Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFTortricidae Members:
Pandemis Members:
105 NC Records

Pandemis limitata (Robinson, 1869) - Three-lined Leafroller Moth


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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: TortricinaeTribe: ArchipiniP3 Number: 620249.00 MONA Number: 3594.00
Comments: The genus Pandemis includes around 67 described species worldwide, including four native and two introduced species in North America. Our four native species are very closely related and their status as being valid species has been questioned. Recent molecular and phylogenetic studies by Dombroskie and Sperling (2012) provide support for continuing to recognize all four lineages as species. We have only two species in North Carolina that are easily distinguished by both maculation and genitalia.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Robinson (1869)Technical Description, Immature Stages: MacKay (1962)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following is mostly based on the description by Freeman (1958) and Robinson (1869). The head, palps, antennae, and thorax are light reddish brown. The ground color of the forewing is light reddish brown and is stained or blotched with numerous small, dark brown marks. The ground is overlain with three darker brown patches or bands. These include a basal patch that covers one third of the forewing, a broad, posteriorly oblique median band that extends from the costa to the inner margin, and a small, semi-oval subapical patch on the costa. The outer margin of the basal patch, both margins of the median band, and the entire inner margin of the subapical patch are bounded by narrow pale lines. The fringe is reddish brown, while the hindwing is two-toned with a whitish band along the costal third of the wing that transitions into gray on the remainder of the wing. In this species the ground color is usually lighter than the basal patch, median band, and subapical patch, but specimens are occasionally seen that have these marks nearly concolorous with the ground.

This species is very similar to Pandemis lamprosana, but tends to be more reddish. It is best distinguished by the subapical patch, which has a narrow pale line around the margin (lacking in P. lamprosana). In addition, P. lamprosana has a uniformly white to light gray hindwing, versus a two-toned gray and white hindwing for P. limitata.
Wingspan: 16-20 mm. for males and 20-25 mm for females (Freeman, 1958).
Forewing Length: 7.0-9.5 mm for males and 9.0-12.0 mm for females (Gilligan and Epstein, TortAI).
Adult Structural Features: Gilligan and Epstein (TortAI) and Freeman (1958) have illustrations of the male and female genitalia.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Immatures and Development: Chapman and Lienk (1971) and Gilligan and Epstein (TortAI) summarized the life cycle as follows that is based on northern populations. The females typically lay clusters of 100-200 or more yellowish-green eggs on the upper surface of leaves. When feeding on apples Chapman and Lienk (1971) reported that the larvae feed on terminal leaf growth and occasionally on fruit, but Marquis et al. (2019) observed them in Missouri feeding upside down on the undersides of oak leaves beneath webbing. In northern populations, those of the first generation complete development in June through early August. Pupation occurs in the final larval feeding site and the adults emerge in approximately 10 days. The third instar larvae of the second generation construct a hibernaculum of silk in a protected site such as the crotch of a small stem or an old leaf scar. They overwinter, then resume feeding with the spring warm-up on leaves and young fruits. The late instar larvae are approximately 20 mm in length and are entirely green and unmarked with moderately large pinacula and long setae. Earlier instars may have a dark lateral mark on each side of the prothoracic shield (Gilligan and Epstein, TortAI). Chapman and Lienk (1971) and MacKay (1962) were unable to find any specific traits that distinguish the larvae from several other Pandemis species, so rearing is needed for proper identification.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Pandemis limitata occurs in southern Canada from British Columbia eastward to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. It also occurs throughout much of the eastern US, with scattered population farther west in the Rocky Mountains and California. In the eastern US, the range extends from Maine southward to northern Florida, and westward to eastern Texas, central Oklahoma, Missouri, eastern Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota. As of 2022, almost all of our records are from the Piedmont and Blue Ridge, with a small number of records from the western Coastal Plain.
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)

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