Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
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Acleris Members:
48 NC Records

Acleris placidana (Robinson, 1869) - Black-headed Birch Leaffolder Moth



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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: TortricinaeTribe: TortriciniP3 Number: 620041.00 MONA Number: 3540.00 MONA Synonym: Acleris logiana
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This species tends to be rather uniformly colored, with the most distinctive mark being a black longitudinal dash near the middle of the wing at about one-half the wing length. The palps, head, thorax, and ground color of the forewing can vary from dull white or grayish-white to whitish-tan, and are overlain with a mixture of blackish or dark brown flecks and more diffuse, faint blotches. The costal triangle near the middle of the wing -- that is often well-developed is some Acleris species -- is typically either absence or reduced to two dark blotches along the costa, with the terminal apex near the middle of the wing replaced by a longitudinal black dash. An oblique ridge of raised scales is present at around one-half the wing length that extends from the inner margin to the costa. It separates the basal half of the wing that is often slightly lighter-colored that the apical half. Clusters of small, raised scale patches are also present at around one-fourth and three-fourths the wing length. The hindwing varies from light brown to light gray.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
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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Immature Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Larval Host Plants: Beadle and Leckie (2012) list alder, birch, and viburnum as host plants. The HOSTS database also lists apple and cherry (Robinson et al., 2010). In North Carolina, larvae have been reared from Yellow Birch. - View
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks:
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Acleris placidana - Black-headed Birch Leaffolder Moth

48 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-03-04
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-03-03
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-02-28
Buncombe Co.
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Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2023-10-20
Graham Co.
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Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2023-10-09
Graham Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Ivanna Knox, Marietta Shattelroe and Avery Young on 2023-09-21
Buncombe Co.
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Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2023-08-12
Graham Co.
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Recorded by: John Petranka, David George on 2023-08-05
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-29
Swain Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-19
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-19
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-19
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-06-25
Madison Co.
Comment: A reared adult from a leaf fold on Betula lenta.
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-06-25
Madison Co.
Comment: A reared adult from a leaf fold on Betula lenta.
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-06-07
Madison Co.
Comment: A leaf fold on Betula lenta; two adults were reared that emerged on 2023-06-25.
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-05-09
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2023-05-04
Transylvania Co.
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Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-04-28
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-03-23
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: B bockhahn on 2023-03-06
Buncombe Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-03-01
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-02-21
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-02-16
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-11-27
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-10-25
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2022-09-28
Graham Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-09-20
Haywood Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-09-20
Haywood Co.
Comment: Larvae were in folded leaves on Yellow Birch; larvae on 20 Sept; pupa on 30 Sept; adult on ca. Oct 20.
Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-10-22
Buncombe Co.
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Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-10-22
Buncombe Co.
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