Moths of North Carolina
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Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Family (Alpha):
ACROLEPIIDAE-
ADELIDAE-
AMPHISBATIDAE-
AUTOSTICHIDAE-
BATRACHEDRIDAE-
BEDELLIIDAE-
BLASTOBASIDAE-
BOMBYCIDAE-
BUCCULATRICIDAE-
CARPOSINIDAE-
CHOREUTIDAE-
COLEOPHORIDAE-
COSMOPTERIGIDAE-
COSSIDAE-
CRAMBIDAE-
DEPRESSARIIDAE-
DREPANIDAE-
ELACHISTIDAE-
EPERMENIIDAE-
EPIPYROPIDAE-
EREBIDAE-Erebid Moths
ERIOCRANIIDAE-
EUTELIIDAE-
GALACTICIDAE-
GELECHIIDAE-
GEOMETRIDAE-
GLYPHIDOCERIDAE-
GLYPHIPTERIGIDAE-
GRACILLARIIDAE-
HELIOZELIDAE-
HEPIALIDAE-
HYBLAEIDAE-
INCURVARIIDAE-
LASIOCAMPIDAE-
LECITHOCERIDAE-Long-horned Moths
LIMACODIDAE-
LYONETIIDAE-
MEGALOPYGIDAE-Flannel Moths
MICROPTERIGIDAE-
MIMALLONIDAE-
MOMPHIDAE-Mompha Moths
NEPTICULIDAE-
NOCTUIDAE-Owlet Moths
NOLIDAE-
NOTODONTIDAE-
OECOPHORIDAE-
OPOSTEGIDAE-
PELEOPODIDAE-
PLUTELLIDAE-
PRODOXIDAE-
PSYCHIDAE-Bagworm Moths
PTEROPHORIDAE-
PYRALIDAE-
SATURNIIDAE-Saturniids
SCHRECKENSTEINIIDAE-
SESIIDAE-
SPHINGIDAE-Sphinx Moths
THYATIRIDAE-
THYRIDIDAE-
TINEIDAE-
TISCHERIIDAE-
TORTRICIDAE-
URANIIDAE-
URODIDAE-
XYLORYCTIDAE-
YPONOMEUTIDAE-
YPSOLOPHIDAE-
ZYGAENIDAE-
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Gracillariidae Members:
Acrocercops albinatella
Acrocercops astericola
Acrocercops unidentified species
Anarsioses aberrans
Aristaea pennsylvaniella
Caloptilia alnivorella
Caloptilia azaleella
Caloptilia belfragella
Caloptilia bimaculatella
Caloptilia blandella
Caloptilia cornusella
Caloptilia coroniella
Caloptilia flavella
Caloptilia glutinella
Caloptilia hypericella
Caloptilia invariabilis
Caloptilia juglandiella
Caloptilia negundella
Caloptilia ostryaeella
Caloptilia packardella
Caloptilia paradoxum
Caloptilia porphyretica
Caloptilia rhoifoliella
Caloptilia sassafrasella
Caloptilia serotinella
Caloptilia stigmatella
Caloptilia superbifrontella
Caloptilia triadicae
Caloptilia umbratella
Caloptilia unidentified species
Caloptilia violacella
Cameraria aceriella
Cameraria aesculisella
Cameraria arcuella
Cameraria bethunella
Cameraria betulivora
Cameraria caryaefoliella
Cameraria castaneaeella
Cameraria cincinnatiella
Cameraria conglomeratella
Cameraria corylisella
Cameraria fletcherella
Cameraria guttifinitella
Cameraria hamadryadella
Cameraria hamameliella
Cameraria lentella
Cameraria macrocarpella
Cameraria obstrictella
Cameraria ostryarella
Cameraria picturatella
Cameraria quercivorella
Cameraria saccharella
Cameraria tubiferella
Cameraria ulmella
Cameraria unidentified species
Chrysaster ostensackenella
Cremastobombycia ignota
Cremastobombycia solidaginis
Cremastobombycia unidentified species
Cryptolectica strigosa
Leucanthiza amphicarpeaefoliella
Leucospilapteryx unidentified species
Leucospilapteryx venustella
Macrosaccus morrisella
Macrosaccus robiniella
Macrosaccus uhlerella
Marmara apocynella
Marmara fasciella
Marmara fraxinicola
Marmara serotinella
Marmara smilacisella
Marmara unidentified species
Marmara viburnella
Micrurapteryx salicifoliella
Neurobathra strigifinitella
Neurobathra unidentified species
New genus and species near Neurobathra
Parectopa lespedezaefoliella
Parectopa plantaginisella
Parectopa robiniella
Parectopa unidentified species
Parornix geminatella
Parornix obliterella
Parornix preciosella
Parornix unidentified species
Parornix vicinella
Phyllocnistis ampelopsiella
Phyllocnistis hyperpersea
Phyllocnistis insignis
Phyllocnistis liquidambarisella
Phyllocnistis liriodendronella
Phyllocnistis New Species one
Phyllocnistis subpersea
Phyllocnistis unidentified species
Phyllocnistis vitegenella
Phyllocnistis vitifoliella
Phyllonorycter aeriferella
Phyllonorycter albanotella
Phyllonorycter argentifimbriella
Phyllonorycter argentinotella
Phyllonorycter auronitens
Phyllonorycter basistrigella
Phyllonorycter caryaealbella
Phyllonorycter celtifoliella
Phyllonorycter celtisella
Phyllonorycter crataegella
Phyllonorycter diversella
Phyllonorycter fitchella
Phyllonorycter intermixta
Phyllonorycter lucetiella
Phyllonorycter lucidicostella
Phyllonorycter maestingella
Phyllonorycter mariaeella
Phyllonorycter martiella
Phyllonorycter New Species one
Phyllonorycter obscuricostella
Phyllonorycter occitanica
Phyllonorycter ostryaefoliella
Phyllonorycter propinquinella
Phyllonorycter quercialbella
Phyllonorycter salicifoliella
Phyllonorycter scudderella
Phyllonorycter tiliacella
Phyllonorycter trinotella
Phyllonorycter unidentified species
Phyllonorycter viburnella
Porphyrosela desmodiella
Porphyrosela minuta
Porphyrosela unidentified species
Povolnya quercinigrella
Telamoptilia hibiscivora
Caloptilia
Members:
Caloptilia alnivorella
Caloptilia azaleella
Caloptilia belfragella
Caloptilia bimaculatella
Caloptilia blandella
Caloptilia cornusella
Caloptilia coroniella
Caloptilia flavella
Caloptilia glutinella
Caloptilia hypericella
Caloptilia invariabilis
Caloptilia juglandiella
Caloptilia negundella
Caloptilia ostryaeella
Caloptilia packardella
Caloptilia paradoxum
Caloptilia porphyretica
Caloptilia rhoifoliella
Caloptilia sassafrasella
Caloptilia serotinella
Caloptilia stigmatella
Caloptilia superbifrontella
Caloptilia triadicae
Caloptilia umbratella
Caloptilia unidentified species
Caloptilia violacella
48 NC Records
Caloptilia azaleella
(Brants, 1913) - Azalea Leafminer Moth
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Gracillarioidea
Family:
Gracillariidae
Subfamily:
Gracillariinae
Tribe:
[Gracillariini]
P3 Number:
330113.00
MONA Number:
592.00
Comments:
Caloptilia
is a large genus with nearly 300 described species; 64 species have been described from North America north of Mexico. The larvae mostly feed on woody plants and begin as leaf-mining sap-feeders. The latter instars usually exit the mines and feed within a conical roll that begins at the leaf apex or at the tip of a leaf lobe.
Species Status:
The Azalea Leafminer is native to Japan and has been widely introduced around the world where azaleas are grown as ornamentals. In many areas they can reach high enough densities to become pests on ornamental plantings and in greenhouses.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions:
Beadle and Leckie (2012)
Online Photographs:
MPG
,
BugGuide
,
GBIF
,
BOLD
Technical Description, Adults:
Beadle and Leckie (2012)
Technical Description, Immature Stages:
Eiseman (2019)
Adult Markings:
The adults have a dark brown ground color on the upper head, thorax, and forewings with a conspicuous pale yellow patch that extends from about one-quarter of the basal region to near the apex. The patch is widest near the median area and narrows posteriorly. A row of minute dark dots typically occurs along the costal margin within the yellow patch, and two or more dark bands are often evident in the cilia. The tibia and femur of the front and middle leg are dark brown, and contrast with the white tarsi below that have dark marks near the tarsal joints. The rear leg is uniformly light straw-colored to whitish, with dark marks at the joints (often faint). The face is white and the labial palps are pale yellow with dark tips.
Caloptilia superbifrontella
is somewhat similar but lacks the conspicuous black spots near the tarsal joints (typical of azaleella) and has a yellowish streak at the base of the forewing that extends to the dorsum of the thorax.
C. superbifrontella
also typically lacks the fine black spots along the costa that are characteristic of
C. azaleella
.
Wingspan:
10-13 mm
Adult ID Requirements:
Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development:
Females deposit eggs on the undersides of leaves, typically next to a midvein or lateral vein. The early instars form tentiform mines on the underside of the leaf. The later instars leave the mines and form feeding shelters on the underside of the leaves by folding or curling the leaf tips or edges. On azalea varieties with small leaves, the larvae often web several leaves together to form a shelter (Eiseman, 2019). The cocoon is about 6 mm by 2 mm and usually lies longitudinally on the underside of a leaf, partially protected by the leaf shelter (Eiseman, 2019). The pupal stage last about a week.
Larvae ID Requirements:
Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
Although we have only a few records for North Carolina as of 2019, this species presumably occurs statewide.
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