Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
« »
View PDFHeliozelidae Members:
Coptodisca Members:
21 NC Records

Coptodisca lucifluella (Clemens, 1860) - No Common Name


view caption
view caption
view caption
view caption
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Adeloidea Family: HeliozelidaeP3 Number: 210088.00 MONA Number: 247.00
Comments: This New World genus includes 18 described North American species of small leaf-mining moths, as well as several undescribed species. When mature, the larva cuts a disc of tissue out of the leaf and uses it to form a cocoon. All known species of Coptodisca feed on woody plants, and most are restricted to a single plant genus.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following description is primarily based on Chambers (1874). The head, thorax and much of the basal half of the forewing are silvery white to light gray, while the remainder of the forewing has complex patterning that includes several silvery streaks or patches on a dark brown to blackish ground color. The blackish ground color occurs along the dorsal margin (sometimes narrowly extending towards the base of the wing) and spreads inwardly beyond the mid-point where it is replaced by a golden yellow costal region. A large silvery white triangular costal patch with convergent black borders occurs just beyond the mid-point and is bordered on either side with golden orange. A second large triangular patch occurs along the inner margin that is opposite and slightly anterior to the first costal patch. This patch is surrounded by the dark ground color that extends to the base of the cilia. Near the wing tip there is a small silvery costal patch at the apex with a black margin on the anterior edge. A large, fan-shaped apical patch occurs at the end of the wing that sometimes has a dark streak that extends to the apex of the cilia. Near the base of the apical patch there is a very small white spot on both sides of the patch. This species has wing patterning that is similar to several closely related Coptodisca (e.g., C. ostryaefoliella, C. saliciella and C. splendoriferella), but each specializes on different host plants. On C. lucifluella the dark ground color on the forewing extends forward well beyond the large triangular mark on the inner margin. As a result, the golden orange area toward the apex forms a broad band that is restricted to the costal third of the wing. On related species, this area is replaced with golden orange coloration that extends well beyond the costal third of the wing and often all the way to the inner margin. Male genitalia of Coptodisca are difficult to dissect and embed in a fixed position. Reliable identification can be achieved by rearing adults from their host plants or through DNA analysis.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larva initially forms a somewhat tortuous linear tract that soon becomes an elongated, green to light brown, full-depth blotch. As the blotch expands, it usually obliterates the initial linear tract (Eiseman, 2019). The mine is packed with coarse, stringy frass that is sometimes concentrated along the margins. Completed mines are 4.5–13 mm long and 2–6 mm wide. When mature, the larva cuts a disc of tissue out of the leaf and uses it to form a cocoon (pupal case). The pupal case is typically around 2.2–4.2 mm long and 1.3–2.4 mm wide, and may be attached to the mined leaf or to another substrate some distance away. Forbes (1923) found cocoons on tree trunks under loose bark. This species is multivoltine, and development from the egg to adult stage may take as few as 18 days (Eiseman, 2019).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Coptodisca lucifluella occurs throughout much of eastern North America, from Ontario and Massachusetts, southward to Georgia, and westward to Wisconsin and eastern Texas (Eiseman, 2019). Populations have been introduced in New Mexico, Mexico and Italy. Populations in Italy have shifted hosts to walnuts (Juglans) and have become significant pests in commercial orchards (Bernardo et al., 2015). The few records that we have for North Carolina as of 2022 are from all three physiographic provinces.
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