Moths of North Carolina
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Coptotriche Members:
7 NC Records

Coptotriche agrimoniella (Braun, 1972) - No Common Name


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Taxonomy
Family: TischeriidaeP3 Number: 230040.00 MONA Number: 148.00
Comments: Coptotriche is a genus of specialized leafminers that currently consists of 28 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 Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Braun (1972)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Braun (1972); Eiseman (2022).                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This is a tiny and rather drab moth that has a white face and a dark brown head and thorax. The forewing and cilia are also dark brown. Braun (1972) noted that the forewing has lustrous, dark bronzy coloration near the base that shades to dark lustrous purple towards the apex. Whether specimens appear uniformly brown or more brownish purple as described by Braun (1972) likely depends on the incident light and reflections. The hindwing is very narrow, light brown, and usually darker in the females. The legs are dark gray, and the hind tarsi tends to be lighter colored that those of the other legs. This species is very similar to C. aenea and is best distinguished using genitalia. The adults of both species have most commonly been obtained by rearing and have different host species.
Wingspan: 6-7 mm (Braun, 1972).
Adult Structural Features: Braun (1972) reported that the antennal shaft in the male has long cilia that are longest near base, while the shaft of the female has short cilia that are about half the length of cilia of the male. She provides detailed descriptions of the male and female genitalia. Characters of the vinculum and aedeagus, along with the very small female genitalia, can be used to separate C. agrimoniella from the other dark-colored species that feed on members of the Rosaceae.
Immatures and Development: The larvae are leafminers that feed on species of Agrimonia. The larva first produces a narrow, elongated, whitish tract on a leaflet that gradually widens. With time, the loosened epidermis becomes wrinkled and the leaf curls onto the upper side. The fully curled portion on the leaflet typically conceals most of the mine, and the wrinkled epidermis tends to turn light brown with age. Females deposit a glistening, blue-iridescent egg that is often visible at the beginning of the mine (Braun, 1972). The mines can be abundant locally, and a single leaf may multiple mines on different leaflets. Braun (1972) noted that the mines of the preceding generation are often present on the same leaves or even the same leaflets with mines containing feeding larvae.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Coptotriche agrimoniella is restricted to eastern North America where it occurs from Vermont, Massachusetts, and extreme southern Quebec westward to Illinois and Minnesota. The range extends southward to eastern Oklahoma, eastern Kentucky and throughout the Piedmont and Appalachian region to North Carolina. This species was first discovered in North Carolina in 2022, and is now known from several sites in the Piedmont and 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)

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