Moths of North Carolina
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Tlascala Members:
13 NC Records

Tlascala reductella (Walker, 1863) - Tlascala Moth

Tlascala reductellaTlascala reductella
view caption 		Tlascala reductellaTlascala reductella
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Pyraloidea Family: PyralidaeSubfamily: PhycitinaeTribe: PhycitiniP3 Number: 80a0297 MONA Number: 5808.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Neunzig (1996)                                                                                 
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae appear to specialize on species of Gleditzia. Neunzig (1979) summarized the life history based on earlier studies by Comstock (1881) and Packard (1890), who noted that there can be several generations per year. The final seasonal generation overwinters as pupae in the soil, with the adults emerging after the spring leaf-out. The first-instars are leaftiers that bind two opposing leaflets together and skeletonize the tissues within. The shelters often have small whitish or brown necrotic areas on the outer surface of the leaves that form the shelter. With time, more leaflets are incorporated into the structure. These are left attached to the rachis and a silken tube is often produced within the structure along the rachis that binds to the leaflets. The older instars often cut and eat entire leaflets, which can cause defoliation either locally, or for the entire tree, depending of the degree of infestation. The final-instar larvae cut and attach several leaflets to their feeding structure, then pupate within the rather bulky brownish shelter. Larvae in the final seasonal brood drop to the ground to pupate and overwinter. Neunzig (1979) noted that small larvae in North Carolina first appear on the foliage in April, while late-instar larvae typically drop to the ground in September and enter the soil to pupate.

The larvae have a greenish body with a series of faint yellowish or yellowish-white longitudinal stripes, with those along the lower sides being most prominent. The head and prothoracic shield can vary from predominantly whitish in early instars to more amber-colored with darker mottling in the older instars. Older instars range from around 12-20 mm in length.
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 appear to special on species of Gleditzia, including Water Locust (Gleditsia aquatica) in Florida and Honey Locust (G. triacanthos) elsewhere throughout the range (Forbes, 1923; Prentice, 1966; Neunzig (1979); Godfrey et al., 1987; Heppner, 2007; BugGuide). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Honey Locust Groves
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:

 Photo Gallery for Tlascala reductella - Tlascala Moth

Photos: 18

Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2024-09-12
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2024-09-12
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George on 2024-09-08
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-13
Madison Co.
Comment: A larva that was inside tied leaflets of Honey Locust.
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-13
Madison Co.
Comment: Larvae were in tied bundles of Honey Locust leaflets. 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-11
Madison Co.
Comment: A larva that was inside tied leaflets of Honey Locust.
Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-08-07
Orange Co.
Comment: A reared adult (see companion photo of the cocoon within a leaf tie from 2024-07-09). 		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-08-07
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-07-09
Orange Co.
Comment: A cocoon within tied, dead leaflets of Gleditsia triacanthos (see companion photo of the reared adult from 2024-08-07). 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2022-05-04
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2022-05-04
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-05-03
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-05-03
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2019-08-01
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2018-07-25
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Parker Backstrom on 2014-04-30
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Parker Backstrom on 2014-04-30
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2013-05-25
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: