Moths of North Carolina
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62 NC Records

Strepsicrates smithiana (Walsingham, 1891) - Bayberry Leaftier Moth

Strepsicrates smithianaStrepsicrates smithianaStrepsicrates smithianaStrepsicrates smithiana
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, BOLDTechnical 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.
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.
Strepsicrates smithiana
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

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