Moths of North Carolina
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10 NC Records

Acleris curvalana (Kearfott, 1907) - Blueberry Leaftier Moth


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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: TortricinaeTribe: TortriciniP3 Number: 620004.00 MONA Number: 3504.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984; as Croesia curvalana)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Immature Stages: Ponder and Seabrooke (1988)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: As with many Acleris species, the adult patterning is variable. In the most common form the palps and head are lemon-yellow, while the thorax is concolorous, but often with variable amounts of brownish-orange scaling. The forewing is predominantly reddish-brown except for a yellowish region on the basal third of the wing that is mostly restricted to the dorsal half, a band of yellowish coloration on the subterminal area that widens towards the apex, and a raised, yellow discal spot near the center of the wing at around two-thirds the wing length. Many specimens also have a narrow line of yellow along most or all of the costa. The subterminal area has a wide, dark reddish-brown band that curves from the anal angle to the outer third of the costa where is joins a similarly colored wide longitudinal band that runs along the costa to the wing base. Collectively, they produce a horse-shoe shaped mark when a resting adult is viewed from above. Blackish, raised scale patches occur on the dorsal half of the wing at around one-third and one-half the wing length, and faint bands of lead-gray scales are sometimes evident on the basal and apical thirds of the wing. The fringe is yellowish and the hindwing is brown. Specimens are occasionally found that deviate substantially from the general description above, including ones with forewings that are nearly uniformly reddish-brown and others that are predominantly yellow, with two curved reddish-brown bands at around one-third the wing length and in the subterminal region.
Wingspan: 14-16 mm
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Ponder and Seabrooke (1988) studied this species both in the laboratory and in natural habitats in Newfoundland where blueberries are common. Overwintering occurred in the egg stage and a prolonged freezing treatment was required to trigger the embryos to complete development and hatch. The larvae passed through four instars before pupating, with most instars having a cream-colored body with a dark thoracic shield and black head. The last instar had a yellowish body and a cinnamon-brown head. The thoracic shield was cinnamon-brown medially and shaded to dark-brown laterally. Females in the field laid their eggs singly on dried leaf litter under blueberry plants rather than on live leaves or stems. The embryos completed development in the spring and the hatchlings that emerged burrowed into the closed flower buds of blueberries during the last two weeks of April, leaving a hole with an accumulation of yellow frass. The young larvae subsequently fed on swelling leaf buds. The later instars shifted to feeding on terminal leaf growth that was webbed together and eaten, as well as larger leaves that were folded or webbed together to form shelters. The older larvae appeared to periodically abandon shelters and form new ones based on the increased numbers of abandoned shelters during late-instars. Pupation mostly occurred within the shelters in June, with the males emerging before the females during the first week of July. Females emitted pheromones that mostly attracted males between 2200 and 2400 h.

Gillespie (1981) observed the larvae feeding in both the flower clusters and in leaf rolls of commercial blueberries in British Columbia. Pupae were found in June and the adults were found from late-June through July. Captive females laid eggs singly and he surmised that overwintering occurred during the egg stage, as verified later by Ponder and Seabrooke (1988). This species appears to be univoltine throughout its range.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Acleris curvalana is found in North America as two disjunct groups, with one in the eastern U.S. and adjoining areas of southern Canada, and the second in the Pacific Northwest and adjoining areas of southwestern Canada and southern Alaska. In the East, this species occurs in Canada from western Ontario eastward to Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland, while in the U.S. in occurs from Maine southward to Florida and westward to Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota. As of 2024, all of our records are from either middle to higher elevation sites in the Blue Ridge or from coastal communities.
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: The adults fly from March through August in different areas of the range, with the peak seasonal flight typically in June and July. Populations in North Carolina are univoltine. As of 2024, our records are from early to mid May along the coast and from early-June through late-July in the mountains.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: As of 2024, our records are from heath thickets with blueberries and huckleberries, either in coastal communities or at mid- to higher elevations in the mountains.
Larval Host Plants: The larvae feed primarily on blueberries and huckleberries, including cultivated varieties of Vaccinium, of which it is considered a major pest (Gillespie, 1981; Ponder and Seabrooke, 1988). In addition to heaths, the larvae have also been reported to feed on oaks and roses (Kearfott, 1907a; Brown et al., 2008), but this needs additional verification. The reported hosts include Black Huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata), Lowbush Blueberry (V. angustifolium), High Bush Blueberry (V. corymbosum), Hillside Blueberry (V. pallidum) as well as cultivated varieties of Vaccinium. In North Carolina, our only rearing record as of 2024 was from a Vaccinium at a high-elevation site in the Blue Ridge (jim Petranka, pers. obs.). - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights and the tied terminal leaves can be found on blueberries.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Wet-Dry Heath Thickets
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 appears to be uncommon in the state, with specimens coming from both coastal and mountain communities with blueberries and huckleberries.

 Photo Gallery for Acleris curvalana - Blueberry Leaftier Moth

Photos: 10

Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-06-21
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-06-21
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-28
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-28
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-06-18
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-06-06
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-06-03
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-06-20
Haywood Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-06-20
Haywood Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-06-02
Haywood Co.
Comment: A shoot of Vaccinium with the leaves tied; larva was raised and identified as A. curvalana (see companion photos from 20 June, 2020.