Moths of North Carolina
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7 NC Records

Grapholita interstinctana (Clemens, 1860) - Clover Head Caterpillar Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: OlethreutinaeTribe: GrapholitiniP3 Number: 621319.00 MONA Number: 3439.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Immature Stages: MacKay (1959)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: In this species the palps are whitish, and the head, thorax, antennae and ground of the forewing are all dark brown. The most prominent mark on the forewing is a curved, white, dorsal streak at the middle of the inner margin. The streak terminates near the middle of the wing at a silvery spot and is divided down the middle by a dark brown line. The ocellus is poorly expressed and represented by a single silvery bar with black edging. The costa has a series of around eight yellowish-white streaks that extend from about one-third to near the apex, with some having a short silvery or silvery-blue extension. The fringe is light brown with a darker basal line at the termen, and the hindwing is dark brown with a slightly paler fringe that also has a dark basal line. This species is most similar to Grapholita fana, but the latter has a prominent ocellus with a well-defined central field that has 4-5 black horizontal dashes.
Forewing Length: 4.0-6.0 mm (Gilligan et al., 2008).
Adult Structural Features: Gilligan et al. (2008) and Gilligan and Epstein (TortAI) have illustrations of the male and female genitalia. They note that the costal margin of the male valva is nearly straight, while the ventral invagination of the neck is V-shaped.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Folsom (1909) and others reported that the larvae were major pests on clover crops in the early 1900’s. The larvae most commonly feed in the developing clover heads and eat the unopened buds, florets and tender green seeds, which causes the entire head to dry and brown. When young clover heads are not present, they feed on tender green leaves at the crown of the plant, particularly during September and October. The larvae pupate either in the clover head or on the ground in a white silken cocoon that is often covered with frass or bits of floral tissue. Overwintering occurs either as larvae or as pupae.

Boe and Johnson (2016) found that the larvae were seed predators on American Licorice in South Dakota. The first instar larvae entered the seed pods close to its attachment to the rachis and typically consumed all of the seeds within a pod during the larval stage. The mature larvae exited the pods during late July to early August by reopening the enlarged entry hole. They presumably pupated shortly thereafter.

The full-grown larvae are 7-8 mm long and can be dirty white, tinged with green, or orange. The head is dark brown and the prothoracic shield either yellowish with a brown posterior border or dark brown. There are typically 2-3 broods per year and without much overlap in generations (Folsom, 1909; Gilligan and Epstein; TortAI).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Grapholita interstinctana is found in Canada from Nova Scotia and Quebec westward to the Northwest Territories (Pohl et al., 2018). In the US it ranges from Maine westward to Minnesota and South Dakota, and southward to Oklahoma, Mississippi, Tennessee, and North Carolina. As of 2022, all of our records are from the Piedmont and 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 observed from April through September, with the seasonal peak in activity in May through August. As of 2022, we have records from early May through mid-August.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Local populations are commonly found in agricultural fields, pastures, prairies, roadways, old fields, urban parks, and other open sites that support clovers and other herbaceous vegetation.
Larval Host Plants: The larvae appear to most commonly use clovers as hosts (Folsom, 1909; Heinrich, 1926; MacKay, 1959), but there are also records of them using Sawtooth Sunflower (Helianthus grosseserratus), Common Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella and American Licorice (Glycyrrhiza lepidota; Boe and Johnson, 2016; Wehrle, 1924). Clovers that are used include Red Clover (Trifolium pratense), Crimson Clover (T. incarnatum), White Clover (T. repens), and Alsike Clover (T. hybridum). - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights and the larvae can be found in the heads of clovers.
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 North Carolina and appears to be uncommon within the state. We need additional information on its distribution and abundance before we can assess its conservation status.

 Photo Gallery for Grapholita interstinctana - Clover Head Caterpillar Moth

Photos: 5

Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2019-07-12
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2019-07-12
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, P. Scharf, K. Kittelberger on 2015-06-18
Avery Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, P. Scharf, K. Kittelberger on 2015-06-18
Avery Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, P. Scharf, K. Kittelberger, P. Coin on 2013-07-11
Halifax Co.
Comment: