Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Tortricidae Members:	Pristerognatha Members:	17 NC Records

Pristerognatha agilana (Clemens, 1860) - No Common Name

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Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Tortricoidea

Family:
Tortricidae

Subfamily:
Olethreutinae

Tribe:
Olethreutini

P3 Number:
51a0630.5

MONA Number:
2831.00

MONA Synonym:
Pristerognatha fuligana

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

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

Adult Markings: In this species that palps are whitish and the head tuft is tawny but heavily dusted with blackish scales. The thorax and ground color of the forewing have a mixture of yellowish-brown, yellowish-golden and dark-brown to blackish scales that are weakly organized to form a coarsely mottled appearance. A series of lustrous silvery-gray strigulae and spots are either embedded in these or organized as costal strigulae. The lighter blotches and scales are most prevalent on the dorsal half of the wing. The costa has a pair of posteriorly oblique antemedial strigulae that are located between a dark brown medial costal spot and a similar antemedial costal spot at around one-fourth the wing length. The strigulae tend to run parallel to each other, are sometimes fused along their lengths, and usually terminate near the center of the wing. Other silvery- gray costal lines are present immediately basal to the antemedial costal spot, immediately posterior to the medial spot, and as one or two poorly developed lines on the apical fourth of the costa that run towards a diffuse, blackish postmedial bar. Most of the costal strigulae have white scales at the costal margin, and the fringe has a series of blackish blotches and a well-defined black basal line. The hindwing is medium to dark brown with a whitish fringe that has a dark basal line.

Pristerognatha agilana is sometimes confused with Olethreutes auricapitana. A key distinction is that the two silvery antemedial lines of O. auricapitana fuse to form a ‘V’ that terminates about one-third of the way between the costa and the dorsal margin. The two lines tend to run parallel to one another, often remain separate, and extend much farther inward in P. agilana. The former also has a silvery spot above the V near the dorsal margin (absent in P. agilana), along with golden colored palps and head tufts, versus more whitish palps and blackish head tufts for P. agilana.

Forewing Length: 4.5-7.0 mm (Gilligan et al., 2008).

Structural photos

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.

Immatures and Development: The larvae are borers that feed inside the stems and root bases of jewelweeds. Based of specimens collected in Iowa (BugGuide) and North Carolina, each stem typically houses a single larva. The larvae appear to feed first in the stems -- most commonly in the lower half -- then work their way to the swollen root bases. Infected plants have dark brown to brownish-black frass that can often be detected by holding the stem up to bright light. In Iowa, the larvae overwinter in the dead stems and root bases where they form a plug at both ends of the stem or root base before pupating in the spring. In North Carolina, both larvae and pupae have been found inside the root bases in mid-August, which suggests that overwintering can occur in either stage. Local emergence is presumably tied to when jewelweeds are moderately large, and infected plants often appear wilted even when growing in wet soils. Larvae have been found in North Carolina using both of our native species of Impatiens. The older larvae have whitish to dull cream-colored bodies, a dark brown or brownish-black head, and a dull yellowish prothoracic shield.

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Pristerognatha agilana is found throughout most of the eastern US where populations of jewelweed are present. It appears to be generally absent from most of the southeastern Coastal Plain. As of 2024, all of our records are from the Blue Ridge and Piedmont.

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 found from April through October in different areas of the eastern US. Our rather limited records as of 2024 are from mid-April through early-August, and suggests that some local populations produce a brood in May and June, then a second brood in late-summer or fall, with the larvae or pupae overwintering.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Our records from the Blue Ridge are mostly from cove forests, rich woods, mountain slopes, and alluvial forests, and often where wet ditches and seepages are present that support jewelweeds. The habitats used in the Piedmont are almost always mesic to wet habitats that support the host plants.

Larval Host Plants: The larvae feed on species of Impatiens (Heinrich, 1926; MacKay, 1959). Both Spotted Jewelweed (I. capensis) and Pale Jewelweed (I. pallida) are used in North Carolina, although the latter appears to be used more commonly in the Blue Ridge. - View

Observation Methods: The adult occasionally visit lights and the larvae can be found in jewelweed stalks and root bases. Look for plants that are wilted even though they are growing in wet soils. If a stem is split near the base and into the root stock, frass and a whitish larva will usually be present.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Broadleaf Herbaceous Mires

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S2S4

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

Comments:

Photo Gallery for Pristerognatha agilana - None

Photos: 24

	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-05 Buncombe Co. Comment: Larva was in the root stock of Impatiens pallida.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-05 Buncombe Co. Comment: Larva was in the root stock of Impatiens pallida.
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-08 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-04-25 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-04-19 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-04-14 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-08-16 Macon Co. Comment: A split Impatiens pallida stem with a pupa near the root base.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-08-16 Macon Co. Comment: A larva that was removed from the root base of Impatiens pallida.
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-08-16 Macon Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-08-05 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-08-05 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-08-05 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-08-05 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-08-05 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-04-28 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-04-18 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-04-18 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2022-06-24 Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2022-06-24 Wake Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2022-06-24 Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: J. Merrill Lynch on 2015-05-12 Watauga Co. Comment:		Recorded by: J. Merrill Lynch on 2015-05-12 Watauga Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Harry Wilson on 2012-04-27 Wake Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Harry Wilson on 2012-04-27 Wake Co. Comment: