Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGelechiidae Members: Coleotechnites Members: 57 NC Records

Coleotechnites quercivorella (Chambers, 1872) - No Common Name

Coleotechnites quercivorellaColeotechnites quercivorellaColeotechnites quercivorellaColeotechnites quercivorella
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Gelechioidea		 Family:
Gelechiidae		Subfamily:
Gelechiinae		P3 Number:
59a0747		 MONA Number:
1828.00
Comments: The genus Coleotechnites includes 49 very small species that occur in North America. Most species are specialists on conifers and tend to use 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 antenna is dark brownish black with faint lighter bands. The terminal joint of the labial palp is white with two dark rings. Individuals vary in general body patterning, but most have a band of grayish white to dirty white coloration that extends from the vertex to the thorax, and then as a narrow, wavy light stripe that extends along the dorsal margin from the wing base to near the apex. The thorax is often heavily dusted and on some individuals appears darker than the head. The remainder of the wing is heavily dusted with dark brown or blackish scales. Very heavily dusted individuals, which tend to prevail in North Carolina specimens, may have most of the area beneath the dorsal light stripe almost entirely black. There are three equally-spaced patches of dark, raised scales along the inner margin at about one-fourth, one-half, and three-fourths that are centered on the indentions on the dorsal stripe. On many individuals these are completely masked by the heavy black dusting. Lightly dusted individuals often show evidence of three blackish, diffuse, oblique bars that begin along the costa at about one-fourth, one-half, and three-fourths, but these are usually not evident due to the heavy black dusting on the wing. The dark bars are sometimes separated by dusted whitish blotches near the costa, but these are usually masked by the heavy black dusting on the forewing. A faint whitish costal spot is sometimes evident at about four-fifths, but is not prominant. The hindwing is silvery gray, and the fringe on both wings is mostly light gray. The front and middle legs are black with white banding, while the hind leg is creamy-white with black bands. Coleotechnites florae is a closely related species that closely resembles C. quercivorella. Both may be members of a species complex involving these two species and closely related genetic lineages (BOLD). They are most reliably determined by rearing adults from host plants, as is the case with many Coleotechnites species (Freeman, 1961). In North Carolina populations, C. quercivorella tends to be darker overall and lacks a well-developed whitish costal spot at about four-fifths that is present in C. florae. Intermediates are sometimes found that are difficult to place.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: As currently recognized, Coleotechnites quercivorella is a wide-ranging species that appears to be a member of a species complex (seven BINS on BOLD). Populations that conform to this species have been found in many area of North America, including California, portions of southern Canada (British Columbia; Manitoba; Ontario; Quebec; Nova Scotia), and much of the eastern US westward to eastern Texas, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Coleotechnites quercivorellaAlamance 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%20Hanover 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.