Acleris semipurpurana

Oak leaftier moth
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Tortricidae
Genus: Acleris
Species:
A. semipurpurana
Binomial name
Acleris semipurpurana
(Kearfott, 1909)
Synonyms
  • Tortrix albicomana var. semipurpurana Kearfott 1905
  • Tortrix semipurpurana
  • Argyrotoxa semipurpurana
  • Croesia semipurpurana
  • Tortrix dorsipurpurana Kearfott, 1907
Acleris semipurpurana, oak leaftier moth, size: 8.5 mm
Acleris semipurpurana, oak leaftier moth, size: 8.7 mm

Acleris semipurpurana is a species in the moth family Tortricidae, and one of several species of moth commonly known as oak leaftier or oak leaf tier. The larvae feed on the leaves of oak trees in the Eastern United States and southeastern Canada which can be a major cause of defoliation. The loss of leaves can kill or damage the affected trees, which are chiefly in the Lobatae or red oak section of Quercus, or oaks.

Adult Acleris semipurpurana moths lay single eggs on oak tree branches in June which develop over winter and hatch the next April. The larvae eat tree buds and young leaves, then tie leaves together with silk (hence the name). They nest and eat inside the tied leaves, then pupate in the leaf litter on the floor in May or June. After a week or two the adult moths emerge, mate, and lay the next generation of eggs.