Moths of North Carolina
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3 NC Records

Notocelia lobana Wright & Gilligan, 2023 - No Common Name

Taxonomy
Family: TortricidaeP3 Number: 621109.10 MONA Number: 3211.10
Comments: Wright and Gilligan (2023) recently split populations that were previously treated as a single, wide-ranging species known as N. culminana into two sibling species based primarily on differences in genitalia. These are N. culminana (sensu stricto) that is found in the northern U.S., southern Canada and the western U.S., and N. lobana which is a more southern form that in known from Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, western North Carolina, Ohio, and Washington DC.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Wright and Gilligan (2023).                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following description is based mostly from the description by Wright and Galligan (2023). In this species the head and palps are medium to dark brown, with the third segment of the palp often having a whitish tip. The frons is whitish and the vertex brown, while the antenna is brown with some black scaling on the pedicel and ventral surface of the scape. The thorax is tan, with two dark brown transverse bars. The ground color of the forewing is whitish and often overlain with faint grayish striations. Specimens usually show evidence of a faint, dark brown, fragmented band at one-fourth the wing length that contrast with the adjoining lighter ground that fills most of the remainder of the wing. The area between the band and wing base is coarsely mottled with varying levels of brown to grayish brown. Two other dark brown marks are present on the wing. The first is a small blotch at around three-fourth that is on the dorsal margin. The second is a rounded and often chevron-shaped mark that extends from the apex obliquely forward to just before the mid-wing, then backward where it meets the outer margin just above the anal angle. The cilia on the forewing are dark brown and concolorous with the chevron-shaped mark, while the hindwing is light-brown to grayish-brown. Wright and Gilligan (2023) noted that this species is very similar to N. culminana, but the latter typically has a much better developed sub-basal band that often extends across the entire wing.
Forewing Length: 7.2-8.7 mm; mean = 7.8 mm (Wright and Gilligan, 2023).
Adult Structural Features: Wright and Gilligan (2023) provide descriptions and illustrations of the male and female genitalia.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larval life history is undocumented.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Wright and Gilligan (2023) identified specimens from Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, western North Carolina, Ohio and Washington DC. INaturalist also has records from northern Alabama and Missouri. As of 2024, we have only three records, including two from lower-elevation sites in the Blue Ridge and one from the 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)

Click on graph to enlarge
Flight Comments: Wright and Gilligan (2023) identified specimens from throughout the range during the months of May, June, August and September. As of 2024, our very limited records are from early-August through mid-September.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: The preferred habitats are poorly documented. Two of records are from residential settings, while the third was from a more natural woodland setting.
Larval Host Plants: The host plants are undocumented. The closely related N. culminana is a leaftier that feeds of roses and apples, which suggest that N. lobana uses members of the Rosaceae as hosts.
Observation Methods: The adults occasionally visit lights. Host use in North Carolina is undocumented and in need of study.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR[S2S3]
State Protection:
Comments: This species appears to be rare in North Carolina where it is near the southern limit of its range in the eastern U.S. More information is needed on its host plants, distribution and abundance before we can accurately assess its conservation status within the state.

 Photo Gallery for Notocelia lobana - No common name

Photos: 4

Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2022-08-10
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2022-08-10
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Harry Wilson on 2012-09-19
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Harry Wilson on 2012-09-19
Wake Co.
Comment: