Moths of North Carolina
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Pococera Members:
152 NC Records

Pococera asperatella (Clemens, 1860) - Maple Webworm Moth


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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Pyraloidea Family: PyralidaeSubfamily: EpipaschiinaeTribe: [Epipaschiini]P3 Number: 800133.00 MONA Number: 5606.00
Species Status: "There is still much confusion about the application of these names [asperatella and expandens]. I recognize each as a particular species but I haven't the actual types to confirm what name goes with what" (Scholtens, 2017)
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984; as Tetralopha asperatella); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Immatures and Development: The larvae feed on the foliage of various hardwoods. In Wisconsin where Sugar Maple is used as a host (Giese et al., 1964), females commonly lay groups of eggs on leaves that are partly rolled by other insects such as Acleris chalybeana. The first two instars skeletonize the leaves within leaf rolls. Subsequent instars abandon the rolls and form communal nests by webbing together groups of leaves. The largest nests can sometimes include all of the leaves on a small branch. The fully grown larvae leave the nests and drop to the ground on strands of silk, then overwinter as prepupae in cocoons that are spun in the duff on the ground. There appears to be only one generation per year in Wisconsin.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
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
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Our records come mainly from mesic hardwood forests, including cove forests and northern hardwoods in the Blue Ridge, mesic slopes and residential areas in the Piedmont, and shoreline areas in the Coastal Plain.
Larval Host Plants: The larvae are polyphagous, feeding on hardwood trees in a number of different families, but particularly maples (Schaffner, 1959; Giese et al., 1964; Prentice, 1966; Allyson, 1977; Covell, 1984; Heppner, 2007; Robinson et al., 2010; Marquis et al., 2019). The reported hosts include Red Maple (Acer rubrum), Sugar Maple (A. saccharum), Silver Maple (A. saccharinum), Mountain Maple (A. spicatum), American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), American Beech (Fagus grandifolia), Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos), hickories (Carya spp.), Common Waxmyrtle (Morella cerifera), American Hop-hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides), White Oak (Quercus alba), Post Oak (Q. stellata), Black Oak (Q. velutina), Live Oak (Q. virginiana), Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) and American Elm (Ulmus americana). Marquis et al. (2019) noted that Pococera expandens was at one time considered to be a synonym of P. asperatella, so that some of the earlier records for oaks should be interpreted cautiously. As of 2023, we have only a single host rearing record for Pignut Hickory (C. glabra). - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights. More information is needed on host use in North Carolina.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S4
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Pococera asperatella - Maple Webworm Moth

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

Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Bo Sullivan on 2023-10-17
Wilkes Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Bo Sullivan on 2023-10-17
Wilkes Co.
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Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2023-09-15
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2023-09-15
Cumberland Co.
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Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2023-09-05
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-09-04
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: David George on 2023-08-31
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George on 2023-08-25
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-08-23
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2023-08-20
Mecklenburg Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-08-18
Caswell Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-08-16
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2023-08-15
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Chuck Smith on 2023-08-13
Davidson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Bo Sullivan on 2023-08-10
Wilkes Co.
Comment: Communal nest with early instars (2023-08-10) were on Pignut Hickory; larvae were reared and adult emerged on Oct 17. Different stages of development are shown.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Bo Sullivan on 2023-08-10
Wilkes Co.
Comment: Communal nest with early instars were on Pignut Hickory; larvae were reared and adult emerged on Oct 17. Different stages of development are shown
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Bo Sullivan on 2023-08-10
Wilkes Co.
Comment: Communal nest with early instars were on Pignut Hickory; larvae were reared and adult emerged on Oct 17. Different stages of development are shown.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Bo Sullivan on 2023-08-10
Wilkes Co.
Comment: Communal nest with early instars were on Pignut Hickory; larvae were reared and adult emerged on Oct 17. Different stages of development are shown
Recorded by: Chuck Smith on 2023-08-08
Davidson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, John Petranka on 2023-08-05
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-31
Macon Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-30
Swain Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-29
Swain Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-29
Swain Co.
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Recorded by: Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-26
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Chuck Smith on 2023-07-23
Davidson Co.
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Recorded by: Chuck Smith on 2023-07-16
Davidson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-07-14
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-13
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-07-11
Wake Co.
Comment: