Moths of North Carolina

Scientific Name:	Common Name:		Family (Alpha):

View PDF	Tischeriidae Members:	Coptotriche Members:	3 NC Records
Coptotriche crataegifoliae (Braun, 1972) - No Common Name

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Taxonomy

Family: Tischeriidae	P3 Number: 23a0045	MONA Number: 146.00
Comments: Coptotriche is a genus of specialized leafminers that currently consists of 27 recognized Nearctic species. Most species fall within one of two major groups. Members of the first group typically have orangish to yellowish forewings (rarely white) and specialize on oaks and chestnuts, while members of the second group have dark gray, brown, or blackish forewings and mostly feed on members of the Rosaceae (Braun, 1972; Eiseman, 2019).

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:	Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD	Technical Description, Adults: Braun (1972).	Technical Description, Immature Stages: Braun (1972).
Adult Markings: This is one of several confusing Coptotriche that feed on members of the Rosaceae and that have dark-colored wings that are unmarked. The following description is based on that of Braun (1972). The face is whitish, while the head is lustrous dark bronzy with a faint purplish tinge. The antennal shaft is slightly serrate towards the tip and is ciliate throughout in the male. In the female, the shaft appears thickened on the basal third due to very short appressed cilia; these are replaced distally with short cilia that are about one-half the length of those in the outer third in the male. The forewing has a uniformly lustrous dark bronzy color, with purplish reflections that are more pronounced towards the apex. The hindwing and cilia are uniformly gray throughout except for the area near the base of the costa that has slender projecting black scales. The legs are pale gray and the hind tarsi white.
Wingspan: 6.0 - 6.5 mm (Braun, 1972)
Adult Structural Features: Braun (1972) provides keys for identifying males and females based on genitalia. Her verbatim descriptions of the genitalia are as follows. Male: vinculum abruptly produced into a long slender rod; harpe with broadly rounded apex; anellus a broad cylinder; forks of aedeagus densely clothed with pointed scale-like cuticular outgrowths; uncus forks widely separated. Female: ovipositor lobes greatly exceeding lateral lobes, peg setae long: sex opening rounded, anterior lateral sclerotized margins produced; posterior apophyses abruptly expanded foot-shaped at tips; prela slender in distal half, the tips curving.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable only by close inspection of structural features or by DNA analysis.
Immatures and Development: The larvae mine the leaves of hawthorns, and produce a blotch mine at the edge of a leaf (Braun, 1972). As the mine expands, the upper epidermis is loosened and becomes brown. It progressively becomes more wrinkled with time until the leaf eventually curls over near the end of the larval period and hides all but the outer part of the mine. Pupation occurs within the leaf fold, and the pupa thrust through the upper epidermis at emergence. Braun (1972) noted that the mines that she found in Ohio were always found on leaves on the lower part of the plant within a few feet of the ground. Local populations there were bivoltine, with mines appearing in June and adults in late-June and early July. A second brood appeared in the late-summer and fall, with the late-instar larvae (and perhaps the pupae) overwintering, with the adults emerging in late-spring or early summer of the following year.

Distribution in North Carolina


Distribution: The range of this species is poorly documented, with only a few scattered records known from the eastern US and adjoining areas of Ontario and Quebec. As of 2024, specimens have been documented in the US from Vermont, Massachusetts, Maryland, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Louisiana and Texas (Eiseman, 2022; iNaturalist). As of 2024, we have only two records, with one from the Coastal Plain and the other from the 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
Immature 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 flight season is poorly documented. Local populations that Braun (1972) studied in Ohio were bivoltine, with mines appearing in June and adults emerging in late-June and early-July. A second brood appeared in the late-summer and fall, with the late-instar larvae (and perhaps the pupae) overwintering, followed by adult emergence after the spring leaf-out. Harrison (Microleps.com) noted that mines can be found in Illinois beginning in late-July. Our only records as of 2024 are for occupied mines from mid-June and mid-August.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Local populations are generally associated with woodlands, woodland borders, and other habitats that support hawthorns and serviceberry.

Larval Host Plants: The larvae primarily feed on several species of hawthorns (Crataegus spp.; Braun 1972; Eiseman, 2022), but have also been observed using Downy Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea; Microleps.org) and perhaps other Amelanchier species. Eiseman (2022) also reared an adult from Mespilus germanica, which is an introduced ornamental in the Rosaceae. As of 2024, our records are for Woolly Dwarf Hawthorn (Crataegus pexa), a serviceberry (Amelanchier sp.), and Chickasaw Plum (Prunus angustifolia). - View

Observation Methods: This species is best documented by rearing adults from the host plants.

Wikipedia

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [S1S3]

State Protection:

Comments: This appears to be a relatively rare species, but it likely has been under-collected in North Carolina.

Photo Gallery for Coptotriche crataegifoliae - No common name		Photos: 8
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-08-13 Transylvania Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-08-13 Transylvania Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-08-13 Transylvania Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-08-06 Transylvania Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-08-06 Transylvania Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Tracy Feldman on 2022-06-17 Bladen Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Tracy Feldman on 2022-06-17 Bladen Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Tracy Feldman on 2022-06-17 Bladen Co. Comment:

Coptotriche crataegifoliae (Braun, 1972) - No Common Name

Photo Gallery for Coptotriche crataegifoliae - No common name

Photos: 8