Moths of North Carolina
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Acleris Members:
2 NC Records

Acleris inana (Robinson, 1869) - Dark-spotted Acleris

Acleris inana
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: TortricinaeTribe: TortriciniP3 Number: 51a0052 MONA Number: 3551.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Acleris inana varies in coloration and patterning. In what is perhaps the most common phenotype, resting individuals have a dull, dirty-white, oval-shaped shield on the anterior half of the forewings that encloses an inverted Y-shaped mark that varies from reddish-brown to blackish-brown or black. The palps and head have a mix of silvery-gray and brownish or reddish scales. The thorax is mostly dull-gray except for a blackish to reddish-brown line on the anterior end, and a longitudinal dash of similar color on the posterior margin. The forewing has a conspicuous, broad, dirty-white semi-circular patch with grayish infusions. The patch extends from the wing base before terminating at or near the inner margin at around one-half the wing length. The region near the inner margin has a smaller reddish, dark-brown, or blackish mark that is triangular-shaped or arc-shaped. The proximal end is often continuous with the longitudinal dash on the posterior half of the thorax, which produces an inverted, Y-shaped mark when the wings are closed. The area distal to the semi-circular patch has a chestnut-brown ground colored that is often weakly mottled with small, dull, silvery-gray patches on the outer third. A ridge of raised scale patches is present at the boundary of the semi-circular patch and darker ground posteriorly, with a prominent light orangish or reddish patch usually evident near the center of the wing. The fringe is dull silvery-gray with brownish or reddish mottling, and the hindwing is light brownish-white.

Certain color morphs of A. inana resemble those of Acleris robinsoniana. In the former, a prominent patch of raised orangish to light reddish-brown scales is present at the boundary between the semi-circular patch and darker ground posteriorly, and the boundary between the two is generally less wavy. The outer third of the forewing of A. inana often has patches of small, dull, silvery-gray scales and associated raised scale patches that usually are not evident on A. robinsoniana. In some instances, specimens may need to be dissected for proper identification.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable only by close inspection of structural features or by DNA analysis.
Immatures and Development: The larvae are presumed to be solitary leaf-folders on hardwood trees and shrubs, but details of the life history are lacking.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Acleris inana appears to be an uncommon species, with scattered records from both eastern and western North America. It has been documented in Canada from British Columbia, Alberta, Mannitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia, and in the U.S. from Maine, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina. As of 2024, we have only two records and both are from lower-elevation sites 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 from February through September in different areas of the range. As of 2024, our two records are from late-February and late-June.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: As of 2024, we have records both from a mountain bog and a semi-wooded residential neighborhood.
Larval Host Plants: The host plants are poorly documented. Ferguson (1975) and Brown et al. (2008) list records for an alder (Alnus sp.), a birch (Betula sp.) and a hazelnut (Corylus sp.). 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 SU
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: We have only two records of this species as of 2024, and much more information is needed on its distribution, abundance and habitat preferences before we can assess it conservation status within the state.

 Photo Gallery for Acleris inana - Dark-spotted Acleris

Photos: 2

Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-02-27
Madison Co.
Comment: Verified by dissection.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-02-27
Madison Co.
Comment: