Moths of North Carolina
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Oreana Members:
32 NC Records

Oreana unicolorella (Hulst, 1887) - Ladder-marked Caterpillar

Oreana unicolorellaOreana unicolorellaOreana unicolorella
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Pyraloidea Family: PyralidaeSubfamily: PhycitinaeTribe: PhycitiniP3 Number: 80a0224 MONA Number: 5767.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Neunzig (1996)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: "Similar to other mainly gray phycitines, but can be told with good photo" (Scholtens, 2017)
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 leaves of hardwoods and construct a loosely webbed shelter on the leaf surface, and often within a curled or folded portion of a leaf. The mature larvae are around 15-20 mm long, and have a ground color that is bright yellowish-green. The head and prothoracic shield are marked with an elaborate pattern of reddish-brown marks, and the remainder of the body has reddish-brown marking of the same shade that produce a ladder-like pattern down the dorsum of the abdomen. Overwintering occurs in the pupal stage within a rolled leaf on the ground (Chapman and Lienk, 1971). These authored proposed the common name 'Ladder-marked Caterpillar' due to the distinctive pattern on the older instars.
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
Immature 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:
Larval Host Plants: The larvae are polyphagous and feed on a variety of hardwood trees and shrubs (Prentice, 1966; Robinson et al., 2010). The reported hosts include Red Maple (Acer rubrum), Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis), hawthorns (Crataegus), Common Apple (Malus domestica), White Oak (Quercus alba), Northern Red Oak (Q. rubra), willows (Salix), American Basswood (Tilia americana) and American Elm (Ulmus americana). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S3S4
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Oreana unicolorella - Ladder-marked Caterpillar

Photos: 20

Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-08-20
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kevin Bischof on 2024-08-07
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-05
Transylvania Co.
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Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-07-12
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-07-09
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-06-26
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-06-26
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-06-07
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-06-07
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-06-07
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-05-21
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-07-07
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-05-24
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2020-09-09
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-08-17
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2015-10-08
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2015-05-18
Cabarrus Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Doug Blatny/Jackie Nelson on 2012-06-17
Ashe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Doug Blatny/Jackie Nelson on 2012-06-17
Ashe Co.
Comment: Same 20999.jpg image but lightened.