Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGracillariidae Members: Parectopa Members: 6 NC Records

Parectopa lespedezaefoliella Clemens, 1860 - No Common Name

Parectopa lespedezaefoliellaParectopa lespedezaefoliella
Taxonomy
Family:
Gracillariidae		Subfamily:
Ornixolinae		P3 Number:
33a0116		 MONA Number:
653.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Records for this species come from widely scattered locations, mainly in New England, the mid-Atlantic states, and the upper MidWest. This species appears to reach the southern edge of its range in North Carolina (see range maps in MPG and GBIF).
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Parectopa lespedezaefoliellaAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Immature Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: immatures.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Larval Host Plants: The larvae appear to be specialists on Lespedeza species (Eiseman, 2022). In North Carolina, leaf mines have been recorded on Shrub Lespedeza (L. bicolor), Trailing Lespedeza (L. procumbens), and Chinese Bush-clover (L. cuneata). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Leguminous Forb and Shrublands
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S2S3
State Protection:
Comments: Despite its use of common host plants, only a few occurrences have been documented in this state, and only the population in Durham County has been observed on multiple occasions and at more than one site within a single habitat unit. The low number of observations is consistent with observations elsewhere within its range, and it could be even scarcer here in North Carolina at the southern end of its range. On the other hand, its apparent rarity could simply reflect the relative lack of surveys that have been conducted for leaf miners until recently. Based on these considerations, we give it a state rank of S2S3, indicating its possible rarity on the one hand and the possibility that it may turn out to be of only low conservation concern on the other. The status of this species will be clarified as more surveys are done.

 Photo Gallery for Parectopa lespedezaefoliella - None

Photos: 7
Parectopa lespedezaefoliellaRecorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2023-09-25
Caswell Co.
Comment: 		Parectopa lespedezaefoliellaRecorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn on 2023-08-12
Caswell Co.
Comment:
Parectopa lespedezaefoliellaRecorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2022-07-21
Durham Co.
Comment: Upper surface blotch mine with branches, on Lespedeza procumbens.		Parectopa lespedezaefoliellaRecorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2022-06-06
Durham Co.
Comment: blotch leaf mine on upper surface, starlike with branches, on Lespedeza cuneata.
Parectopa lespedezaefoliellaRecorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2022-06-03
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Parectopa lespedezaefoliellaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2022-05-31
Wake Co.
Comment:
Parectopa lespedezaefoliellaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2022-05-31
Wake Co.
Comment: