Moths of North Carolina
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6 NC Records

Acleris albicomana (Clemens, 1865) - Red-edged Acleris Moth

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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: TortricinaeTribe: TortriciniP3 Number: 620002.00 MONA Number: 3502.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Acleris albicomana is a distinctively marked Acleris that has a series of four broad bands on the forewing, with the first two forming an oval-shaped mark on the basal half of the wing when individuals are at rest. The palps, head and thorax are typically lemon-yellow, with the latter having two small reddish-orangish to light reddish-brown spots at the distal tip. The ground color of the forewing is similar to that of the head and thorax, but often slightly darker. The forewing has four, irregular, wide bands that vary from reddish-orangish to light reddish-brown. These include a basal band that is curved inward and extends from the inner margin to the costa, and three outwardly curved bands that extend from the inner margin to the costa, with the first two the broadest. The first outwardly curved band runs from a third of the way out on the costa to just before the middle of inner margin, while the second extends from two-thirds of the way out on the costa to four-fifths of the way out on the inner margin. Both of these tend to break into reddish-orange reticulations below the costa (Forbes, 1923). The last is a narrower subterminal band that curves from the costa at about four-fifths the wing length and terminates just below the anal angle. The fringe is concolorous with the forewing ground, and the hindwing varies from white to yellowish. Color morphs are occasionally seen that have an overall dark orange or orangish-brown ground color on the forewing rather than the more typical lemon-yellow color.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Powell and Opler (2009) report that the larvae in California roll new spring leaves of various roses, including garden varieties. In the East, this species is a leaftier of members of the red oak group and has caused significant local and regional defoliation of oak forests in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia during outbreaks (Pierce, 1968). The defoliation events often occur in association with outbreaks of the Fall Cankerworm.

In the eastern U.S., A. albicomana overwinters in the egg stage, with the hatchlings that feed on oaks first appearing from mid-April to early May just before bud-break. The young larvae either bore into the buds or feed on very young developing leaves, while the older larvae tie down a folded-over portion of a leaf and feed on it. As the larvae near maturity they may tie the apical portion of two or more leaves together and feed on them (Anonymous, 1989). After they cease feeding, the mature larvae drop to the ground on silken threads and pupate in the leaf litter. The adults emerge after a week or two (typically in June or early July) and the mated females immediately begin laying eggs individually on small twigs, and generally around nodes or leaf scars. The eggs remain dormant for many months, with the hatchlings emerging the following spring.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Acleris albicomana is widely distributed across southern Canada and the United States. Specimens have been found in Canada in British Columbia, and from Ontario eastward to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. In the U.S. the range extends from Maine westward through the northern tier of states to Washington and Oregon, then southward to central California. From there it extends eastward through Arizona, New Mexico and Missouri to eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. As of 2024, all of our records are from the Blue Ridge at middle to higher elevations.
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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Flight Comments: The adults have been found from April through September in different areas of the range, with a seasonal peak from May through August. Populations in North Carolina and elsewhere are univoltine. As of 2024, our records are from early-June through early-July.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: In the eastern U.S. this species is generally associated with hardwood forests. As of 2024, all of our records are from hardwood forests or in close proximity to hardwood forests, including in areas with fens and heath thickets.
Larval Host Plants: The larvae appear to be polyphagous (Kearfott, 1907b; Godfrey et al., 1987; Anonymous, 1989; Brown et al., 2008; Robinson et al., 2010), with oaks probably being the primary hosts in the eastern U.S. The reported hosts include Eastern Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), huckleberries (Gaylussacia), Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea), Northern Red Oak (Q. rubra), blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) and roses, including California Wild Rose (Rosa californica), Baldhip Rose (R. gymnocarpa) and various ornamental roses. As of 2024, we do not have any host records for North Carolina. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights and the larvae can be found in leaf ties on oaks.
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 wide-ranging species appears to be rare in North Carolina, with our only recent records all from Ashe County.