Moths of North Carolina
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Common Name:
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View PDFColeophoridae Members: Coleophora Members: 0 NC Records

Coleophora kalmiella (McDunnough, 1936) - No Common Name

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Taxonomy
Family:
Coleophoridae		P3 Number:
59a1581.1		 MONA Number:
1273.00
Comments: Coleophora kalmiella specializes on species of Kalmia. Eiseman (2021) suspected that there may be two species that are miners of Kalmia, with one an undescribed species. Here, we treat this species as being a member of the North Carolina fauna with the understanding that it may be a member of an unresolved species pair.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: An adult that was reared by Eiseman (2021) from Kalmia angustifolia was uniformly light brown, with brown and white annulations on the antennae. Other adults that he reared from K. latifolia were similar but had a distinct white costal margin on the forewing. Two adults reared from K. latifolia in North Carolina also possess this feature, and through barcoding have been shown to be a different, undescribed species (here referred to as 'Coleophora new species 1 on Kalmia latifolia'.
Immatures and Development: The larvae feed on species of Kalmia, including Mountain Laurel. The young larvae mine the leaf and deposit the frass inside the mine. They eventually cut out a part of a leaf and construct a typical Coleophora case. From that point on they form a blotch mine with an entrance hole, with the frass deposited outside of the mine (Eiseman, 2022). Landry (1998; cited in Eiseman, 2022) found maturing larvae alongside very small, early cases, which suggests that two years are required to complete the life cycle. This may vary geographically however. A linear mine found in the Blue Ridge in August was reared by Jeff Niznik and resulted in an adult the following spring. Adults emerge in late May in Massachusetts and from late June to early July in Nova Scotia (Eiseman, 2022). Our two reared adults in North Carolina emerged in late April to early May.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: The range is rather poorly documented and mostly based on leaf mine records. Adults or mines have been found in Canada (Ontario, Quebec, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia), and in the US from Vermont and Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Coast states to North Carolina (Eiseman, 2022). there are also historical records from Kentucky. Jeff Niznik and David George recently discovered this species in the Piedmont of North Carolina, which is the southernmost known record for this species.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Coleophora kalmiellaAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Flight Comments: The adult emerge from late May in Massachusetts to late June to early July in Nova Scotia (Eiseman, 2021). In North Carolina, our records of adults are from late April to early May.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Local populations are generally associated with Kalmia thickets.
Larval Host Plants: The larvae specialize on Kalmia species (Eiseman, 2022). The only known hosts are Sheep Laurel (Kalmia angustifolia) and Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia). As of 2025, we have found leaf mines and cases on Mountain Laurel. - View
Observation Methods: The adults resemble several other Coleophora species and cannot be reliably identified from images unless they are reared. We recommend searching Mountain Laurel for the mines and larvae.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SNR [S1S3]
State Protection:
Comments: As of 2025 we have one site record each from the Piedmont and the Blue Ridge. Additional information is needed on the distribution and abundance of this species in North Carolina before we can assess its conservation status.