Moths of North Carolina

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Platynota idaeusalis (Walker, 1859) - Tufted Apple Bud Moth

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Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Tortricoidea

Family:
Tortricidae

Subfamily:
Tortricinae

Tribe:
Sparganothini

P3 Number:
51a0433

MONA Number:
3740.00

Other Common Names:
Tufted Apple Budmoth, Tufted Apple-bud Moth

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)

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

Technical Description, Adults: Powell and Brown (2012)

Technical Description, Immature Stages: MacKay (1962)

Adult Markings: The following description is based primarily on that of Forbes (1923) and Powell and Brown (2012). The vertex and labial palps are usually ashy gray, but sometimes rusty gray in the males. The female forewing is distinctive in having a narrow, often blackish, posteriorly oblique line of raised scales near the middle. The line divides the wing into a basal gray portion and a distal darker portion that often has a mixture of reddish-brown and grayish coarse mottling. Lines of raised striae are present on the distal half that are often blackish. The males are occasionally two-toned like the females, but more commonly are more uniformly colored with varying mixtures of reddish-brown to dark gray patterning. In many specimens dark gray or blackish-brown coloration tends to prevail in the subcostal region, and reddish-brown coloration on the dorsal two-thirds of the distal half of the wing. The fringe of both sexes varies from dull gray to reddish-brown, and the hindwing varies from dull gray to dull brown with a slightly paler fringe. Both the males and females have elongated palps and a dark, round blotch near the distal end of the discal cell of the forewing.

Females are easily distinguished by their two-toned wing pattern and large size (forewing length usually >9.0 mm), but the males are easy to confuse with P. semiustana and P. exasperatana. All three species have a male costal fold of similar length (less than one-half the length of the forewing), and all have extremely similar male and female genitalia that are of little value in sorting out species. Platynota idaeusalis males usually can be distinguished by their larger size (forewing length usually >7.0 mm) and subtle differences in forewing pattern. The males lack the white or cream scaling on the dorsum of the labial palpus, head, and thorax that is typical of P. exasperatana, while P. semiustana males differ in having a dark palp and head, and a lighter band on the terminal fifth of the wing.

Wingspan: 12-25 mm, with the females larger (Forbes, 1923)

Forewing Length: 7.0–8.5 mm for males and 8.0–11.5 mm for females (Powell and Brown, 2012).

Adult Structural Features: Powell and Brown (2012) and Gilligan and Epstein (2014; TortAI) have illustrations and descriptions of the male and female genitalia.

Structural photos

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].

Immatures and Development: Most of our knowledge of the larval life history is based on studies in apple orchards. The following is a general summary as reported by Powell and Brown (2012), Gilligan and Epstein (2014; TortAI), and Meagher and Hull (1991) for Pennsylvania populations. The larvae overwinter in ground cover below fruit trees and finish development the following spring. In Pennsylvania the adults begin to emerge in May. The females deposit eggs in large masses that contain approximately 100 individual eggs on the upper surface of leaves, and the larvae feed during June and July. Early instars construct a silk web on the underside of a leaf along the midrib and feed inside. The third instar and later larvae characteristically form protective shelters by cutting the petiole of a leaf and rolling it lengthwise, by tying leaves together, or by feeding in between clusters of developing fruit. The sometimes bind a leaf to a fruit and feed on the fruit. Pupation occurs within the shelters and the adults from this first brood begin to emerge in late July and August. The second-brood larvae feed during September and October before entering winter dormancy in the ground litter. The late instar larvae are about 13-18 mm in length with a brownish-green abdomen. The head and prothoracic shield are brown with dark-brown mottling on the head and lateral shading on the shield. An anal comb is present that has 5-8 teeth (Gilligan and Epstein, 2014; TortAI)

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Platynota idaeusalis is broadly distributed across most of southern Canada as well as the eastern US and portions of the West. In Canada specimens have been observed in the Northwest Territories and British Columbia eastward to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. In the US the range extends from Maine to southern Florida and westward to central Texas, central Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Washington and Montana. This species occurs statewide in North Carolina.

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 observed during every month of the year, but mostly fly from March through October in most areas of the range. As of 2023, our records extend late March through late November. Most populations in North Carolina and elsewhere appear to be bivoltine.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: This wide-ranging species can be found in a wide array of habitats. Examples include hardwood and mixed hardwood-conifer forests, forest edges, early successional habitats, fencerows, apple and other fruit orchards, and residential neighborhoods. In North Carolina this species is common in semi-wooded residential neighborhoods. It also occurs is hardwood forests in the Piedmont, in mesic high elevation forests in the mountains, as well as in more xeric habitats in coastal areas, including barrier islands.

Larval Host Plants: Larvae are widely polyphagous and feed on trees, shrubs, vines and forbs (Dyar, 1904; Meyrick, 1938; Prentice, 1966; Meagher and Hull, 1986; Godfrey et al., 1987; Santos-Gonzales et al., 1998; Heppner, 2007; Robinson et al., 2010; Powell and Brown 2012, Gilligan and Epstein, 2014). In the eastern United States, it is a significant pest of apples (Chapman and Lienk, 1971). The reported hosts include Box-elder (Acer negundo), birches (Betula), Ceanothus, Clematis, Roughleaf dogwood (Cornus drummondii), Black Ash (Fraxinus nigra), Black Walnut (Juglans nigra), Osage-orange (Maclura pomifera), domesticated apples (Malus domestica), Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana), Carolina Laurel Cherry (Prunus caroliniana), peaches (P. persica), European Red Raspberry (Rubus idaeus), willows (Salix), Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), nightshades (Solanum), goldenrods (Solidago), clovers (Trifolium), blueberries (Vaccinium), New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis), Smooth Blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium), and grapes (Vitis). In North Carolina, larvae have been reared from Dogfennel (Eupatorium capillifolium) and Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum). - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights and pheromone traps.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Mixed Habitats

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S4S5

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.

Comments: Populations are widespread and common in North Carolina and appear to be secure.

Photo Gallery for Platynota idaeusalis - Tufted Apple Bud Moth

256 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Marilyn Westphal. on 2025-09-05 Henderson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-03 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2025-09-02 Wake Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-01 Rowan Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Marilyn Westphal, Nora Murdock on 2025-08-25 Henderson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-08-25 Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Marilyn Westphal and Becky Elkin. on 2025-08-17 Henderson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Kevin Bischof, Rich Teper, Patrick Coin 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: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson, Randy Emmitt on 2025-08-12 Alamance Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-10 Ashe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Marilyn Westphal. on 2025-08-09 Henderson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-27 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, David Bradley, Becky Watkins, David Cheng, Michelle Lotker, Tracy Feldman, et al. on 2025-06-28 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-11 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George on 2025-06-07 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-05-17 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George on 2025-05-17 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George on 2025-05-16 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2025-05-09 Cumberland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2025-05-01 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-29 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-04-22 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-11-08 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-09-28 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-09-21 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-09-21 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-09-20 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-09-20 Durham Co. Comment: larva on Sourwood		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-11 Madison Co. Comment: