Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGelechiidae Members:
Exoteleia Members:
51 NC Records

Exoteleia pinifoliella complex none - Pine Needleminer Moth Complex

Taxonomy
Family: GelechiidaeSubfamily: GelechiinaeP3 Number: 0.00 MONA Number: 1840.05
Comments: The genus Exoteleia contains a group of micromoths that feed on pine needles. Issues concerning the actual number of Exoteleia species that occur in eastern North America have been particularly challenging for taxonomists to resolve. Hodges (1985) was the first to seriously tackle this issue, and after going through the described species concluded that it was not possible to resolve the question of separation of species in Nearctic Exoteleia. Adamski et al. (2010) barcoded specimens from the eastern North America and found four rather weakly differentiated genetic groups. Genetic distances ranged from 0.04 - 3.03%, and support for the groups was only moderate. They entertained two hypotheses: either that these are four weakly differentiated species, or they represent a single variable species with different haplotypes that reflect the species' phylogeographic history through ancestral polymorphism, host races, or some other biological pattern. They concluded that the available evidence was insufficient to make a convincing argument either way. They also found that all other attributes that have been reported in the literature (i.e., adult coloration, genitalia, larval hosts, immatures, geographic distribution) are either insufficient or not congruent with each other, and do not support species separation. Adamski et al. (2010) suggested that members of the four clusters be referred to as the 'Exoteleia pinifoliella complex’ until additional studies are completed. Here we include records of species that were previously treated as E. chillcotti, E. pinifoliella, E. anomala and perhaps other related eastern North American forms that fall into the Exoteleia pinifoliella complex. These forms currently cannot be readily distinguished by external morphology, genitalia, or DNA markers.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
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
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Larval Host Plants: The larvae of this complex are pine specialists.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
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 Photo Gallery for Exoteleia pinifoliella complex - Pine Needleminer Moth Complex

58 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

Recorded by: Chuck Smith on 2023-09-05
Davidson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-30
Swain Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-06
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-07-03
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Chuck Smith on 2023-06-29
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, John Petranka and Bo Sullivan on 2023-06-14
Moore Co.
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Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2023-05-31
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-05-26
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Erich Hofmann, Jesse Anderson on 2023-05-22
New Hanover Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-05-20
Wake Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Bo Sullivan on 2023-05-17
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka, Chuck Smith on 2023-05-12
Bladen Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-05-12
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-05-11
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-05-11
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Bo Sullivan on 2023-04-14
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-05-31
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-05-29
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-05-29
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-05-28
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-05-27
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-05-27
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-05-16
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-05-16
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-05-01
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-05-01
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-06-04
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2020-07-05
Buncombe Co.
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Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2020-07-05
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-06-06
Guilford Co.
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