Moths of North Carolina
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16 NC Records

Ancylis nubeculana (Clemens, 1860) - Little Cloud Ancylis Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: OlethreutinaeTribe: EnarmoniiniP3 Number: 620641.00 MONA Number: 3354.00
Comments: The genus Ancylis contains around 130 described species that occur worldwide. The exact number of species in North America is uncertain due to several unresolved species complexes, but is around 35 species.
Species Status: This species was once a significant pest in apple orchards (Leach, 1916), but is far less so today.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following description is based in part on that of Forbes (1923). The antenna and head tuft are dark brown, while the palps and face are contrastingly white. The forewing ground is white, and the thorax is brownish black and concolorous with a large patch on the inner margin. The dark patch covers much of the dorsal half of the wing and widens distally. It extends nearly to the middle of the wing or slightly beyond and has a broadly undulating margin with a major bulge inward near its middle. A patch of clouded bluish-gray immediately follows the dark patch and another covers much of the apical third of the wing. A short, oblique, brownish to bluish-gray bar is also present at the middle of the costa. The apex is shaded with rusty orange to brownish coloration and is preceded by two or three similarly colored costal streaks that bend toward the termen. One or two short black dashes are usually present in above the anteriormost streak. The fringe is white near the anal angle and broadly fuscous tipped elsewhere, and has a white cut just below the apex.
Wingspan: 15 mm (Forbes, 1923)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae are leaf-folders on members of the Rosaceae. The hatchlings initially feed beneath a silken web on the underside of a leaf that is constructed along the mid-rib or along a major vein. After 3-4 weeks, the larva gnaws through the upper tissues of the leaf and moves to the upper surface of a fresh leaf. It spins a new web and gradually folds and binds the leaf lengthwise and sews the edges together with silk. The larva skeletonizes the upper surface of the leaf from within the fold. As food resources are depleted, the larvae evacuate occupied leaves and create new leaf folds so that several leaves may be used by a single individual during the season. The final instar overwinters in a fallen leaf and pupates the following spring (Leach, 1916; Chapman and Lienk, 1971). The mature larvae are around 11-12 mm long and have a yellowish-orange head and a yellowish thoracic shield with conspicuous black spots on the outer hind corners The body is variably dusky yellowish green, and the anal plate is yellowish with an irregular, transverse, black spot on the posterior half.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Ancylis nubeculana has northern affinities and occurs across much of southern Canada from British Columbia to Prince Edward Island. In the US the range extends from Maine and other New England states westward to Minnesota and southward mostly through the Appalachian region to Tennessee and western North Carolina. In addition, a few scattered records are known from the Pacific Northwest. As of 2022, all of our records are from lower elevation sites in the Blue Ridge.
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 found from April through July in different areas of the range, with a seasonal peak in most areas in May and June. As of 2022, our records extend from late April through mid-June.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on members of the Rosaceae (Wellhouse, 1922; MacKay, 1959; Prentice, 1966; Chapman and Lienk, 1971; Godfrey et al., 1987; Miller, 1987a; Robinson et al., 2010). The reported hosts include serviceberries (Amelanchier), Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa), hawthorns (Crataegus), domesticated apples (Malus domestica), domesticated pears (Pyrus communis), Fire Cherry (Prunus pensylvanica) and Choke Cherry (P. virginiana). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Montane Rosaceous Thickets
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 reaches the southern limit of its range in western North Carolina and appears to be uncommon within the state.

 Photo Gallery for Ancylis nubeculana - Little Cloud Ancylis Moth

Photos: 16

Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-04-28
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-04-30
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-04-30
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-05-13
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-05-13
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-05-21
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-05-21
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-05-07
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-05-07
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-05-21
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-05-21
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-05-12
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-05-12
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, K. Kittelberger, P. Scharf on 2015-06-18
Avery Co.
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Recorded by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf on 2014-06-08
Avery Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Doug Blatny/Jackie Nelson on 2012-05-25
Ashe Co.
Comment: