Moths of North Carolina

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Strepsicrates smithiana (Walsingham, 1891) - Bayberry Leaftier Moth

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Tortricoidea

Family:
Tortricidae

Subfamily:
Olethreutinae

Tribe:
Eucosmini

P3 Number:
51a0737

MONA Number:
2907.00

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

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

Technical Description, Adults: Forbes (1923)

Technical Description, Immature Stages: McCay (1959)

Adult Markings: The following description is based in part of those by Walsingham (1891) and Forbes (1923). The antenna, palps, head, and thorax vary from cinereus to grayish brown. The thorax is smooth and the head has a set of short, raised scales above the eyes. The palp is scaled and has a prominent, short, porrect third joint. The forewing has a rounded outer margin and is variable in shading. The general tendency is for the costal two-thirds to be a shade of brown or cinereus-brown and the dorsal third a paler gray. The boundary with the gray region is wavy and more or less defined with black. The dorsal gray band is relatively narrow on the basal half, then constricts at about one-half and abruptly widens. The gray band often contrasts sharply with the blackish border, especially in the males. A heavy scale-tuft is present in the fold at one-third the way out. The cilia are brownish and the hindwing is mouse gray.

Wingspan: 12-15 mm (Heinrich, 1923)

Adult Structural Features: The antenna of the male has the basal segments of the shaft more or less fused and distorted, and the sixth to tenth joints form a notch that is partly covered by a scale tuft.

Structural photos

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].

Immatures and Development: The larvae are leaf-tiers that bind the terminal leaves of the host plant together and skeletonize them from the inside. The older instars vary from being tan to dirty green and have three darker dorsal bands and a yellowish green to light-brown head capsule. McCay (1959) has a detailed description of the larvae.

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Strepsicrates smithiana is a wide-ranging species that is primarily associated with Coastal Plain habitats in the US and other inland areas where the host plants are present. The range extends from Maine southward to southern Florida, and westward along the Gulf States to eastern Texas, then northward through the Mississippi Embayment to western Tennessee. Isolates have been found as far north as Indiana, and natural populations are also found on several Caribbean islands. This species has likely been introduced in several areas of South America, particularly where guavas are grown commercially. As of 2022, our records are all from the Coastal Plain and eastern and central 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) Click on graph to enlarge
Immature 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: Local populations typically have two or more broods per year depending on the latitude. As of 2022, our records extend from January through October in the Coastal Plain, and from April through June in the Piedmont.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Local populations in eastern North America are largely associated with bayberries and waxmyrtles. In North Carolina, this species is strongly dependent on these species. They most commonly are found in or near brackish and freshwater coastal wetlands, but also occur in more mesic settings in pine forests.

Larval Host Plants: The larvae feed on Morella species (Brown et al., 2008; Heinrich, 1923), including Southern Bayberry (M. carolinensis), Common Waxmyrtle (M. cerifera), and Northern Bayberry (M. pensylvanica). In Florida and the Caribbean other taxa with subtropical affinities are often used, including Spanish Stopper (Eugenia foetida), Common Guava (Psidium guajava) and Strawberry Guava (P. littorale) that are all members of the Myrtaceae (Heppner, 2003). - View

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for Myricaceous Thickets

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S3S4

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

Comments:

Photo Gallery for Strepsicrates smithiana - Bayberry Leaftier Moth

76 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-10-10 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-07 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-08-28 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-22 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-08 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-08 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-06-02 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-15 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, John Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-09 Cumberland Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, John Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-09 Cumberland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George on 2025-04-04 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-27 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-27 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2025-03-13 Onslow Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-12-28 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Tracy Feldman, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Patrick Coin, Becky Watkins on 2024-06-08 Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George on 2024-06-07 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-27 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-27 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-26 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-26 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-05-09 Pender Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-05-09 Pender Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-05-08 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-17 New Hanover Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-16 New Hanover Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-16 New Hanover Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-01-27 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-17 New Hanover Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2023-05-21 New Hanover Co. Comment: