Moths of North Carolina
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Acleris Members:
4 NC Records

Acleris negundana (Busck, 1940) - Speckled Acleris Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: TortricinaeTribe: TortriciniP3 Number: 620026.00 MONA Number: 3526.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following is based in part on the original description by Busck (1940). The labial palps, face, head and thorax vary from cream-colored to tan, with the thorax having a dark, inwardly-curved line on the anterior end and a pair of dark spots on the posterior end just below the tip. The ground color of the forewing is concolorous with the head and thorax and is conspicuously speckled with small, blackish, diffuse spots that may cover the entire length of the wing. The only other conspicuous mark is a dark-brown to reddish-brown costal triangle that is centered just beyond the middle of the wing and terminates near the center of the wing. The costal triangle has a rounded end, is often incomplete and broken along the margins into three spots, and usually has a light, speckled center that matches the overall ground pattern. The fringe is concolorous with the ground color, while the hindwing varies from whitish to light brown with a slightly lighter fringe. One unusual variant that we found in North Carolina is reddish-tan and lacks speckling.
Wingspan: 13-17 mm Busck (1940).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae are known to feed on Box-elder, but details of the larval life history are lacking.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Acleris negundana is found in eastern North America, including much of the eastern U.S. and adjoining areas of southern Canada (Manitoba; Ontario; Quebec). In the U.S. this species ranges from Maine southwestward mostly through the Appalachian region to northern Georgia, and westward to central Mississippi, western Tennessee, Missouri, eastern Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota and northeastern North Dakota. As of 2024, our records are all from the Piedmont and lower-elevation sites in the 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 observed during every month of the year in different areas of the range. Populations in the southern portions of the range presumably have two generations per year, with the first brood produced from overwintering adults beginning in late-winter or early spring after the spring leaflet. Those in the northernmost regions of the range probably have a single generation each year due to short growing seasons. As of 2024, we have only four state records from mid-March, late-April, late-October and early-December.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Local populations are generally found in the vicinity of Boxelder, which is common in floodplain habitats, in bottomland hardwoods, and on the lower slopes of rich mesic woodlands.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae seem to be monophagous on Boxelder (Acer negundo) (Godfrey et al., 1987; Brown et al., 2008; Beadle and Leckie, 2012). - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
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 species is uncommon in North Carolina. More information is needed on its distribution and abundance before we can accurately assess its conservation status.

 Photo Gallery for Acleris negundana - Speckled Acleris Moth

Photos: 5

Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-10-25
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2019-04-29
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2019-04-29
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-12-02
Madison Co.
Comment: Determined by J.B. Sullivan based on dissection.
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-12-02
Madison Co.
Comment: