Moths of North Carolina
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4 NC Records

Cenopis niveana (Walsingham, 1879) - Aproned Cenopis Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: TortricinaeTribe: SparganothiniP3 Number: 620418.00 MONA Number: 3727.00
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: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Powell and Brown (2012)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Cenopis niveana is a boldly marked Cenopis that is easily distinguished from our other species. The following description is based on that of Powell and Brown (2012). This species has two morphs with different patterning. Both morphs occur in both sexes, with intermediate forms occurring at very low frequencies. The head, palps, antennae, and thorax of both morphs are pale yellow, but the forewing patterning differs. In one form (mostly seen in females) the forewing is pale yellow except for a well-defined, reddish-brown, roughly V-shaped mark that intersects the costa at about one-third and two-thirds the distance from the base to the apex. The V-shaped mark isolates a pale-yellow, semicircular patch near the middle of the costa. The costa sometimes has a thin brownish line in the basal region. In the other form (mostly seen in males) the entire middle of the forewing is brown (varying from pale orange tan to dark brown) except the pale yellow apical fifth, and is concolorous with the V-shaped marking. The net effect is to leave an isolated yellow semicircular patch near the middle of the costa, a yellow patch at the base of the wing, and a yellow terminal region. The fringe of both morphs is pale yellow and the hindwing is whitish with a concolorous fringe.
Forewing Length: 8.0–8.5 mm for males and 8.0–10.0 mm for females (Powell and Brown, 2012).
Adult Structural Features: Males have a costal fold that is well developed but short; it extends about one-seventh the length of the forewing. 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: The larvae are solitary leaf rollers, but details of the larval life history are unreported. Populations appear to be single brooded throughout the range.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Cenopis niveana is found in eastern North America in portions of southern Canada and much of the eastern US. This species occurs in Canada from Saskatchewan eastward to Quebec and in Nova Scotia. It occurs in the US from Maine southward to central Florida, and westward to eastern Texas, eastern Oklahoma, Missouri, eastern Nebraska, and Minnesota. As of 2023, we have only three site records that are all from the eastern 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)

Click on graph to enlarge
Flight Comments: The adults mostly fly from April through August in different areas of the range. As of 2023, our limited records are from early May to early June. Local populations appear to be univoltine throughout the range, but the seasonal time of breeding varies markedly with latitude and climatic conditions (Powell and Brown, 2012).
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: This species is commonly found in bottomland and mesic hardwood forests.
Larval Host Plants: Cenopis niveana feeds on deciduous hardwoods, including members of the Aceraceae and Betulaceae (Forbes, 1923; Prentice, 1966; Powell and Brown, 2012). The known hosts are Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum), Sugar Maple (A. saccarum), birches (Betula), American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) and American Hop-hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana). - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Wet-Mesic Hardwood Forests
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: Cenopis niveana is uncommon to rare within the state, with only three site records as of 2023. Additional information is needed on its host use, distribution and abundance before we can assess its conservation status.

 Photo Gallery for Cenopis niveana - Aproned Cenopis Moth

Photos: 3

Recorded by: J.B. Sullivan on 2019-05-21
Jones Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Britta Dace Muiznieks on 2014-05-08
Dare Co.
Comment: BugGuide: photo# 918448 and others
Recorded by: Britta Dace Muiznieks on 2014-05-08
Dare Co.
Comment: BugGuide: photo# 918448 and others