Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGracillariidae Members:
Caloptilia Members:
1 NC Records

Caloptilia juglandiella (Chambers, 1872) - No Common Name

No image for this species.
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Gracillarioidea Family: GracillariidaeSubfamily: GracillariinaeTribe: [Gracillariini]P3 Number: 33a0179 MONA Number: 610.00
Comments: Caloptilia is a large genus with nearly 300 described species; 64 species have been described in North America north of Mexico. The larvae begin as leaf-mining sap-feeders, but 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: Caloptilia juglandiella was originally described by Chambers (1872) from specimens in Kentucky and very few specimens have been collected since. Our limited knowledge of its natural history is still largely based on Chambers' original work.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Chambers (1872)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Chambers (1872)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Chambers (1872) original description is as follows: Palpi white, flecked with dark brown, and second and third palpal joints tipped with brown. Face white; antennae faintly annulate with whitish, and the basal third of the wing faintly flecked with whitish. Triagonal mark (costal patch) faintly outlined, its anterior margin being the posterior margin of the deep colored basal third of the wing, and the mark itself being overspread with the same color as the basal third, but a little paler, and scarcely at all distinguishable from the portion of the wing beyond it. Trigonal mark and apical portion of the wing beyond it, distinctly, but sparsely, flecked with white. The triagonal spot reaches nearly to the dorsal margin, and has two minute white streaks at each of the costal angles, and there is a very small white costal streak at the beginning of the ciliae. Ciliae of the general hue. Posterior wings and ciliae dark bluish-fuscous. Anterior coxae, trochanters, femora and basal half of the tibiae, of the general hue, except a white annulus on the middle of the femora, and two large white spots on its under surface, and a white annulus about the basal fourth of the tibiae. Tarsi and apical half of the tibiae white; tarsal joints tipped with brown; intermediate tarsi white, tipped with brown; posterior legs whitish.
Wingspan: 11 mm (Chambers, 1872)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Chambers (1872) noted that the larvae mine the undersides of Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) leaflets in August and September in Kentucky. Eventually each larva abandons the mine, moves to the upper surface of the leaflet, and curls over the leaflet to form a protective feeding shelter.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Despite being described by Chambers (1872) as being rather common in Kentucky, Caloptilia juglandiella appears to be a rare species. There are only a few records from eastern North America, including Kentucky, southern Ohio, and Maine. Our one record for North Carolina is from the lower Coastal Plain (Pender Co.).
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
Flight Comments: Our only state record did not have a date, so the flight season in North Carolina is unknown. Chambers (1872) found active leaf mines in August and September in Kentucky, and noted that the adults emerge in the autumn. He surmised that the adults overwinter after the fall emergence.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Strongly affiliated with Black Walnut, so this species should be expected to occur in streamside habitats and alluvial forests. In the mountains, Black Walnut also occurs at the bases of mesic slopes.
Larval Host Plants: Caloptilia juglandiella is only known to feed on Black Walnut (Juglans nigra). - View
Observation Methods: Given its presumed rarity in North Carolina, This species is perhaps best sought after by searching Black Walnuts for leaflets that are folded on the upper surface, then rearing individuals to adults. C. blandella also uses Black Walnut, but it makes a leaf fold on the underside of the leaf.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Rich Wet-Mesic Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SH
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: Although Chambers (1872) described this species as rather common in Kentucky, very few records for it appear to exist. Both the Moth Photographers Group and GBIF show records from a site in northern Kentucky and one in Maine; MPG also shows a record from North Carolina, probably the one included in Brimley (1938), the only one we know about from this state. As a leaf miner, it has probably received only a limited amount of survey attention in the past, but even so, another walnut-feeding member of the same genus, Caloptilia blandella, now has 41 records in the state, from