Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGelechiidae Members: Coleotechnites Members: 4 NC Records

Coleotechnites piceaella (Kearfott, 1903) - Orange Spruce Needleminer Moth

Coleotechnites piceaellaColeotechnites piceaella
view caption 		Coleotechnites piceaella
Taxonomy
Family:
Gelechiidae		Subfamily:
Gelechiinae		P3 Number:
59a0744		 MONA Number:
1826.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: As of 2023, both of our records are from Spruce-fir forest in or near Mt. Mitchell.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Coleotechnites piceaellaAlamance 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.
Immature 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: immatures.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Our two records come from stands of Spruce-fir Forests on Mt. Mitchell and adjoining areas of the Black Mountains.
Larval Host Plants: The larvae are needle-miners on both fir and spruce trees (Prentice, 1966; Rose and Lindquist, 1994). The reported hosts include Norway Spruce (Picea abies), White Spruce (P. glauca), Black Spruce (P. mariana), Colorado Spruce (P. pungens) and Red Spruce (P. rubens). In North Carolina, feeding has been recorded on Red Spruce and Fraser Fir (Abies fraseri). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Spruce-Fir Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: [W-TH]
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SNR [S1S2]
State Protection:
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Coleotechnites piceaella - Orange Spruce Needleminer Moth

Photos: 5
Coleotechnites piceaella
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, Kaitlyn Elliott on 2025-10-11
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Coleotechnites piceaella
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, Kaitlyn Elliott on 2025-10-11
Yancey Co.
Comment:
Coleotechnites piceaella
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, Kaitlyn Elliott on 2025-10-11
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Coleotechnites piceaella
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-09-08
Yancey Co.
Comment:
Coleotechnites piceaella
Recorded by: J.B. Sullivan on 2019-07-30
Yancey Co.
Comment: