Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFTortricidae Members: Acleris Members: 6 NC Records

Acleris macdunnoughi Obraztsov, 1963 - MacDunnough's Acleris

Acleris macdunnoughiAcleris macdunnoughiAcleris macdunnoughiAcleris macdunnoughi
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Tortricoidea		 Family:
Tortricidae		Subfamily:
Tortricinae		Tribe:
Tortricini		P3 Number:
51a0006		 MONA Number:
3506.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Obraztsov (1963).                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Acleris macdunnoughi has two common color morphs. The first has ashy-gray coloration on the palps, head, and thorax. The forewing ground is also ashy-gray, with the only obvious mark being a broad reddish-brown to dark brown costal triangle near the mid-wing. The triangle is truncated at the tip and terminates near the center of the wing where it adjoins a short, longitudinal dash of lighter brown or tannish scales. The only other marks are small patches of dark raised scales that are most evident below the inner margin at around one-fourth the wing length, and at the proximal tip of the longitudinal dash that adjoins the terminus of the costal triangle.

The second morph is less common and has an overall darker ground color of reddish-brown, with the costal triangle less well-defined and the thorax coppery-red. A broad whitish band with dark irregular striations runs from the costa at around one-fourth the wing length to the inner margin at around one-half the length. The band runs along the proximal side of the costal triangle and is often preceded by reticulated whitish patterning between the band and the wing base.
Forewing Length: 8-9 mm (Obraztsov, 1963).
Adult Structural Features: Obraztsov (1963) has descriptions and illustrations of the male and female genitalia.
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larval life history is undocumented.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Acleris macdunnoughi has northern affinities, with the range in the U.S. extending from Washington and Oregon eastward across the northern tier of states to Maine, then southwestward through the Appalachian region to western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. As of 2024 we have only a few records, and all are from middle to higher elevation sites in the Blue Ridge.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Acleris macdunnoughiAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Flight Comments: The adults have been found from April through November, with the peak seasonal flight typically from August through October. Our records as of 2024 are from mid-September through early October.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: This species appears to be associated with wet, sunny habitats and the edges of mesic forests. In North Carolina it appears to be restricted to middle and higher-elevational sites in the Blue Ridge.
Larval Host Plants: The hosts are poorly documented, with the reported hosts including a blackberry (Rubus sp.), Broadleaf Meadowsweet (Spiraea latifolia), a blueberry (Vaccinium) and a willow (Salix sp.) (McDunnough, 1934; Ferguson, 1975; Brown et al., 2008; Robinson et al., 2010). As of 2024, we do not have any feeding records for North Carolina. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR[S1S3]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This species has northern affinities and appears to reach its southmost limits in the southern Appalachians where it is found in middle to higher-elevation communities.

 Photo Gallery for Acleris macdunnoughi - MacDunnough's Acleris

Photos: 4
Acleris macdunnoughi
Recorded by: Merrill Lynch on 2025-09-16
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Acleris macdunnoughi
Recorded by: Merrill Lynch on 2015-09-15
Watauga Co.
Comment:
Acleris macdunnoughi
Recorded by: M.G. Pogue on 2003-10-08
Haywood Co.
Comment: BOLD specimen: CreativeCommons - Attribution (2010): CBG Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity.		Acleris macdunnoughi
Recorded by: unknown on 2003-09-12
Haywood Co.
Comment: BOLD specimen: CreativeCommons - Attribution (2010): CBG Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity.