Moths of North Carolina
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76 NC Records

Bucculatrix coronatella Clemens, 1860 - No Common Name


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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Gracillarioidea Family: BucculatricidaeSubfamily: [Bucculatriginae]Tribe: [Bucculatrigini]P3 Number: 330079.00 MONA Number: 559.00
Comments: Bucculatrix is a large genus of small leaf-mining moths, with around 300 species worldwide. A total of 103 Nearctic species have been described, and many others will likely be described in the future. Braun (1963) covered 99 species in her monograph, and four additional Nearctic species have been described since then.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Braun (1963, p. 145)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Braun (1963)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This is a tiny moth with three costal streaks and one tornal streak, a black raised scale patch, a black apical spot, and a black apical ciliary line. The following detailed description is based on Braun (1963). The head is yellowish white, and the tuft orange-ocherous centrally and lighter laterally. The eye-cap is yellowish white and tinged with ocherous posteriorly, while the antennal stalk is dotted with brown above. The thorax is orange-ocherous, and the tegulae and extreme base of the forewing pale. The ground color of the forewing is a uniform orange-ocherous or sometimes brownish color. A contrasting patch of raised dark scales is located on the dorsal surface (inner margin) of the forewing at about one-half the wing length. It is bordered in front and behind by small patches of white (sometimes not readily evident). The black patch may be conspicuous, reduced to a few scales, or sometimes absent, and the ground color behind the raised scales is not conspicuously darkened. Three posteriorly oblique, white streaks extend from the costa to near the middle of the wing. The first begins near the basal fifth and extends towards the black scale patch on the inner margin. The second begins at about one-half, and the third at two-thirds. The latter is an irregular whitish band that is angulated at its middle, and crosses the wing to the tornus. It is often represented as two separate streaks, with the costal streak slightly more posterior than the one at the tornus. There is a small black apical spot with a whitish patch in front. In some specimens the white coloration may extend into the cilia of the costa and termen to encircling the black spot. The cilia is whitish or pale ocherous, and tinged with fuscous toward the dorsum. There is a line of black-tipped scales at the base of the cilia that continues to the tornus. It is sometimes poorly developed or represented as merely a faint pale line. A few of the marginal scales along the termen, especially near the tornus, are often black-tipped. The hindwing and cilia are gray or pale reddish fuscous. The legs are pale stramineous, and the hind tarsal segments faintly dark-tipped. The abdomen is fuscous and reddish brown above.

Bucculatrix canadensisella is similar but the ground color is dark brown. Bucculatrix trifasciella is also similar, but is a northern form that has a dark zone of scales between the black dorsal patch. This species has not been recorded as far south as North Carolina.
Wingspan: 7.5-8 mm (Braun, 1963)
Adult Structural Features: The male and female genitalia, along with associated scale tufts and patches, are distinctive and are described and illustrated by Braun (1963). The following are her verbatim descriptions. Males: harpes typical of the section, setose outwardly, terminating at apex in a small pointed process, basal process present; socii short, broad, setose; aedeagus stout, tapering to the acutely pointed tip; vinculum a very narrow sclerotized band. Scales of scale sac long and slender. Females: dorsal posterior margin of segment 7 fringed with specialized scales, the ventral posterior margin fringed laterally only with long specialized scales; on intersegmental membrane and ventral to ostium, a dense tuft of specialized scales on each side of mid-ventral line, connected by less closely placed scales; on sternite of 8, on each side of ostium, a large elongate patch of dark specialized scales; on anterior margin of tergite of 8, a row of very small scales; ostium ventrally with narrow lobed, dorsally broadly lobed sclerotization; signum ribs irregularly spined, with some long acicular spines.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The following notes on the life history of this species are based on Braun's (1963) observations in Ohio of larvae feeding on River Birch. The egg is deposited on the underside of the leaf against a vein, usually a lateral vein. The hatchling mines the leaf and produces a very fine thread-like, irregularly winding track. The mine is usually < 1 cm long and is filled with blackish frass. The moulting cocoons are spun on the upper side of the leaf, and the first and second are similar except for size. They are constructed of closely woven fine silk, so thin as to be almost transparent, with the larva curled within or the cast skin plainly visible as a whitish spot. The older larvae leave the mines and feed externally, most commonly on the underside of the leaf. The mature larva is pale green with a reddish tinge on the thoracic segments and head. The pupation cocoon is pale to brownish ocherous, with seven or eight ridges, of which five or six are well-defined. In several Pennsylvania examples that Braun examined, the ridges were somewhat diagonally placed, with resulting anastomosis and fusion. Braun (1963) noted that this species is unusual in that it constructs the moulting cocoons on the upper side of the leaf.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Bucculatrix coronatella is found in the eastern US from Maine and vicinity southward to South Carolina, Georgia, and southern Alabama. The range extends westward to central Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois and Michigan. This species occurs statewide in North Carolina, except for perhaps the highest elevations in the mountains.
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: Adults have been recorded from April through September in areas outside of North Carolina. As of 2021, we have records from March through September. Our data suggests the possibility of two broods in North Carolina that needs to be confirmed by additional data.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: This species appears to rely heavily on River Birch, and at least two of our records come from river and lake shorelines in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain where River Birch is common.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are leafminers on River Birch (Betula nigra), although other birches may be possible hosts (Braun, 1963). Eiseman (2022) also lists Gray Birch (Betula populifolia), which is not native to North Carolina. In our state, mines have only been observed on River Birch. - View
Observation Methods: All of our records come from lights. We recommend searching for leaf mines on River Birch and other birches to better document host use in North Carolina.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Birch 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 small moth that is easily overlooked. It appears to be both common and widespread based on the number of state records, its host plants, and habitat associations.

 Photo Gallery for Bucculatrix coronatella - No common name

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

Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-26
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-08
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-05
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-07-30
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-09
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-06
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-06-29
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-06-25
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-06-19
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2024-06-17
Lincoln Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-22
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-04-17
Buncombe Co.
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Recorded by: Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-03-31
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-03-31
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-08-16
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George on 2023-08-15
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-13
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-08-10
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-30
Swain Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-07-19
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-06
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2023-06-18
Mecklenburg Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-04-21
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and John Petranka on 2023-04-19
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-04-04
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-09-21
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-07-30
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2022-07-24
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-07-07
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-07-07
Guilford Co.
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