Moths of North Carolina
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362 NC Records

Clepsis peritana (Clemens, 1860) - Garden Tortrix Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: TortricinaeTribe: ArchipiniP3 Number: 620364.00 MONA Number: 3688.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984; as Ptycholoma peritana); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Freeman (1958)Technical Description, Immature Stages: MacKay (1962)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following is mostly based on the description by Forbes (1923) and Freeman (1958). The head, palps, and thorax are tan to light brown. The forewing ground color is concolorous with the head and thorax and has a series of fine, brown, transverse striations. The ground is overlain with two or three brown to dark-brown marks. These include a well-defined, posteriorly oblique, median fascia that extends from the costa to the inner margin, and a dark-brown pre-apical costal spot. Both are usually margined with a thin whitish line along the anterior edge, and often as well on the posterior side. The costal spot often extends inward as a narrowing band to the tornus. Most North Carolina specimens also have a small, sub-dorsal, crescent-shaped mark near the base of the wing. Males and females have similar markings but the median fascia and costal spot are usually less distinct in the females. The fringe is light brown to dull white, and the hindwing is light smoky brown or grayish brown with a slightly paler fringe.

Clepsis peritana is similar to C. virescana, but the males of the latter have a costal fold and the dark marks are not margined with a whitish line. The median band of Clepsis peritana is intact while that of C. virescana is usually interrupted or faintly expressed in the middle.
Wingspan: 10-15 mm (Freeman, 1958)
Forewing Length: 4.5-7.5 mm (Gilligan and Epstein, 2014; TortID)
Adult Structural Features: The males lack a costal fold (Forbes, 1923). Freeman (1958) and Gilligan and Epstein (2014; TortID) 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 often feed on dead or decaying leaves (Atkins, 1958; Powell and Opler, 2008), but will also use living plants -- particularly when populations increase seasonally. They can become a significant pest on commercial crops such as strawberries, citrus, and lima beans. Gilligan and Epstein (2014) noted that when feeding on strawberries the larvae may damage fruits that are in contact with the ground by webbing leaves to the fruit and chewing holes in the berries. In citrus groves, larvae feed on decaying leaves until population levels are high, at which point they may switch to feeding on fruit.

Gilliatt (1928) described the larval life history when feeding on apple trees in Nova Scotia. The larvae overwinter in the larval stage in fallen leaves on the ground. Following the spring warm-up they ascend the trees and eat the first green buds that they encounter. After feeding for several weeks they descend and pupate in loose bark or in rolled leaves on the ground. The adults emerge in about two weeks and lay small masses of eggs on the upper surface of the leaves. The hatchlings disperse and feed on the leaves and sometimes the developing fruits that are bound within leaves. Others likely drop to the ground and feed on dead leaves. Last instar larvae are approximately 13-14 mm in length with a light green abdomen, but body color can vary depending on the host plant. The head and prothoracic shield are yellowish brown. An anal comb is present (Gilligan and Epstein, 2014; TortID).
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Clepsis peritana is broadly distributed across much of the United States and southern Canada. Populations occur as far north as Alaska and in southern Canada from British Columbia eastward to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. It occurs throughout much of the US from Maine to southern Florida and westward to California, Oregon, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, and North Dakota. 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)

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