Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Tortricidae Members:	Acleris Members:	77 NC Records

Acleris subnivana (Walker, 1863) - Bent-winged Acleris

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Tortricoidea

Family:
Tortricidae

Subfamily:
Tortricinae

Tribe:
Tortricini

P3 Number:
51a0016

MONA Number:
3517.00

Other Common Names:
Common Acleris, Bent-wing Acleris

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)

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

Adult Markings: Acleris subnivana has several morphs that differ in color and patterning. The most commonly encountered form in North Carolina has the palps, head, thorax and ground color of the forewing varying from pure white to light brownish-tan. The antennae are brown, and the thorax often has a faint, curved tan line just posterior to the anterior margin, and one or two concolorous spots at the posterior tip. The costa of the forewing commonly has a faint tannish spot at around one-fourth the wing length and in the preapical region, along with a prominent, dark-brown to blackish, bluntly-rounded, costal triangle near the middle of the wing that terminates just before reaching the center of the wing. The triangle can be either solid, broken into three separate spots, or solid except for a pale region near the center. Some individuals have a yellowish-brown shade that extends from the end of the triangle to the middle of inner margin, at least in females (Forbes, 1923). The fringe has a chestnut-tan color that is rather distinctive for this species, while the hindwing is gray and markedly darker than the ground color of the forewing. Females have a more concave costa than the males, along with rougher scales both before and after the concavity (Forbes, 1923). Other less commonly encountered forms include individuals that are heavily speckled with diffuse brown spots that are arranged in lines and cover most of the wing, and individuals that are broadly reticulated with brown lines and spots.

Wingspan: 13-15 mm (Forbes, 1923); 12-15 mm (Covell, 1984).

Adult Structural Features: see images below.

Genitalia and other structural photos

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

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Acleris subnivana occurs throughout most of the eastern U.S. and adjoining areas of southern Canada, including Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. Scattered records are also known from British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. In the U.S., the range extends from Maine southward to southern Alabama, and westward to central Texas, central Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, eastern Kansas, eastern Nebraska, Minnesota and northeastern North Dakota. The species is generally absent or uncommon in many areas of the southeastern Coastal Plain. As of 2024, all of our records are from the Piedmont and Blue Ridge.

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 have been found during every month of the year in different areas of the range, with many populations appearing to have two generations per year. Many northern populations are single-brooded due to short growing seasons. Local populations in North Carolina appear to have two generations per year, with the adults from the second brood appearing in the fall and overwintering. They begin to appear at lights as early as January or February and reach a peak in March and April. Adults from the first brood emerge in June and July, while those from the second brood emerge in September through October. As of 2024, our records range from early January through late-December.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Our records are mostly from either from hardwood forests or from fragmented landscapes with mixtures of forests, fields and residential neighborhoods.

Larval Host Plants: The hosts are poorly documented, but oaks appear to be the primary hosts (Prentice, 1966; Covell, 1984; Wagner et al., 1995a; Brown et al., 2008; Robinson et al., 2010; Lam et al., 2011). The reported hosts include Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea) and Northern Red Oak (Q. rubra). Reports from ironweed (Vernonia) seem questionable, and need confirmation. - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights and wine and sugar bait.

Wikipedia

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR[S4S5]

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

Comments: This species can be locally common and appears to be relatively secure in North Carolina.

Photo Gallery for Acleris subnivana - Bent-winged Acleris

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

	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2026-01-10 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2026-01-10 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Nora Murdock on 2025-11-15 Henderson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-11-08 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: John Petranka on 2025-06-22 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Kaitlyn Elliott on 2025-05-01 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2025-03-29 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-11-01 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-15 Scotland Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-05-11 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-05-11 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-04-10 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-04-01 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2024-03-15 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-03-03 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-02-26 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-11-09 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-09-04 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-06 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-05-23 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-04-13 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-03-24 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-11-05 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-10-25 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-04-04 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-12-10 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2020-12-10 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2020-11-08 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2020-03-28 Madison Co. Comment: