Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Gelechiidae Members:	Coleotechnites Members:	13 NC Records

Coleotechnites macleodi (Freeman, 1965) - Brown Hemlock Needleminer Moth

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Taxonomy

Family:
Gelechiidae

Subfamily:
Gelechiinae

P3 Number:
59a0737

MONA Number:
1819.00

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

Technical Description, Adults: Freeman (1965)

Technical Description, Immature Stages: Freeman (1965)

Adult Markings: The following is based mostly on the original description by Freeman (1965). The antenna is alternately marked with ocherous and brown bands. The labial palp is light ocherous, and the second joint has basal and subapical brownish spots. The apical joint has a brownish sub-basal band and a black sub-apical ring. The face and vertex vary from whitish to ocherous white. The thorax and ground color of the forewing are ocherous white, and the forewing has a series of small, dark raised patches at about one-fourth, one-half, and two-thirds the wing length. These may be missing or reduced in worn specimens. The forewing has an oblique black streak that extends from the base of the costa to just beyond the fold, and that terminates in a small patch of raised scales. Just before the middle, there is another transverse black band that extends less obliquely to the middle of the wing. Opposite this, and just below the fold, there is another small black spot of raised scales. On the costa at the outer third there is a rather broad, blackish transverse band that is narrowly bordered with white apically. It continues across the wing to form a flattened V-shape. Around the apex of the wing there are five or six small black dots. The apical fringe is gray, and the trailing fringe somewhat lighter. The hindwing and fringe are light gray. The front and middle legs have black and cream bands. The hindlegs are cream, with some black bands on the tarsi. The male has an ocherous hair-pencil that arises from beneath the base of the hindwing.

This adults of this species resemble those of several other Coleotechnites species. Host specificity and larval traits are helpful in sorting out the numerous species of Coleotechnites that occur in the US. There are only two species in eastern North America that specialize on hemlocks, and this is the only species that has brown larvae. Coleotechnites apicitripunctella is the other hemlock specialist, but it has green larvae.

Wingspan: 9-11 mm (Freeman, 1965)

Adult Structural Features: Freeman (1965) reported that the genitalia are similar to those of C. martini, which he describes and illustrates.

Immatures and Development: The larvae can reach up to 7 mm TL, and are reddish brown to brown, with a dark brown head and prothoracic shield. The prothoracic shield has a light gray anterior margin. The larvae mine the needles of hemlocks. A bore hole is made near the base of each leaf blade and the frass is expelled from the mines. After mining two or more leaves, the larvae in Canada overwinter in a mines and resume feeding in the spring. Six or more needles are ultimately mined. The dead needles are tied loosely together with webbing, and the older instars construct an elongate silk tube and join the bases of the mined needles together (Maier et al., 2011; Eiseman, 2019). Larvae in North Carolina appear to overwinter at later stages than those in Canada, with the webbed leaves and elongate silk tube fully formed by winter. As it approaches maturity, the larva hollows out needles from the lower surface. Pupation occurs within the silk tube in late May or June in Canada (probably substantially earlier in North Carolina).

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Coleotechnites macleodi is found in eastern North America. It was thought to be restricted to Ontario, Quebec, Massachusetts and perhaps a few adjoining states, but was recently discovered in western North Carolina. As of 2025, we have records based on overwintering larva from seven counties in the Blue Ridge, and mostly from lower-elevation sites.

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: Populations are univoltine. Freeman (1965) reported that the adults fly from late-May and early-June in Canada. Nora Murdock reared two adults from larvae that were collected in mid-January and kept at 60-65 degrees.The adults emergence in mid-February, but it is uncertain when they would emerge in the wild in North Carolina - perhaps in April.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: This species has only been observed feeding on Eastern Hemlock, which is most commonly found in cool, moist forested sites.

Larval Host Plants: Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is the only known host (Eiseman, 2022), but Carolina Hemlock (Tsuga caroliniana) could potentially be a host for southern Appalachian populations. - View

Observation Methods: We recommend searching for the webbed leaves during winter and spring. The color of the caterpillars should be checked to verify that they are brown with dark brown heads and thoracic shields. Coleotechnites apicitripunctella builds similar webs, but has green larvae with amber-colored heads and thoracic shields.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for Hemlock Forests

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S2S3

State Protection:

Comments: Coleotechnites macleodi was only recently discovered in North Carolina, and more information is needed on its distribution and abundance before we can fully assess its conservation status. This and other species that are hemlock specialists are being severely impacted by the widespread loss of Eastern Hemlock due to infestations of the hemlock woolly adelgid. Both of our Coleotechnites species that are hemlock specialists appear to tolerate the systemic insecticides that are used to treat adelgids and reproduce successfully on treated trees.

Photo Gallery for Coleotechnites macleodi - Brown Hemlock Needleminer Moth

Photos: 28

	Recorded by: Nora Murdock on 2026-02-15 Henderson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Nora Murdock on 2026-02-15 Henderson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Nora Murdock on 2026-02-15 Henderson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Nora Murdock on 2026-02-15 Henderson Co. Comment: Reared from a larva collected January 14, 2026. It was kept at cool room temperature in a vial with fresh hemlock twigs and needles, for 32 days.
	Recorded by: Marilyn Westphal and Nora Murdock on 2026-02-12 Polk Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Nora Murdock on 2026-01-14 Rutherford Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Nora Murdock on 2026-01-14 Rutherford Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Nora Murdock on 2026-01-14 Rutherford Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Nora Murdock on 2026-01-14 Rutherford Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Nora Murdock on 2026-01-14 Rutherford Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Nora Murdock on 2026-01-14 Rutherford Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-12-26 McDowell Co. Comment: An occupied web on Eastern Hemlock (see companion photo of larva that was inside).
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-12-26 McDowell Co. Comment: A larva that was removed from a bundle of dead needles on Eastern Hemlock.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-12-26 Yancey Co. Comment: A larva within the remnants of an old Eastern Hemlock needle.
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-12-26 Yancey Co. Comment: A needle web that contained a larva.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-12-26 Yancey Co. Comment: A larva that was exposed from within a web of dead needles of Eastern Hemlock.
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-12-26 Yancey Co. Comment: A larva in a mined needle of Eastern Hemlock.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-12-17 Buncombe Co. Comment: A larva partially emerging from an Eastern Hemlock needle.
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-12-17 Buncombe Co. Comment: Webbed Eastern Hemlock needles that contained a larva.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-03-09 Henderson Co. Comment: From an Eastern Hemlock.
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-03-09 Henderson Co. Comment: Webbed Eastern Hemlock needles that contained a larva. The head of the larva is barely visible on the left.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-01-14 Madison Co. Comment: A brown larva with a dark brown head and thoracic shield was inside.
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-01-10 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-01-10 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-01-10 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-01-01 Madison Co. Comment: A view of the dead, mined leaves of Eastern Hemlock that were bound together with webbing.
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-01-01 Madison Co. Comment: A view of the dead, mined leaves that are bound together with webbing.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-01-01 Madison Co. Comment: A caterpillar (5 mm TL) that was extracted from the webbed leaves of an Eastern Hemlock.