Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Nepticulidae Members:	Ectoedemia Members:	65 NC Records

Ectoedemia nyssaefoliella (Chambers, 1880) - No Common Name

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Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Nepticuloidea

Family:
Nepticulidae

Subfamily:
Nepticulinae

Tribe:
Trifurculini

P3 Number:
16a0093

MONA Number:
50.00

Comments: This genus includes 15 Nearctic species of very small, leaf-mining moths.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD

Technical Description, Adults: Wilkinson and Newton (1981)

Technical Description, Immature Stages: Braun, 1917; Eiseman, 2019.

Adult Markings: The following description of the adults is based on Braun (1917) and Wilkinson and Newton (1981). The tuft on the front of the head is ochreous, while that on the vertex is orange-ochreous. The palps are grayish, and the collar is pale ochre. The eye-cap is shining white and the antenna dark brown. The thorax and abdomen are dark brown to black, and the forewing is similarly colored, but with very faint bronze or purple reflections. In the middle of the wing is a shining silvery or pale golden fascia that varies from being either biconcave to slightly convex outwardly. The cilia around the apex is white to light grayish brown, with a marginal line of dark scales. The hindwing is pale gray. On the male, an oval patch of creamy white scales extends from the base to the middle of the dorsal surface, but is sometimes absent. The legs are dark brown above. Ectoedemia nyssaefoliella is generally darker and the fascia is narrower than that of E. platanella or other members of the platanella group (Wilkinson and Newton, 1981).

Wingspan: 4.2-6.4 for males; 4.6-6.4 for females (Wilkinson and Newton (1981).

Adult Structural Features: The following descriptions of the genitalia are from Wilkinson and Newton (1981). Males: The pseuduncus has a single tapering lobe. The gnathos is W-shaped, and the transverse ventral plate has a broad central boss. The vinculum has broad lateral arms and the ventral plate is narrow. The saccus is more than two-times the width of the ventral plate and bilobed. The valves do not reach beyond the pseuduncus, and are quadrate with a triangular style arising distally. The transtillae has narrow lateral arms. The ventral arms are long and narrow, and reach well beyond the ventral plate. The transverse arms are fused. The aedeagus is regular in width, and approximately equal to the length of the capsule. The vesica has cornuti as many small denticles and with a cup-shaped plate of minute papillae. Females: The ductus bursae is short and narrow, with the spiral duct arises medially. The bursa copulatrix is large and covered with scallop-shaped chains of pectinations on striations of the bursa. The signum is double and comprises a pair of unequal cellular patches. One is ovate, while the other is constricted proximally. The anterior apophyses are very broad basally and taper markedly, while the posterior apophyses are straight and narrow and reach beyond the anterior apophyses. The male genitalia are easily differentiated from those of any other member of the genus by the absence of the anellar processes. The females resemble those of E. rubifoliella, E. ulmella and E. quadrinotata in lacking a strongly sclerotized colliculum, but may be separated by the unequal signa, one of which is constricted proximally in E. nyssaefoliella.

Immatures and Development: The larvae mine the leaves of Black Gum. As it feeds, the larva first forms a long, narrow, winding mine with a central blackish frass line. The mine eventually abruptly broadens into an upper surface blotch that measures about 2 cm or more in length, with an average width of 5 or 6 mm. The blackish frass grains are scattered widely in the blotch, but are usually absent from the margins (Braun, 1917; Eiseman, 2019). At maturity, the larvae cuts a slit through the blotch and spins an external cocoon that is pale greenish brown.

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Ectoedemia nyssaefoliella occurs in the eastern North America from Illinois, southern Michigan and southern Ontario eastward to Vermont and Massachusetts, and southward to central Florida, although it is uncommon in the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The range extends westward through the Gulf States to eastern Texas, Arkansas, western Kentucky and western Indiana. As of 2024, we have records from the lower mountains, Piedmont and Coastal Plain, with relatively few in the latter.

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
Immature Dates: High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft. Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft. Piedmont (Pd) Coastal Plain (CP) Click on graph to enlarge
Flight Comments: Braun (1917) reported that there are two or three generations a year, and that the larvae of the first generation become full grown in June. As of 2024, we have records of occupied mines from late-May to late October, which is consistent with her observations in Kentucky and Ohio.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Local populations are strongly dependent on Black Gum for successful reproduction. This species occurs in a variety of mesic and dry forests such as oak-hickory forests and pine-oak-heath communities.

Larval Host Plants: The mines are primarily found on Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica), but have also been reported from Swamp Tupelo (Nyssa biflora) (Eiseman, 2022). In North Carolina, we have records for both species. - View

Observation Methods: The adults appear to rarely visit lights and most adult records are for reared individuals. Braun (1917) noted that this is one of the most abundant Ectoedemia species, and that moths are often abundant in the vicinity of Black Gum. The mines are distinctive and easy to spot on Black Gum leaves.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for Gum and Tupelo Forests

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S4S5

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.

Comments: This species appears to be widespread and locally common in the western half of the state. Numerous local populations have been documented since 2015 based on mine records.

Photo Gallery for Ectoedemia nyssaefoliella - None

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

	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-14 Rowan Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-03 Bladen Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Becky Watkins on 2025-06-01 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-24 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-24 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-12-08 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George on 2024-10-21 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-10-17 Montgomery Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-10-16 Rowan Co. Comment: Mine on upper right, while that of Antispila nysaefoliella is on the lower left.		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-09-12 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-09-10 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-17 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kevin Bischof on 2024-08-07 Transylvania Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-08-02 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-02 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-02 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2023-09-03 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2023-09-03 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Bo Sullivan on 2023-08-08 Wilkes Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Bo Sullivan on 2023-08-08 Wilkes Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2023-06-13 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2023-06-13 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George on 2023-06-05 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George on 2023-05-26 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George on 2022-11-22 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-10-24 McDowell Co. Comment: On Black Gum..
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-10-24 McDowell Co. Comment: A backlit image of an occupied mine on Black Gum.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-10-06 Burke Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-10-04 Transylvania Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Steve Hall, Todd Pusser, Bo Sullivan and Carol Tingley on 2022-09-27 Moore Co. Comment: An unoccupied mine on Nyssa biflora.