on that of Forbes (1923). This form has a prominent, complete, dark-brown basal patch that occupies the basal third of the wing, and is often rounded and angled outward near the middle of the wing. The area between the basal patch and the terminal fourth of the wing is mostly a contrasting dirty white with varying levels of light brown dusting. The subterminal region is shaded with grayish-brown to dark-brown and is preceded by an ocellus with two or three black bars. A rather ill-defined, blackish, pretornal patch is present along the inner margin, with a well-marked gray shade between it and the three black bars. The fringe is grayish with a dark basal line, and the hindwing is brown with a lighter fringe that has a dark basal line. The dark morph is generally similar, but has the lighter regions of the wings replaced with brownish coloration.
Wingspan: 12-15 mm (Forbes, 1923)
Forewing Length: 5.5-7.0 for males and 6.0-7.5 for females (Chapman and Lienk, 1971).
Adult Structural Features: Gilligan et al. (2008) have illustrations of the male and female genitalia.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Most of our knowledge of the larval life history is based on studies in orchards. The following is based on studies by Chapman and Lienk (1971) in apple orchards in New York. Local populations there and elsewhere throughout the range are univoltine. The middle-instar larvae overwinter within a spun hibernaculum of silk and frass that is typically located on small-diameter wood of the host plant. The larvae become active again with the spring warm-up. They may first feed on leaf or blossom buds, but then form a tubular feeding chamber by folding or rolling a leaf, or binding two leaves together. The base of the leaf, or the stem of the shelter leaf, is usually partially severed, which causes the leaf to wilt and die. When feeding on fruit spurs, they may also bind the leaves and blossom buds together at their tips, which produces a loose nest of partially eaten and dead leaves. The larva eventually burrows into a shoot for 3-6 cm, which causes the tip to die. They may also feed on developing fruits that are bound to a leaf. When fully grown the larvae pupate either in their last feeding site or in a newly folded leaf in a pupation chamber that is lined with silk. The adults emerge in about two weeks. The spring larvae grow at markedly different rates so that adult emergence times may span a 4-6 week period. The newly emerged and mated females lay eggs singly on either leaf surface. The young larvae commonly feed on the undersides of leaves between a silk sheet, or beneath cover such a where a leaf rest next to a fruit. After reaching the third or fourth instar, the larvae seek out an overwintering site and spin a hibernaculum. The head, thoracic shield, legs and anal shield of the full-grown larvae are shiny dark brown, while the body is a lighter dull reddish brown (Chapman and Lienk, 1971).

Gillespie (1981) reported that the larvae were commonly observed feeding in flower and fruit clusters of commercial blueberries in British Columbia rather than in leaf rolls. They made loose nests inside the clusters by binding together bracts, bud scales, petals and frass with silk. Pupation occurred in late-June to early-July, and the adults emerge, mated and laid eggs singly in July and August. The larvae overwintered as early-instars.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Spilonota ocellana is associated with cooler climates and is broadly found across all the eastern US from Maine southward to Pennsylvania and westward to Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. It also occurs in the West in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and California. There is one isolated record from western Virginia that appears to be valid. This species is also found in southern Canada in British Columbia, and from Ontario eastward to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. As of 2024, we have only two historical records from the Piedmont that were reported by Bailey (1938). These need additional verification.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Spilonota ocellana
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 found from April through September in different areas of the range.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: This species inhabits a variety of habitats, including hardwood forests, mixed hardwood-conifer forests, wetland margins and semi-wooded residential neighborhoods.
Larval Host Plants: The larvae are polyphagous and mostly feed on hardwood trees and shrubs, included fruit trees and shrubs such as apples, pears and blueberries (Heinrich, 1923; Craighead et al., 1950; MacKay, 1959; Schaffner, 1959; Oatman et al., 1962; Prentice, 1966; Bradley et al., 1979; Gillespie, 1981; Park, 1983; Heppner, 2007; Gilligan & Epstein, 2014. The reported hosts include Green Alder (Alnus alnobetula), Gray Birch (Betula populifolia), Japanese Flowering-quince (Chaenomeles japonica), hazelnuts (Corylus), hawthorns (Crataegus), quince (Cydonia), American Beech (Fagus grandifolia), walnuts (Juglans), laurels (Kalmia), European Larch (Larix decidua), Common Apple (Malus domestica), Sweet-gale (Myrica gale), Fire Cherry (Prunus pensylvanica), Peach (P. persica), Japanese Flowering Cherry (P. serrulata), pyracantha (Pyracantha), Common Pear (Pyrus communis), oaks (Quercus), sumacs (Rhus), Carolina Rose (Rosa carolina), brambles (Rubus), European Gray Willow (S. cinerea) and other willows, American Mountain-ash (Sorbus americana), and commercial blueberries (Vaccinium). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [SH]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
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