Moths of North Carolina
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Significant Contributors
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
Parectopa
Members:
Parectopa lespedezaefoliella
Parectopa plantaginisella
Parectopa robiniella
Parectopa unidentified species
79 NC Records
Parectopa robiniella
Clemens, 1863 - Locust Digitate Leafminer Moth
view caption
Three digitate leaf mines on Black Locust leaflets. Note how the mines tend to be centered on the midrib of each leaflet, which is characteristic of this species.
view caption
Three leaflets of a Desmodium sp. (?) that contained five mines.
view caption
A mature larva that had recently evacuated a mine to pupate.
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Gracillarioidea
Family:
Gracillariidae
Subfamily:
Gracillariinae
Tribe:
[Gracillariini]
P3 Number:
330181.00
MONA Number:
657.00
Comments:
The genus
Parectopa
contains around 40 species that are found worldwide, including nine species in North America. All are very small moths that are specialized leafminers.
Species Status:
Parectopa robiniella
is native to the eastern US and adjoining areas of southern Canada, but its range has expanded in North America with the planting and spread of its primary host (Black Locust;
Robinia pseudoacacia
) outside of its natural range.
Parectopa robiniella
became established in northern Italy around 1970 and subsequently spread to many regions of Europe. In Europe it feeds entirely on Black Locust, which is widely planted as an ornamental, and as a source of wood for heating, fencing, furniture and general construction (Hulujan et al., 2017). Due to a lack of natural control agents,
P. robiniella
can cause major defoliation of trees in Europe. In North America native parasitoids keep populations of
P. robiniella
in check and the host plants rarely suffer significant damage.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions:
Beadle and Leckie (2012); Leckie and Beadle (2018).
Online Photographs:
MPG
,
BugGuide
,
GBIF
,
BOLD
Technical Description, Adults:
(Eiseman 2019)
Technical Description, Immature Stages:
Weaver and Dorsey (1967); Eiseman (2019).
Adult Markings:
Adults have a dark brown head that is topped with elongated, white scale tufts. The forewings are dark brown with three oblique silvery costal streaks that alternate with three dorsal oval blotches or streaks. Near the tip of the wing, a transverse, curved silvery line passes from the costa to the tornus. There are also two converging dark brown to black lines at the base of the cilia that do not meet (Eiseman 2019).
P. lespedezaefoliella
is similar, but the curved silvery line is either absent or greatly reduced, and the two dark lines at the base of the cilia touch (or nearly touch) one another. This species is most easily documented by searching for the distinctive digitate blotch mines on Black Locust (
Robinia pseudoacacia
) or other legumes that serve as host plants.
Wingspan:
7-8 mm.
Adult ID Requirements:
Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development:
Females deposit eggs on the lower leaf surfaces, typically basally near the midrib or a larger vein. A hatchling initially makes a linear underside mine, then expands this to form a triangular, whitish blister. As the larva develops, it switches to mining the upper surface and eventually expands the mine to produce a distinctive digitate blotch mine that is normally centered on the midrib. The mine is initially pale green, but turns yellowish brown with age. Frass is either deposited in the lower surface mine or outside of the upper mine, so that the digitate blotch mine appears clean (Eiseman 2019). The late instar larvae are light green and pupation occurs in a flat, white cocoon that is spun outside of the mine.
Larvae ID Requirements:
Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
Parectopa robiniella
is native to eastern North America. Populations occur in southern Canada (Ontario; Quebec; Nova Scotia) and throughout much of the eastern US to as far south as Florida and the Gulf Coast. In North Carolina,
P. robiniella
occurs throughout much of the lower to upper-elevations of the Blue Ridge, as well as in the Piedmont and western Coastal Plain. Populations are restricted to sites where Black Locust or other host plants occurs locally. Records from iNaturalist include Stokes and Scotland counties.
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