Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Gracillariidae Members:	Caloptilia Members:	15 NC Records

Caloptilia sassafrasella (Chambers, 1876) - Sassafras Caloptilia

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Gracillarioidea

Family:
Gracillariidae

Subfamily:
Gracillariinae

Tribe:
[Gracillariini]

P3 Number:
33a0201

MONA Number:
633.00

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. The frass is dark and granular.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

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

Adult Markings: The head, face, palps, and wings are all rather uniformly brown with a yellowish tinge. Two conspicuous dark spots occur on the costa -- one midway, and the other just before the apex. The femur and tibia of the front and middle leg are dark, while the tarsi are white with faint dots at the tarsal junctions. The rear leg is light tan with darker marks at the tarsal joints. This species resembles C. rhoifoliella, but the face and palps are dark, compared with the whitish face and palps of C. rhoifoliella. The two conspicuous dark costal spots also help distinguish this species from C. rhoifoliella. The forewings of Caloptilia sassafrasella are noticeably narrower than those of other Caloptilia species, which can be useful in identifying specimens.

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.

Immatures and Development: The larva initially makes a crooked linear mine on the underside of the leaf that ends in an oblong tentiform mine that is often along the midrib. The half-grown larva then abandons the mine and rolls a leaf downward from the tip into a cone. It pupates in a yellow cocoon on a leaf and the adult emerges in late spring or early summer (Eiseman, 2022).

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

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Caloptilia sassafrasella occurs throughout much of the eastern US and southern Ontario. Our records for North Carolina are from the Blue Ridge and Piedmont, but this species likely occurs in the Coastal Plain as well since Sassafras 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
Flight Comments: This species is multivoltine. In North Carolina the adults become active following the spring leaf-out and can be found through November or early December.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Caloptilia sassafrasella is strongly associated with Sassafras albidum, which is the host species. Sassafras occurs in a wide variety of habitats in North Carolina. It is often an early successional species that occurs in old fields, field edges, roadsides and recently timbered sites. However, it also thrives in a variety of mesic or sub-mesic forest communities such as pine-oak forests or oak-hickory forests, particularly during early to mid-successional stages.

Larval Host Plants: Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) is the only known host for this species (Eiseman, 2019), and has been confirmed as the host in North Carolina. - View

Observation Methods: Adults are attracted to UV lights, and the larvae can be found by searching Sassafras leaves for the blotch mines or curled leaf shelters.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for Forest-Field Ecotones and Groves

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S3S5

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

Comments:

Photo Gallery for Caloptilia sassafrasella - Sassafras Caloptilia

Photos: 17

	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-22 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-27 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Bo Sullivan on 2023-05-17 Moore Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Bo Sullivan on 2023-05-17 Moore Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Bo Sullivan on 2023-05-17 Moore Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2022-09-17 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2022-09-17 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2022-03-23 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-10-30 Onslow Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn on 2020-06-02 Alleghany Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-03-30 Onslow Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-03-13 Onslow Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, K. Kittelberger, P. Scharf on 2015-06-18 Avery Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn on 2015-06-18 Avery Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Harry Wilson on 2014-04-04 Wake Co. Comment:		Recorded by: T. DeSantis on 2013-12-06 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Paul Scharf on 2011-09-26 Warren Co. Comment: