Moths of North Carolina
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Epiblema Members:
7 NC Records

Epiblema boxcana (Kearfott, 1907) - No Common Name

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: OlethreutinaeTribe: EucosminiP3 Number: 621064.00 MONA Number: 3171.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Wright and Gillgan (2023)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following is primarily based on the descriptions by Kearfott (1907b) and Wright and Gillgan (2023). The head, palps, antennae, and thorax are various shades of brown, blackish-brown or yellowish-brown. The forewing ground color varies from brown to blackish-brown or grayish-brown and is often finely speckled with whitish-gray. A dorsal patch is present at about one-half the wing length that extends from the inner margin to the middle of the wing where it fade into the darker ground color. The patch is typically dull white to grayish- or brownish-white, with the proximal edge outwardly oblique and the distal edge weakly so. It often has three or four faint brown striations within, and the proximal edge tends to contrast sharply with the darker ground that is present on the basal third of the wing. The area between the dorsal patch and the ocellus is occupied by a dark brown, quadrate pre-tornal mark. The ocellus is dull colored and varies from being mostly gray to brownish-white, with one or two black dashes in the narrow pale central field. The costal strigulae are obscure, gray, and separated by brownish-gray striate markings. The fringe is grayish-brown, while the hindwing is light grayish-brown and often somewhat darker towards the apex.
Wingspan: 12-18 mm (Kearfott, 1907b).
Forewing Length: 5.7-8.0 mm; mean = 7.0 mm (Wright and Gilligan, 2023).
Adult Structural Features: Wright and Gilligan (2023) provide descriptions and illustrations of the male and female genitalia.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larval life history is undocumented.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Epiblema boxcana is found throughout much of the eastern U.S. and adjoining areas of southern Ontario and Quebec. The main range in the U.S. extends from Maine southward to North Carolina and Tennessee, and westward to eastern Oklahoma, eastern Kansas, eastern Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin and northeastern North Dakota. Scattered populations have also been found farther south in mostly coastal habitats in South Carolina, Georgia, southern Alabama, southern Mississippi, southern Louisiana and eastern Texas. As of 2024, we have a few scattered records from all three physiographic regions.
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 fly from April through October in different areas of the range, with seasonal peaks typically in May and June. As of 2024, our few records extend from mid-April through late-August.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Our records are from a variety of xeric to mesic habitats, including coastal dunes and spoil areas, mesic woodlands and residential neighborhoods.
Larval Host Plants: The hosts are apparently undocumented. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
Wikipedia
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: This species is seemingly uncommon within the state, but more information is needed on its distribution, preferred habitats and host plants before we can accurately assess its conservation status.

 Photo Gallery for Epiblema boxcana - No common name

Photos: 4

Recorded by: Harry Wilson on 2017-05-02
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, K. Kittelberger, B. Fleming on 2017-04-12
Gates Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jackie Nelson / Doug Blatny on 2013-08-28
Ashe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Harry Wilson on 2013-05-17
Wake Co.
Comment: