Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Tortricidae Members:	Crocidosema Members:	6 NC Records

Crocidosema unica (Heinrich, 1923) - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Tortricoidea

Family:
Tortricidae

Subfamily:
Olethreutinae

Tribe:
Eucosmini

P3 Number:
51a1186.3

MONA Number:
3330.00

Other Common Name:
Climbing Cherry Cutworm

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

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

Adult Markings: This is a distinct marked eucosmine moth that has a group of widely spaced black spots on the thorax and base of the forewing. The following description is primarily based on that of Heinrich (1923). The head and the ground color of the forewing and thorax are concolorous and vary from whitish-brown to pale tannish-brown. The antenna is also pale tannish-brown but with a black second joint. The palps are pale brown with darker dusting laterally and towards the tip, and the upper edge of the second joint has two distinct black spots. The thorax and base of the forewing has a series of widely spaced black dots that produce a bold, peppered effect. The forewing has a more-or-less rectangular grayish fuscous patch along the inner margin at about one-third that extends inwards to about one-third of the wing depth. A dark pre-tornal patch is present along the inner margin, and is followed by an ocelloid patch that is off-whitish with a few faint black spots. The region surrounding the ocelloid patch is pale brown. The costa has fine black streaks from the base to the middle, along with interspersed black streaks and whitish strigulae on the apical half -- with the white mark near the apex most prominent. The apex has a dark eyespot, and there are two or three long orangish-brown streaks that run from the apical third of the costa towards the eyespot and termen. The fringe is whitish gray and dusted with black, and the hindwing is smoky fuscous with a paler fringe that has a dark basal band.

Wingspan: 13-13.5 mm (Heinrich, 1923)

Adult Structural Features: Heinrich (1923) and Tyler and Sabourin (2019) have illustrations of the male and female genitalia (also, see below), and note that the male is distinctive in having a medial dentate spur along the costal margin of the valva. In the female, the ovipositor lobes are flat, narrow, and sub-reniform in shape. The seventh sternite is dome-shaped and has a circular ostium medially along the posterior margin, and a pair of diagnostic lateral dentate spurs along the anterior margin. The ductus bursae is moderate in length, similar in size to the corpus bursae, and has short sclerotized patches posteriorly (antrum) and medially (colliculum). The ductus bursae widens anteriorly and coalesces with the pyriform shaped corpus bursae, while the corpus bursae has a pair of horn-shaped signa that are about equal in size.

Genitalia and other structural photos

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: The range encompasses much of the southeastern US and Puerto Rico. In the Southeast, specimens have been documented from North Carolina southward to southern Florida, and westward to eastern Texas, eastern Oklahoma, and western Kentucky. As of 2022, our limited records are all from the Coastal Plain and 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: Some local populations may be bivoltine based on phenology distributions (Tyler and Sabourin, 2019). The adults have been observed during most months of the year, but most fly from June through August in areas outside of Florida. As of 2022, our records are from mid-May through late-June.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: This species is typically found in sunny or partially sunny habitats that support the host plant, Spurred Butterfly-Pea. Examples include pine savannas, woodland borders, and old fields.

Larval Host Plants: Spurred Butterfly-Pea (Centrosema virginianum) and Maryland Butterfly-pea (Clitoria mariana) are the only documented hosts as of 2025 (Heinrich, 1923; Brown et al., 2008). John Petranka found larvae and successfully reared an adult from the latter from Orange County in 2025, which is a new host record. - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.

Wikipedia

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [S2-S3]

State Protection:

Comments: This species appear to reach its northern limit along the Atlantic Seaboard in North Carolina where is appears to be uncommon in the state.

Photo Gallery for Crocidosema unica - None

Photos: 6

	Recorded by: John Petranka on 2025-08-14 Orange Co. Comment: Reared from a larva feeding on Clitoria mariana leaves in a leaf fold. Larva collected July 19, 2025; adult emerged August 14, 2925; verified by dissection (female).		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2025-08-14 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: John Petranka on 2025-08-14 Orange Co. Comment: Reared from a larva feeding on Clitoria mariana leaves in a leaf fold. Larva collected July 19, 2025; adult emerged August 14, 2925; verified by dissection (female).		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-17 New Hanover Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-17 New Hanover Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Julie Tuttle on 2018-05-15 Chatham Co. Comment: