Moths of North Carolina
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Adoxophyes Members:
11 NC Records

Adoxophyes negundana (McDunnough, 1923) - Shimmering Adoxophyes Moth


Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: TortricinaeTribe: ArchipiniP3 Number: 620370.00 MONA Number: 3691.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: McDunnough (1923)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following is based primarily on the original description by McDunnough (1923) for specimens from Manitoba. The head, palps, and thorax are pale to light yellowish-brown. The ground of the forewing is shiny, light yellowish-brown and is finely reticulated or striated with indistinct thin, golden-brown lines. The most prominent mark on the forewing is a posteriorly oblique median band that extends from near the middle of the costa to the inner margin. The band varies from dark brown to yellowish-brown and may either terminate at the inner margin at about two-thirds, or angle towards the tornus. The band has a conspicuous kink before reaching the middle of the wing that has a short angular extension both basally and apically. A narrow subapical band is also present that gently curves from the costa at about three-fourths to the tornus. The band can be narrow along its entire length, or begin broadly at the costa and gradually narrow to a point as it approaches the tornus. The fringe is concolorous with the ground color, and the hindwing is white with a concolorous fringe. This species resembles A. furcatana, but the latter has reticulations on the ground that are more distinct, a median band that does not have a pronounced kink near the middle, and a subterminal band that is doubly arcuate rather than being gently curved.
Forewing Length: 7.5-9.5 mm (Gilligan and Epstein, 2014; TortID)
Adult Structural Features: Freeman (1958) and Gilligan and Epstein (2014; TortID) have illustrations and descriptions of the male and female genitalia. Freeman (1958) noted that the male genitalia are similar to those of A. furcatana, except that they have only four cornuti and have more sharply elbowed gnathos arms.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae are leafrollers on Boxelder, but details of the larval life history are unreported.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Adoxophyes negundana is found throughout most of the eastern US, and in southern Canada where it occurs in New Brunswick and from Quebec westward to Alberta. In the US the range extends from the New England states southward to northern Florida and westward to central Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, and eastern North Dakota. As of 2023, our records are restricted to the Piedmont and mountains.
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 primarily from May though August in different areas of the range. As of 2023, our records are from late May through late August.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Local populations are associated with Boxelder, which is mostly found in alluvial floodplains, stream margins, lakeshores, and the lower slopes of rich woods. All but one of our records come from residential areas near bottomland hardwoods. One comes from a high elevation stand of mesic hardwoods.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are reported to feed only on Boxelder (Acer negundo) (Freeman, 1958; Prentice, 1966; Godfrey et al., 1987; Gilligan and Epstein, 2014). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights and have been reared from Boxelder.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Rich Wet Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S3S4
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: We have only five site records as of 2023, which may reflect that fact that populations tend to be localized near aquatic sites and have been undersampled. Additional information is needed on the distribution and abundance of this species before we can accurately assess its conservation status.

 Photo Gallery for Adoxophyes negundana - Shimmering Adoxophyes Moth

Photos: 10

Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-07-04
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-06-07
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-08-26
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Lenny Lampel on 2020-07-18
Mecklenburg Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-07-08
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-06-28
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2019-07-03
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2019-06-27
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2019-05-21
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2014-05-10
Cabarrus Co.
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