Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFTortricidae Members:
Eucosma Members:
1 NC Records

Eucosma awemeana (Kearfott, 1907) - No Common Name

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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: OlethreutinaeTribe: EucosminiP3 Number: 620767.00 MONA Number: 2911.00 MONA Synonym: Phaneta awemeana
Comments: Eucosma awemeana is a member of the radiatana species group of Wright and Gilligan (2015). This group includes a complex of 9-13 species that have been difficult to resolve due to their overall external appearances, suspected sexual dimorphism in forewing coloration and patterning in some species, and a scarcity of well-defined diagnostic features in the genitalia. Wright and Gilligan (2015) recognized only nine species in North America and relegated four previously recognized species to synonymy.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Wright and Gilligan (2015)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following is based on descriptions by Kearfott (1907) and Gilligan et al. (2008). The palps, front of the head, and tufts above the eyes are ashy-gray. The thorax is pale clay yellow with a thin dark brown or orangish-brown central line, along with a similar but wider lateral line on each side. The forewing has a pale clay yellow ground color that prevails in the basal half to two-thirds of the wing. The distal portion of the wing is dark orangish brown, and the diagonal streak that extends from the wing base is interrupted or fades medially. The apical third of the costa has a series of irregular tan streaks interspersed between the dark orangish brown coloration. These tend to anastomose and extend inward and terminate before reaching the ocellus. The ocellus is obscure and completely surrounded by the darker coloration of the terminal area. The fringe is blackish-fuscous and divided by one or two thin pale lines, while the hindwing is brownish-fuscous with a lighter fringe. Gilligan et al. (2008) noted that the females are darker overall and smaller than the males. They often have the lighter basal two-thirds infused with orangish-brown.
Wingspan: 17-19 mm (Kearfott, 1907)
Forewing Length: 7.4-8.2 mm; 7.8 mm (Wright and Gilligan, 2015)
Adult Structural Features: Wright and Gilligan (2015) provide illustrations of the male and female genitalia, along with a general description of the genitalia that applies to all members of the radiatana species group. The general description for members of this group follows. In males the uncus is weakly developed and sometimes reduced to a slight bulge. The valva is variably arched laterally, with costal margin weakly concave and the ventral emargination moderate. The neck is somewhat elongate and nearly uniform in width, and the saccular corner is usually angulate. The cucullus has the dorsal and ventral lobes moderately developed. The distal margin varies from convex to nearly straight, and the basoventral margin projects in a ridgelike manner onto the medial surface of the neck. Gilligan et al. (2008) noted that the valva of E. awemeana is intermediate between that of E. essexana and E. formosana. Its costa is nearly straight, the cucullus is obliquely oriented with respect to the neck, and the lateral arching of the neck is only moderate.

In females the papillae anales are moderately setose and microtrichiate. The lamella postvaginalis is rectangular and microtrichiate with the central trough slightly depressed. Sternum 7 has the posterior lobes moderately to broadly rounded and joined to the lateral margins of the lamella postvaginalis by moderately broad bands of sclerotized membrane. The posterolateral margins are straight to weakly concave, while the lateral extremities are triangular and well developed. Scaling of sternum 7 is dense on the posterior lobes and lateral extremities, and moderate elsewhere. The ductus bursae is encircled and somewhat contorted by a broad sclerotized band at the juncture with the ductus seminalis.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable only by close inspection of structural features or by DNA analysis.
Immatures and Development: The larval life history is undocumented.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Eucosma awemeana is broadly distributed across southern Canada from British Columbia and the Yukon Territory eastward to Nova Scotia. In the US, it occurs from the New England states westward through the Great Lakes region to Wisconsin, and southward mostly through the Appalachian region to eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. There is one isolated record from central Alabama. As of 2022, our only record is from Ashe County in the northern mountains.
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
Flight Comments: The adults have been observed from April through August in different areas of the range, with a seasonal peak in May and June. As of 2022, our one record is from early May.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: The preferred habitats are poorly documented.
Larval Host Plants: The host plants are unknown but are presumably composites such as goldenrods that are used by other members of this species group. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [S2-S3]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This species is near the southern limit of its range in western North Carolina and appears to be rare within the state.