Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFTortricidae Members:
Ancylis Members:
5 NC Records

Ancylis definitivana (Heinrich, 1923) - No Common Name

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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: OlethreutinaeTribe: EnarmoniiniP3 Number: 620661.00 MONA Number: 3373.00
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.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Heinrich (1923)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following description is based in part on that of Heinrich (1923). The crown of the head and the thorax are warm brown, and the face and palps are tawny white. The ground color of the forewing is tawny-white and is overlain with a brown basal patch that extends along the inner margin from the base to near the middle. The patch extends inward to near the middle of the wing, then abruptly angles backwards towards the inner margin to end just beyond the middle as a sharp, angular point. A thin white marginal line is present on the distal edge of the patch, and a large smudge of blackish to blackish-brown dusting is present below the costa at around two-thirds the wing length. The black smudge adjoins a brown streak that extends from near the angulated point of the dorsal patch to the apex. The tornal region has varying levels of dark dusting and the costa has a series of small black streaks that are interspersed with white. A fine black terminal line is present that extends from the apex to the tornus, and the cilia are whitish ocherous. The hindwing is pale smoky fuscous with a concolorous fringe that has a faint, darker, basal line. Ancylis definitivana resembles A. brauni in having a basal patch with a thin white marginal line and a blackish smudge below the costa at around two-thirds. It is best distinguished by the shape of the basal patch which is smooth-edged, angular, and ends as a sharp point, versus being irregular and not ending as a sharp point.
Wingspan: 14.5 mm (Heinrich, 1923)
Adult Structural Features: Heinrich (1923) has an illustration of the male genitalia and notes that this species is distinctive in having both a well-defined bifid uncus and an exceptionally elongated and slender aedeagus.
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: There are only a few scattered records in North America, including records from southeastern Arizona, Nevada, eastern Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and Ontario, Canada. As of 2022, we have only four site records and all are from the Coastal Plain.
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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Flight Comments: The few scattered records from throughout the range are from April through August. As of 2022, we have records from early August through early September.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: As of 2022, all of our records are from sandy, xeric communities in the Sandhills and Coastal Plain.
Larval Host Plants: The host plants are undocumented. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S2S3
State Protection:
Comments: This species is apparently rare although widespread in the US. It appears to be uncommon to rare in North Carolina, but more information is need on its distribution, abundance, and host plants before we can accurately assess its conservation status.