Moths of North Carolina
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9 NC Records

Dichrorampha leopardana (Busck, 1906) - No Common Name

Dichrorampha leopardanaDichrorampha leopardanaDichrorampha leopardanaDichrorampha leopardana
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: OlethreutinaeTribe: GrapholitiniP3 Number: 51a1284 MONA Number: 3414.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Busck (1906a)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This is a distinctively patterned Dichrorampha with bold leopard-like patterning on the forewings, which is the basis for the specific epithet. The following is based in part on the description by Busck (1906a). The head and thorax are bright orange to light yellowish brown with blackish barring, while the labial palp is light yellow, with the tip of the brush and apical joint black. The forewing ground is also bright orange to light yellowish brown and is overlain with a mixture of brownish-black to blackish blotches and streaks. These are best developed on the dorsal two-thirds of the wing and form a reticulated pattern. The costa has a series of dark bands on the basal half that are replaced by shorter streaks on the apical half, along with variably expressed whitish strigulae along the margin. The apical third has two leadened-gray striae that extend from the costa obliquely towards the termen. A weakly formed ocellus is present near the middle of the wing at around three-fourths that has two or three horizontal black dashes, and the termen has four black spots near the middle. The fringe on both the front and hindwing is brown with a pale line near the base, and the hindwing is dark brown.
Wingspan: 8.0-10.0 mm (Heinrich, 1926)
Forewing Length: 4.0-5.0 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 are leaf folders or leaf rollers that bind portions of a leaf together with silk, then skeletonize the tissues from within (BugGuide: John van der Linden; Heinrich, 1926). Pupation occurs within the rolled or folded leaves.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Dichrorampha leopardana is restricted to eastern North America and has been found from New Jersey and Pennsylvania westward through southern Ontario and the Great Lakes region to Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, and eastern Nebraska. The range extends southward to southern Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, northern Virginia and western North Carolina. As of 2022, we have records from three counties in the Blue Ridge that may represent a southern isolate that is disjunct from the main group farther north.
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: The adults fly from May through September in different areas of the range. As of 2022, we have records that extend from mid-May to early September.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Local populations are often found in deciduous forests, forest edges, and fields that support the host plants. We have records from mesic forests and a high-elevation grassy bald.
Larval Host Plants: The known larval hosts include White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) and a crownbeard (Verbesina sp.; Godfrey et al., 1987; Heinrich, 1926). - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights and the leaf folds can be found on the host plants.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [S2-S3]
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 the southern limit of its range in western North Carolina and is generally uncommon within the state.

 Photo Gallery for Dichrorampha leopardana - No common name

Photos: 8

Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-27
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-27
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-25
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-25
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-23
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-23
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-23
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Merrill Lynch on 2015-07-02
Watauga Co.
Comment: