Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFHeliozelidae Members: Coptodisca Members: 1 NC Records

Coptodisca kalmiella Dietz, 1921 - No Common Name

Coptodisca kalmiella
view caption 		Coptodisca kalmiellaCoptodisca kalmiella
Taxonomy
Family:
Heliozelidae		P3 Number:
21a0092		 MONA Number:
256.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Immature Stages: Hileman and Lieto (1981); Eiseman (2021)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following is based on the original description by Dietz (1921). The head, labial palps and antennae are silvery gray. The forewing is golden-brown from the base to about the middle of the wing length, then gradually phases into golden yellow. An opposing pair of silvery triangular spots is present at about two-thirds the wing length on both the costa and dorsal margin. The apices of the spots nearly meet near the middle of the wing, and both spots are surrounded proximally and distally with black. There is a black costal stria before the apex. A trapezoidal black spot is present in the basal two-thirds of the cilia and at the apex, with the latter surmounted by a black line extending to the edge of the cilia. The basal two-thirds of the dorsal cilia in the apical third of the wing has two broad, concentric lines separated by a pale line of the ground color. Proximal to this is a brownish tuft that extends from the base to free margin of the cilia. The rest of the cilia is brownish gray. The hindwing is very narrow, with the cilia about three times their width.
Immatures and Development: Hileman and Lieto (1981) and Eiseman (2021) described the larval life history. The larvae are active from May to early July in northern populations and mine the previous year’s leaves. A given female will typically lay several eggs along the midrib and the larvae produce irregular, full-depth mines that project at an angle towards the leaf margin. The mines are initially serpentine but become blotch-like with time, with the frass deposited towards the initial half of the mine. Up to 14 mines have been found in a single leaf. When fully grown, the larva cuts out an oval case that is 2.5–3 mm long and about 1.5 mm wide from a part of the mine that is free of frass. It then drops to the ground and pupates about a day later in leaf litter or ground debris. The adults emerge in late July, and the females lay overwintering eggs on the leaves beginning in mid-August.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Coptodisca kalmiella is restricted to eastern North America and primarily to northern latitudes. Populations occur in southern Canada (Ontario; Quebec; Laborador; Nova Scotia) and in the US from Vermont and central Maine southward along coastal regions to Rhode Island. Apparent southern disjuncts occur in eastern New Jersey and in coastal North Carolina, where Tracy Feldman recently discovered this species. As of 2023, our only record is from Carteret County.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Coptodisca kalmiella
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

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