Moths of North Carolina
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71 NC Records

Acleris viburnana (Clemens, 1860) - Viburnum Acleris

Acleris viburnana
view caption 		Acleris viburnanaAcleris viburnana
view caption 		Acleris viburnana
view caption
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: TortricinaeTribe: TortriciniP3 Number: 51a0027.1 MONA Number: 3527.00 MONA Synonym: Acleris schalleriana
Comments: Acleris viburnana was formerly treated as a subspecies of A. schalleriana, but was treated as a separate species by Gilligan et al. (2020), with A. schalleriana (sensu stricto) now restricted to the Palearctic region.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Acleris viburnana has a variable dorsal pattern, but usually can be recognizable based on external morphology. Most specimens have an overall reddish-brown color with a diffuse costal triangle and prominent dark speckling on the forewing. The palps and head vary from gray to reddish-brown, and the thorax is often two-toned, with a dark-brown anterior third or half that grades into light reddish-brown posteriorly. The dorsal third to two-thirds of the forewing ground tends to be silvery-white to light reddish-tan, then shades into a darker reddish-brown color towards the costa. The costal triangle is poorly defined relative to those of most Acleris species, and is represented as a diffuse, dark reddish-brown region near the mid-wing that projects inward just beyond the center of the wing where is fades out. The dark coloration often extends posteriorly as a broadly wavy and narrowing blotch before fading out near the apex. The hindwing is light gray to yellowish-brown with a concolorous fringe. In addition to the typical form described above, a dark morph is occasionally seen in North Carolina populations that is uniformly reddish-brown (lacking the lighter center as seen in the typical form). This form has varying levels of blackish speckling on the forewing (sometimes completely absent), and often has a few scattered whitish scales on the wing.
Wingspan: 18-20 mm (Forbes, 1923).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae fold and roll leaves of Viburnum and Wild Cherry (Clemmens, 1860), but details concerning the larval life history are lacking. The leaf folds that were observed on Viburnum in Madison County were typically folded more than once, with the first along the length of the leaf, and a second roughly perpendicular to the first. The larvae either skeletonized the leaf from within, or consumed portions of the leaf edges. The body of the larva is immaculate green and the head is pale brown to amber-colored.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Acleris viburnana is primarily found in eastern North America, but there are also records from southern Alaska, British Columbia and Alberta in the West. In the East it occurs in southern Canada (Manitoba, Ontario; Quebec; New Brunswick; Nova Scotia) and in the U.S. from Maine southwestward to northern Georgia, and westward to western Tennessee, eastern Oklahoma, Missouri, eastern Nebraska, Minnesota and northeastern North Dakota. As of 2024, we have records from all three physiographic provinces, although this species is much less common in the Coastal Plain relative to 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
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: Populations have been found during every month of the year in different areas of the range, with most local populations probably having two generations per year. Local populations in North Carolina appear to have two, or possibly three, generations per year. In the Blue Ridge, adults from the last seasonal brood are commonly seen at lights or at sugar bait in November and December and well after leaf-fall in the autumn. They presumably overwinter, with the adults appearing at lights or sugar bait the following year in January through early April. Mating and egg-laying likely occurs at this time, with adults from the first larval brood emerging around May. A second and much smaller emergence occurs in late-summer, with the last adults of the season appearing during November and December. It is uncertain if the adults that are seen in November and December are the product of the late-summer brood, or a mixture of adults from the first and second brood. Seasonal trends in the Piedmont appear to be generally similar to that in the Blue Ridge, but the percentage on individuals that appear to be overwintering adults is much smaller.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Local populations are commonly found in association with our native Viburnum species, which can be found in mesic to somewhat drier forests and forest edges.
Larval Host Plants: This species appears to rely rather heavily on species of Viburnum as a food source (Clemens, 1860; Ferguson, 1975; Brown et al., 2008). The reported hosts include Choke Cherry (Prunus virginiana), Nannyberry (V. lentago), Smooth Blackhaw (V. prunifolium), and a Vaccinium. In North Carolina, John Petranka reared an adult from a pupa that was in a leaf roll on Mapleleaf Viburnum (V. acerifolium). A larva was also found in a leaf roll on the same plant. As of 2024, we also have a rearing record for Southern Arrowwood (V. dentatum). - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights and to sugar and wine bait.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Viburnum Thickets
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S3S4
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 at sites that support the host plants.

 Photo Gallery for Acleris viburnana - Viburnum Acleris

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

Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-11-12
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-05
Mitchell Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-05
Mitchell Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-17
Madison Co.
Comment: A reared adult from Viburnum dentatum (see companion image of the leaf fold and larva from 2024-07-08).
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-10
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-08
Madison Co.
Comment: A larva that was in a leaf fold on Viburnum dentatum (see companion photo from 2024-07-17 of an adult that was reared).
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-08
Madison Co.
Comment: A leaf fold on Viburnum dentatum. 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-08
Madison Co.
Comment: A leaf fold on Viburnum dentatum.
Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-05-11
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-04-01
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-03-03
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-02-15
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-09-23
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-09-03
Orange Co.
Comment: A larva in a leaf roll on Viburnum acerifolium.
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-13
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-06-05
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-05-22
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-05-17
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2023-05-05
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Steve Hall, David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-04-29
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-04-20
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-04-19
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2023-01-18
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Steve Hall on 2022-06-30
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2022-05-04
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2022-05-03
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2021-12-02
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-11-09
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-05-26
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2021-02-27
Buncombe Co.
Comment: