Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFTortricidae Members: Epinotia Members: 11 NC Records

Epinotia medioviridana (Kearfott, 1908) - Raspberry Leaf-roller Moth

Epinotia medioviridanaEpinotia medioviridanaEpinotia medioviridanaEpinotia medioviridana
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Tortricoidea		 Family:
Tortricidae		Subfamily:
Olethreutinae		Tribe:
Eucosmini		P3 Number:
51a1199		 MONA Number:
3286.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Kearfott (1908a)Technical Description, Immature Stages: MacKay (1959)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This is a distinctive species with a forewing that has a relatively dark basal patch and a broad greenish median band that fades into greenish-gray mottling on the apical third. The following detailed description is based in part on that of Kearfott (1908a) who examined specimens from southern Canada and Pennsylvania. The head, palp, antenna and thorax are light mouse-gray. The forewing has a pale, apple-green, median band with darker sparse speckling that fades to darker greenish-gray shades on the apical third of the wing. A narrow blackish line separates the median band from the darker basal third that has a mixture of green and brown patches. A second, shorter black line occurs basal to the first that extends from the costal to the fold. The cilia are dark gray and the hindwing brownish gray.
Wingspan: 16-17 mm (Kearfott, 1908).
Forewing Length: 6.5-8.0 mm (Gilligan et al., 2008).
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: The larvae feed on the leaves of host plants within leaf shelters. MacKay (1959) reported that larvae that were feeding on Purple-flowering Raspberry folded a single leaf into a pouch and fed within the shelter. Two larvae that were collected on June 14 pupated on June 27, and the adults emerged on July 17 and July 20. A larva that was feeding on a Clematis tied several young, developing leaves together to form a shelter and fed on these (BugGuide). The final-instars are about 10-12 mm long, have an amber-colored to dark brown head, a dark-brown to blackish prothoracic shield, and a translucent body that is grayish-white to greenish-white (MacKay, 1959; BugGuide).
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Epinotia medioviridana is mostly restricted to eastern North America, with one isolated record from Alberta. In the East, it occurs in Ontario and Quebec, and in the US from the New England states westward across the Great Lakes region to Minnesota, and southwestward mostly through the Appalachian region to eastern Kentucky, eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. As of 2024, all of our records are from lower elevation sites in the Blue Ridge.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Epinotia medioviridanaAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Flight Comments: The adults have been documented from August through October in different areas of the range. As of 2024, all of our records are from mid-August to early-October.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Local populations are commonly found in woodland openings, along forest edges, and other semi-shaded and open habitats.
Larval Host Plants: The larval hosts are poorly documented. MacKay (1959) collected larvae from Purple-flowering Raspberry (Rubus odoratus), and there is one rearing record on BugGuide for larvae feeding on Virginia Virgin's-bower (Clematis virginiana). - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR[S2S3]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This species appears to reach its southern limits in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina and is uncommon in the state.

 Photo Gallery for Epinotia medioviridana - Raspberry Leaf-roller Moth

Photos: 5
Epinotia medioviridanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan and Becky Elkin on 2023-09-15
Macon Co.
Comment: 		Epinotia medioviridanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan and Becky Elkin on 2023-09-15
Macon Co.
Comment:
Epinotia medioviridanaRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2023-08-18
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Epinotia medioviridanaRecorded by: Stephen Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2021-09-14
Ashe Co.
Comment:
Epinotia medioviridanaRecorded by: J. Nelson on 2013-10-04
Ashe Co.
Comment: