Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGelechiidae Members: Coleotechnites Members: 12 NC Records

Coleotechnites coniferella (Kearfott, 1907) - Conifer Coleotechnites

Coleotechnites coniferellaColeotechnites coniferellaColeotechnites coniferellaColeotechnites coniferella
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Gelechioidea		 Family:
Gelechiidae		Subfamily:
Gelechiinae		P3 Number:
59a0721		 MONA Number:
1803.00		 Other Common Name:
Conifer Needleminer
Comments: The genus Coleotechnites includes 49 very small species that occur in North America. Most species are specialists on conifers and tend to feed on a single genus of host plant. Many of the Coleotechnites species have almost identical genitalia that are not very useful in delineating closely related forms (Freeman, 1960; 1965). Freeman (1960) noted that host plants and the mining characteristics often provide the most reliable way to identify closely related species.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following is based in part on the description by Kearfott (1907a) and Forbes (1923). The head is opalescent-white and the antennae whitish with brown annulations. The labial palp is pale cinereous, and the third joint is ringed with black at the base and tip. The thorax is whitish, and often marked with three small black dots on the posterior dorsal margin. The forewing ground is dirty white to ocherous and dusted with varying levels of light fuscous to darker brown scales. There are three equally-spaced blackish dots with raised scales along the inner margin at about one-fourth, one-half, and three-fourths. There are also three oblique dark, wide, streaks. The first begins on the costal at about one-fifth and slants towards the first scale tuft on the inner margin. The second begins on the costa at about one-half and extends to near the middle of the wing before deflecting rearward and ending below the third raised scale tuft. Both streaks have an extensive zone of whitish scales with darker dusting behind them that accentuates the dark streaks. A small subcostal dot is also usually evident immediately posterior to the first dark streak. The third streak begins on the costa at about three-fourths and has a broad base that narrows as it curves rearward. The posterior margin is lined by a narrow white fascia that acutely angles towards the apex before continuing to the dorsal margin. The apex and fringe are dusted with gray and a series of five or more dark dots are often present around the wing tip. The hindwing and fringe is light brown, and the legs are blackish with white annulations.
Wingspan: 9 mm (Kearfott, 1907a).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae are known to feed on pines, but there are no specifics on the life history or ecology. Population appear to be univoltine. The mature larva is about 8 mm long and has a reddish body. The head and thoracic plates are grayish-brown. the legs are black, and the pinacula are darker than the integument (Lindquist, 1963).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Coleotechnites coniferella is widely distributed in North America, including the West Coast states and a few other scattered localities in the West. In the East, it is most common in the northeastern states and adjoining areas of southern Ontario and Quebec, westward to Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Scattered populations have been found in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama, and North Carolina.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Coleotechnites coniferellaAlamance 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.