Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Tortricidae Members:	Cenopis Members:	25 NC Records

Cenopis lamberti Franclemont, 1986 - No Common Name

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Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Tortricoidea

Family:
Tortricidae

Subfamily:
Tortricinae

Tribe:
Sparganothini

P3 Number:
51a0421

MONA Number:
3725.10

MONA Synonym:
Sparganothis lamberti

Comments: The genus Cenopis has 19 described species. Seventeen of these are restricted to North America, and all 17 occur in the eastern United States (Brown and Sullivan, 2018). Males of Cenopis are easily distinguished from those of Sparganothis by the presence of complex scaling on the frons of the head that forms an unusual “hood” of scales. The males also have a deeply invaginated or folded anal area of the hindwing that bears a distinctive hair pencil.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD

Technical Description, Adults: Powell and Brown (2012)

Technical Description, Immature Stages: Eiseman et al., 2020

Adult Markings: The coloration and patterning of this species is distinctive and difficult to confuse with any of our other tortricids. The head, palps, and antennae are a rich brown, while the forewing ground is bright yellow and is overlain with rich brown to reddish brown marks. In males the basal third of the costa has a thin longitudinal line of brown that terminates and expands at around one-third to form a costal triangle. A large brown blotch is present along the inner margin at around one-half that is diffusely smeared distally. In some specimens the smeared region may extend all the way to the termen, which is brown. In females the costal line and triangle are absent, and there is a small brown dot at the upper edge of the discal cell (Powell and Brown, 2012).

Forewing Length: 7.5–9.0 mm for males and 8.5–10.0 mm for females (Powell and Brown, 2012).

Adult Structural Features: Males have a well-developed, but short costal fold. Powell and Brown (2012) have illustrations and descriptions of the male and female genitalia.

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.

Immatures and Development: This species is a specialist on Common Sweetleaf (Symplocos tinctoria). The early instars mine leaves, while later instars are external feeders (Eiseman et al., 2020; Eiseman, 2022). The mines are white, full-depth, and mostly 10–15 mm long. They sometimes branch and can be from 1-3 mm in maximum width. The mine begins with a round hole in the lower epidermis. Most of the frass is expelled through the hole, and some is caught in webbing on the lower leaf surface. Leaf-mining larvae were found in North Carolina in late June that exited the mines by early July and fed as leaftiers for at least a month (Eiseman et al., 2020). One leaf-tying larva collected in mid-August emerged as an adult in late September. Pupation occurs within the tied leaves. Capture records suggest that most populations have two broods each year. Tracy Feldman found leaf-mining larvae in late February in North Carolina that emerged as adults in late April. However, most of our records are from July through September and presumably reflect the second brood.

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Cenopis lamberti is found in the southeastern US from southern Maryland and Virginia southward to northern Florida, and westward to eastern Texas, northern Alabama, and northern Georgia. As of 2023, all of our records are from the Coastal Plain except for one from a lower elevation site 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
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: The adults have been found from January through November in different areas of the range, with April through September being the most active months. As of 2023, our records are from early July through mid-September.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Local populations are dependent on Common Sweetleaf as a host. This species is commonly found at sites with sandy soils and pines, but can occupy habitats ranging from the edges of pocosins and swamps to dry ridges.

Larval Host Plants: This species appears to be a specialist on Common Sweetleaf or Horse Sugar (Symplocos tinctoria), which has been confirmed as the host in North Carolina. Powell and Brown (2012) noted one museum record from Persea, but it likely reflects a misidentified plant. - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights, and the leaf mines and leaf folds can be found on Sweetleaf leaves.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for Sweetleaf Thickets

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 appears to be uncommon in the state and localized due to its dependence of Symplocos as a host. More information is needed on its distribution and abundance before we can accurately assess its conservation status.

Photo Gallery for Cenopis lamberti - None

Photos: 21

	Recorded by: Mark Shields, Laurie Hamon on 2025-09-19 Onslow Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Teper., David George, P. Coin., K. Bischof on 2025-08-16 Transylvania Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Kevin Bischof, Rich Teper, Patrick Coin on 2025-08-15 Transylvania Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Rob Van Epps, Kevin Metcalf on 2025-07-20 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George on 2025-06-29 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Joye Zhou on 2025-06-20 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin on 2025-05-24 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Hunter Phillips, Mark Shields on 2024-06-29 Onslow Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Hunter Phillips, Mark Shields on 2024-06-29 Onslow Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-15 Scotland Co. Comment:		Recorded by: F. Williams, S. Williams on 2023-10-22 Gates Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-10-02 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-10-01 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-10-01 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2023-09-02 Onslow Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-07-03 Onslow Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2019-08-31 Onslow Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2019-07-31 Onslow Co. Comment:		Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2010-09-20 Beaufort Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: E. Corey, T. DeSantis, F. Williams, S. Williams on 2009-09-15 Camden Co. Comment: