Moths of North Carolina
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21 NC Records

Argyrotaenia kimballi Obraztsov, 1961 - Kimball's Leafroller Moth

Argyrotaenia kimballiArgyrotaenia kimballiArgyrotaenia kimballiArgyrotaenia kimballi
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: TortricinaeTribe: ArchipiniP3 Number: 51a0259 MONA Number: 3600.00
Comments: The genus Argyrotaenia contains approximately 100 described species, with most occurring in Nearctic and Neotropical regions. Thirty-six species are currently recognized in North America.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Obraztsov (1961)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following is based in part on the description by Obraztsov (1961). The antenna is chestnut-brown and somewhat ferruginous towards the base, while the head is ocherous and dappled with ferruginous coloration along the sides and on the front. The labial palp varies from ocherous ferruginous to chestnut-brown. The thorax has chestnut-brown mottling and an orangish-brown scale tuft.

The forewing ground is silky cream-white with grayish transverse striations, and is dappled with varying levels of ocherous. Several darker marks overlay the ground color, with the most conspicuous being a rather broad, oblique, median fascia that runs from the middle of the costa to the dorsal margin close to the tornus. The fascia lacks a club-shaped projection on the anterior face as seen in some Argyrotaenia species. It is distinctly bicolored, with the costal half chestnut-brown and the dorsal half predominantly light brown to ocherous, particularly on the anterior portion. The basal fourth of the wing is coarsely mottled with a series of irregular dark brown markings that are intermixed with lighter areas. The posterior margin of this region is typically defined by a irregular dark line or narrow fascia of sorts that is often broken or incomplete. It abuts an interfacial region that is wide relative to those of other closely related Argyrotaenia species.

Beyond the median fascia is a large, roughly trapezoid-shaped chestnut-brown costal spot that is about midway between the median fascia and the wing apex. Just dorsal to this, a faint and lighter oblong spot is often evident. A small dark costal spot is usually present between the larger trapezoid-shaped costal spot and the apex. The cilia are pale ocherous with a tendency to become whitish apically and tornally. The hindwing is cream-white.

Austin et al. (2019) noted that A. kimballi cannot be distinguished from other members of the velutinana group using genitalia, but can usually be separated from other species of Argyrotaenia by the distinctly bicolored median fascia, the wide pale gray or sometimes pink-washed submedian interfascia, and the absence of a club-like projection into the median fascia. The latter is present in some other members of the group such as A. floridana, A. hodgesi, and A. tabulana. According to Obraztsov (1961) the hind wing of A. kimballi is much paler than that of A. velutinana. In addition, A. velutinana has a conspicuous dark patch on the dorsal half of the wing at about one-fifth that has a prominent tooth that projects posteriorly.
Forewing Length: 6-8 mm (Obraztsov, 1961)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae are leaf binders but most aspects of their life history have not been reported. Bullock et al. (1997) studied a population in an orange grove in Florida where the larvae frequently bound together three to four young terminal leaves of orange trees with tubular webbing. They then fed on the fresh leaves of the surrounding branches as well as the wilting leaves which had been bound together. They also observed larvae feeding under the calyx or on the button of the fruit where they circled the stem end of the fruit and caused scarring.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: The range is centered on the southeastern US and extends from Maryland and northeastern Virginia southwestward to western Tennessee and eastern Texas. It extends southward to include Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas. As of 2022, our records are all from the Coastal Plain and eastern Piedmont.
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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