Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGracillariidae Members: Acrocercops Members: 24 NC Records

Acrocercops albinatella (Chambers, 1872) - No Common Name


Acrocercops albinatella
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Acrocercops albinatella
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Acrocercops albinatellaAcrocercops albinatella
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Gracillarioidea
Family:
Gracillariidae
Subfamily:
Acrocercopinae
P3 Number:
33a0404
MONA Number:
689.00
Comments: The genus Acrocercops includes six recognized species in North America. Four of these are misapplied, but the correct genus to assign them to has not been determined. The adults of most species are rather boldly marked, and the larvae are leaf miners that produce linear blotch mines.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes, 1923.                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This species has strongly contrasting white and light brown patterning. The face, palpi, head, and thorax are silvery white and the forewing ground color is light brown. The silvery white central band on the thorax continues as a band of variable width on the inner margin of the wing, but is interrupted by projections of the brown area to create two large, silvery patches. The band markedly narrows between the second (median) patch and the anal angle. Three white, oblique costal streaks project towards the white band on the inner margin. The first usually joins the large basal patch, while the others are curved and tapered, and do not reach the band along the inner margin. There is also a white apical spot that is edged with a black crescent near the wing tip. Individuals characteristically rest with the front of the body raised well above the surface of the substrate.
Wingspan: 9 mm (Forbes, 1923).
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae mine the lower leaf surfaces of oaks. The early instar larva initially creates a long, narrow, winding mine that eventually balloons into a large, tentiform blotch (Eiseman, 2019). The last instar develops a reddish coloration, and eventually evacuates the mine and spins a flat, brownish cocoon. Larvae complete their development in approximately 10 days in Florida populations. The pupal stage is also very brief (Cornelissen and Stiling, 2006; Eiseman, 2019).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Acrocercops albinatella is widely distributed in eastern North America from southern Ontario, southern Quebec, and the northeastern US, southward to Florida and westward to Missouri. As of 2023, we have scattered records from throughout the state.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Acrocercops albinatellaAlamance 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)

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