Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFBucculatricidae Members:
Bucculatrix Members:
1 NC Records

Bucculatrix speciosa Braun, 1963 - No Common Name

Taxonomy
Family: BucculatricidaeP3 Number: 33a0046 MONA Number: 527.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Braun (1963)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Braun (1963)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This is a distinctive Bucculatrix that has five white spots on an otherwise dull brown forewing. The following detailed description is based on that of Braun (1963) based on specimens that she collected in West Virginia. The face is creamy white, while the antennal stalk is dark brown with narrowly paler annulations. The head tuft has a few creamy white hairs toward the face, but is otherwise shaded from reddish brown to dark brown posteriorly and centrally. The eye-caps are creamy white and very small, with the basal half fringed with long hairs. The thorax and forewings are dull brown, with the exception of the basal dorsal area below the fold to the first dorsal white spot that is more dull grayish ocherous. There is a pale ocherous region from the base of the costa to the fold. The most conspicuous marks are five whitish spots. These include 1) an oblique white costal spot at three-eighths, 2) a similar white spot at five-eighths, 3) a larger curved white spot before the middle of dorsum whose apex is directed toward the first costal spot, 4) a smaller triangular white spot before the tornus, 5) and a small white spot at the apex that is followed by a small black spot. The cilia along the outer margin are reddish brown, with marginal scales projecting irregularly into them. The hindwings are fuscous with reddish cilia. The legs are dark brown, with the tips of the tarsal segments paler.
Wingspan: 8.0-8.5 mm (Braun, 1963).
Adult Structural Features: Braun (1963) has illustrations and a description of the female genitalia.
Immatures and Development: The larvae initially mine the leaves of goldenrods and produce linear mines that are 4.5 cm or more in length (Braun, 1963). The later instar larvae abandon the mines and feed on the undersides of the leaves where they eat patches of leaf tissue. The size and area of the patches generally increase as the larva ages. The instars molt in cocoons that are composed of pure white, thin, papery silk. The final instar pupates in a very slender, elongated, white, ribbed cocoon. It may be spun on a stem of the food plant near the inflorescence, on the underside of a leaf, or on debris on the ground.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: The range of this species is poorly documented, with scattered records from Wisconsin, Indiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Massachusetts and southern Ontario. As of 2024, we have a single record from Madison County in the Blue Ridge.
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: The larvae feed on goldenrods and local populations are restricted to sites where the host plants are present.
Larval Host Plants: Braun (1963) found the larvae and pupae on an unspecified species of goldenrod (Solidago). Other than this, very little is known about the host species.
Observation Methods: The larvae are attracted to UV-lights, although perhaps only weakly so.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S1S3
State Protection:
Comments: This species appears to be rare within the state, with only a single record as of 2024. More information is needed on its distribution and abundance before we can accurately assess its conservation status within North Carolina.

 Photo Gallery for Bucculatrix speciosa - No common name

Photos: 3

Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-06-20
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-06-20
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-06-20
Madison Co.
Comment: