Moths of North Carolina
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22 NC Records

Epiblema abruptana (Walsingham, 1879) - Abrupt Epiblema

Epiblema abruptanaEpiblema abruptanaEpiblema abruptana
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: OlethreutinaeTribe: EucosminiP3 Number: 51a1103.8 MONA Number: 3173.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Wright and Gilligan, 2023).                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following is based in part on the descriptions by Walsingham (1879) and Wright and Gilligan (2023). The head is ocherous (brownish-yellow to yellowish-orange) and is often thickly tufted above. The palps are ocherous and tipped with dark brown or black, but are short and blunt with the dark apical joint scarcely exposed and often not visible from above, or only weakly so. The antenna is brown with a faint black spot at the base. The forewing is variable in coloration and patterning, but is generally grayish-brown with variably expressed orangish-brown blotches and black markings. The fasciated markings are also variable in their expression. The basal fascia is represented as a thin obscure line from the inner margin to about two-thirds inward. An orangish-brown, quadrate, sub-basal fascia is often evident that is variably accentuated with black, especially on the lateral margins. A fragmented median fascia may also be present that is comprised of a narrow mid-costal bar. A vaguely defined discal mark and a weakly defined pretornal mark are also often evident. There usually is a prominent but somewhat diffuse post-median fascia in front of the ocellus. The interfacial spot is usually somewhat paler than the prevailing ground color and is frequently suffused with orange, but may be concolorous with the surrounding ground. The ocellus has a whitish central field with varying amounts of light ocherous or dull orangish shading that tends to give it a dull white appearance. It has a diffuse dark brown to blackish dot or short dash in the middle. The white costal strigulae are usually well expressed, with the last two enlarged to form a white, triangular mark that is bisected with a dark line. The grayish striae in the subcostal area near the apex often have orangish-brown lines between them, while the hindwing and cilia are dull brown.

Epiblema abruptana is similar to E. strenuana, but the latter lacks palps with dark tips, and the white, paired, costal strigulae on the distal one-half of the forewing are poorly developed. The overall coloration of E. strenuana tends to be uniformly brown versus a more mottled appearance with orangish-brown blotches and black markings on E. abruptana. Epiblema abruptana is also similar to Eucosma aquilana in having a palp with a dark tip, but the former has a relatively short palp, with the black tip often not visible from above or only weakly so. In addition, the forewing of Eucosma aquilana is mostly uniformly brown with the fasciate markings and interfascial spot barely discernible. For many specimens the genitalia may need to be examined.
Forewing Length: 5.2-8.8 mm; mean = 6.4 mm (Wright and Gilligan, 2023).
Adult Structural Features: Wright and Gilligan (2023) have descriptions and illustrations of the genitalia.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Immatures and Development: The larval life history is undcumented. The larvae presumably bore in the stems or roots of composites as documented for other members of this genus.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Epiblema abruptana is primarily confined to the midwestern and eastern U.S from New Jersey and Pennsylvania westward to Wisconsin, Iowa, and Nebraska, and southward to Texas, the Gulf Coast states, and southern Florida. There is one record from Alberta, and others from Maine that have not been verified (Wright and Gilligan, 2023). As of 2024, all of our records are from the eastern Piedmont and Coastal Plain.
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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