Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
« Home »
View PDFGelechiidae Members: Coleotechnites Members: 3 NC Records

Coleotechnites juniperella (Kearfott, 1903) - No Common Name

Coleotechnites juniperellaColeotechnites juniperellaColeotechnites juniperella
Taxonomy
Family:
Gelechiidae		P3 Number:
59a0733		 MONA Number:
1815.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Coleotechnites juniperella feeds on junipers and is characterized by a creamy white head, and a white forewing that is overlain by a continuous, black, uninterrupted, longitudinal band that extends from the wing base to the apex. The costa has two dark spots, and the white portions of the wing are heavily dusted with darker scales. The following detailed description is mostly based on that of Kearfott (1903) who reared 13 specimens from New Jersey.

The head is creamy ocherous-white and has closely appressed scales. The second segment of the labial palp is thickened with appressed scales, while the third is nearly as long as the second, slender, bluntly pointed, slightly drooping, and curved outward and upward. The overall color of the palp is cream white, with dark-brown or blackish scales on the basal segment. The second segment has dark scales on the underside, with the scales extending upwards in two patches on the outer side to form a basal ring, The last segment has a short streak on the underside that joins a subapical ring (appearing as two terminal rings when viewed from above). The antenna is whitish and clouded with brown on the basal third, and with white and brown annulations on the remainder. The thorax is creamy-white, is less ocherous than the head, and is irrorated with light-brown.

The forewing is creamy white, with a sharply-defined, black, longitudinal band that extends through the middle of the wing from the wing base to the apex. The base of the band extends to the costa to about one-eighth the wing length, then is replaced by a distinct whitish streak that extends towards the apex. The costa has a prominent black patch or oblique line at around three-fourths that nearly reaches the black longitudinal band, and a smaller black spot just before one-half the wing length. There are four almost evenly-spaced black dots parallel to and about midway between the median band and the inner margin, and a fifth dot along the costal edge of the longitudinal band at around three-fifths the wing length. Three other dots form a line along the outer margin, and all of the dots on the wing are composed of black raised scales that are bordered by one or two white scales. The cilia at the apex and outer margin are mottled with dark brown, and are pale gray along the inner margin. The hindwing is pale gray to grayish-brown, and the legs are creamy white and streaked and spotted with reddish-black, with black and white annulations on the metatarsals.

Kearfott (1903) noted that this species is similar to C. obliquistrigella, but the latter has the black, longitudinal band interrupted. Coleotechnites albicostata is also very similar, but tends to have the black, longitudinal band curving more strongly towards the apex, the whitish band along the costa less dusted with darker scales, the terminal black spots along the base of the fringe smaller and more numerous, and extending onto the costa, and the white band along the costa extending closer to the wing base. Coleotechnites juniperella appears to be restricted to coastal dunes and maritime forests, while C. albicostata is found statewide.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Coleotechnites juniperellaAlamance 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.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Larval Host Plants:
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks:
State Protection:
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Coleotechnites juniperella - No common name

Photos: 3
Coleotechnites juniperella
Recorded by: J.B. Sullivan on 2020-05-25
Carteret Co.
Comment: 4 traps		Coleotechnites juniperella
Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, K. Kittelberger on 2014-08-31
Washington Co.
Comment:
Coleotechnites juniperella
Recorded by: T. DeSantis on 2013-07-14
Camden Co.
Comment: