Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Tortricidae Members:	Ancylis Members:	48 NC Records

Ancylis platanana (Clemens, 1860) - Sycamore Leaffolder Moth

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Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Tortricoidea

Family:
Tortricidae

Subfamily:
Olethreutinae

Tribe:
Enarmoniini

P3 Number:
51a0658

MONA Number:
3370.00

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: Beadle and Leckie (2012)

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

Technical Description, Adults: Forbes (1923); Gilligan et al. (2008)

Technical Description, Immature Stages: Leininger et al. (1999)

Adult Markings: The following is based in part on the description by Forbes (1923). The ground color of the forewing and thorax is creamy white and is overlain with rusty ocher, particularly on the dorsal half of the wing. The base of the forewing is creamy white. From there, the creamy white coloration extends mostly onto the costal half of the wing to about one-half the wing length, where it meets a broad, rusty ocher band. The band originates on the costa and curves rearward before terminating just before the wing tip. At the base of the wing, the creamy white coloration on the dorsal half fades into rusty ocher at about one-fourth, where there is usually a well-developed, diffuse, rusty ocher patch. Ocher coloration continues to the wing tip where it is more concentrated on the dorsal two-thirds and as a darker spot at the apex. Between the median costal band and rusty ocher spot at the apex, there is a series of 5-6 light rusty ocher costal striae on a cream-white ground. These project rearward and tend to merge in the subapical region at about one-third the wing depth. Two or three heavy black dashes are often evident in the region adjoining where the costal striae merge.

Wingspan: 10 mm (Forbes, 1923)

Forewing Length: 5.0-7.5 mm (Gilligan et al., 2008)

Adult Structural Features: Gilligan et al. (2008) provide images of the male and female genitalia and note that the genitalia are essentially identical to members of the A. spireaeifoliana species group.

Genitalia and other structural photos

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

Immatures and Development: Leininger et al. (1999) reported that the adults emerge from March to May and deposit eggs singly on the undersides of American Sycamore leaves. The eggs hatch in 3 to 5 days, and the young larvae initially feed along the leaf midrib. Older larvae pull the leaf over into a fold and feed for about 6 weeks until they pupate beneath the webbing in the folded leaf. The pupal stage lasts 9 to 11 days, and there are three to four generations per year. Overwintering occurs as pre-pupae in fallen leaves. The larvae are slender and pale yellow with smooth bodies. When fully grown they are 9 to 11 mm long (Denmark, 1960).

Early instar larvae that Jim Petranka observed in the field in Madison County construct elongated, tube-like, shelters on the undersides of American Sycamore leaves. The shelters are composed of silk, with frass and debris attached to the silk. A shelter typically begins at the base of the leaf and may extend for several centimeters. Larvae remain in their shelters when not feeding, and leave the shelters to skeletonize nearby leaf tissue. The shelters are constructed beneath a network of loose webbing that causes the leaf to buckle and fold with time to form a tentiform structure. With time, a significant portion of the leaf may become completely folded, at which point the larva feeds away from the shelter.

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from close inspection of specimens or by DNA analysis.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Ancylis platanana is largely restricted to the eastern US where it can be found from southern Maine to northern Florida, and westward to central Texas, central Oklahoma, eastern Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois. There are a few records from extreme southern Ontario. This species occurs essentially statewide in North Carolina wherever the host plant is present. We have records from lower elevation sites in the Blue Ridge to floodplain forests in the 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) Click on graph to enlarge
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: Local populations can produce two or more overlapping broods per year depending on the latitude. The adults fly from April through September in most areas of the range. As of 2022, our records are from late April through early September.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: This species is strongly associated with riparian forests, including most types of Levee Forests and Alluvial Forests in the Piedmont and Mountains and Brownwater Levee Forests in the Coastal Plain. Our records include both reservoir shorelines and alluvial forests along Piedmont creeks.

Larval Host Plants: Ancylis platanana appears to be stenophagous on Platanus species (Brown et al., 2008). In North Carolina, this moth is probably monophagous on American Sycamore (P. occidentalis), which is our only native species in this genus. Robinson et al. (2010) reported at least one instance of the larvae feeding on an oak and a maple, but these may reflect misidentified specimens. Marquis et al. (2019) did not find any larvae feeding on oaks in their extensive survey of oak-feeding caterpillars in Missouri. - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights and the larvae can be found in leaf folds on sycamore leaves.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for Rich Wet Hardwood Forests

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [S3S5]

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands

Comments:

Photo Gallery for Ancylis platanana - Sycamore Leaffolder Moth

55 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

	Recorded by: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish on 2025-07-07 Caswell Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish on 2025-07-07 Caswell Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Kaitlyn Elliott on 2025-05-01 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-06-29 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-26 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-06-24 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-06-21 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-06-19 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Steve Hall, Patrick Coin, Mark Basinger on 2024-06-16 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-10 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-05 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-09-02 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-09-02 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-08-11 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-08-11 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-07-19 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-07-19 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-13 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-09 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-06 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-05-12 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-04-29 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-07-04 Guilford Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-07-04 Guilford Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-11 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-11 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, L.M. Carlson, Becky Watkins on 2022-05-02 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-04-23 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-04-23 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2021-08-09 Durham Co. Comment: