Moths of North Carolina
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9 NC Records

Ancylis discigerana (Walker, 1863) - Yellow Birch Leaffolder Moth


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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: OlethreutinaeTribe: EnarmoniiniP3 Number: 620646.00 MONA Number: 3358.00
Comments: The genus Ancylis contains around 130 described species that occur worldwide. The exact number of species in North America is uncertain due to several unresolved species complexes, but is around 35 species.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: In this species the antenna and head tuft are dark brown, while the palps and face are contrastingly white. The thorax is often pale to whitish anteriorly and fades to brownish black posteriorly, with the dark posterior portion concolorous with a large patch on the inner margin. The forewing ground is white and overlain with a prominent dark patch along the inner margin that covers much of the dorsal half of the wing. The patch has a smooth margin and widens distally, then narrows and terminates at about the middle of the wing to produce a pearl shape when a resting individual is viewed from above. A much smaller, irregular, subtornal patch is often present along the inner margin. The second most prominent mark is a wide, outwardly oblique, dark band that extends from near the middle of the costa inwardly. It terminates near the middle of the wing where it often merges with a small, adjoining concolorous patch. Just beyond this are two black horizontal dashes that are followed by a patch of leaden-gray scales that occur just before the orangish-brown subterminal region. The costal has a series of three or four brownish streaks on the apical half, along with a larger concolorous mark at the apex. The fringe is whitish with a broad zone of darker shading on the outer portion and is cut with two white streaks near the apex. The hindwing is light to medium brown with a slightly lighter fringe.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Much of our knowledge about the larval ecology is based on Claflin and Allen's (1981) studies of populations in New York, and the following summary is based on their work. Populations are univoltine and mostly use Yellow Birch as a host. In New York, the adults emerge in June and deposit eggs singly on the upper surfaces of leaves. The first two instars live beneath a sheet of silk that is constructed between two lateral veins and skeletonize the lower surface of the leaf. The third instar moves to the upper surface of a new leaf and folds it lengthwise using silk strands. The larvae feed within the leaf fold until mature, undergo an additional molt, then pupate within the fold. Pupae overwinter in the folded leaves that drop from the tree, and the adults emerge following the spring warm-up. The final instar larvae are about 8-10 mm long and have a yellowish green thorax and abdomen. The head capsule is dark brown, while the prothoracic shield varies from entirely dark brown, to light brown in the mid-dorsal area with dark brown lateral and posterior margins. The anal shield has a shallow U-shaped mark of chestnut brown, and the thoracic legs vary from light to dark brown.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Pohl et al. (2018) list this species as occurring from British Columbia to Nova Scotia in Canada. In the US the range extends from Maine westward to Minnesota and Iowa, southward through the Appalachian region to eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. The status of populations in California is uncertain. As of 2022, all of our records are from middle to high-elevation sites in the Blue Ridge.
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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Immature 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: The adults have been observed from May through October in different areas of the range, with the seasonal peak in most areas in June and July. As of 2022, our records are from late May through early July.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: All of 2022, almost all of our records come from high elevation forests where Yellow Birch is present.
Larval Host Plants: The larval host plants include Yellow Birch (Betula lenta), Paper Birch (B. papyrifera), and Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) (MacKay, 1959; Prentice, 1966; Brown et al., 2008; Lam et al., 2011). Robinson et al. (2010) also list Common Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) and a clover (Trifolium) as hosts. The latter is presumably erroneous and reflect misidentified larvae or adults. BugGuide has a rearing record for Common Ninebark, but the larva that is shown more closely resembles that of A. spireaeifoliana. Yellow Birch is the only documented host species in North Carolina. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights and the leaf folds with larvae can be found on Yellow Birch during the summer months at higher elevation sites.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Montane Mesic Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S2S4
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This species is at the southern limit of its range in western North Carolina, but can be locally common at higher elevation sites.

 Photo Gallery for Ancylis discigerana - Yellow Birch Leaffolder Moth

Photos: 8

Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-03-26
Yancey Co.
Comment: One of two reared adults from Yellow Birch leaf folds (see companion photos from 2021-08-30).		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-03-26
Yancey Co.
Comment: One of two reared adults from Yellow Birch leaf folds (see companion photos from 2021-08-30).
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-08-30
Yancey Co.
Comment: A larva from a leaf fold on Yellow birch. Leaf folds were common at this site and two adults emerged on March 26, 2022 after overwintering in the refrigerator. 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-08-30
Yancey Co.
Comment: A leaf fold on Yellow Birch. Two adults emerged on March 26, 2022 after overwintering in the refrigerator.
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2020-06-15
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2020-06-15
Yancey Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Kyle Kittelberger, Paul Scharf, Brian Bockhahn on 2015-06-18
Avery Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Kyle Kittelberger, Paul Scharf, Brian Bockhahn on 2015-06-18
Avery Co.
Comment: