Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGracillariidae Members:
Marmara Members:
40 NC Records

Marmara smilacisella (Chambers, 1875) - No Common Name


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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Gracillarioidea Family: GracillariidaeSubfamily: GracillariinaeTribe: [Gracillariini]P3 Number: 330248.00 MONA Number: 718.00
Comments: The genus Marmara contains about 20 described species from North America and numerous undescribed species. Most species are monophagous, and the mines have been found on over 80 North American plant genera in 40 families (Eiseman et al., 2017). This suggests that there are dozens of undescribed species in the US.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Braun, 1909Technical Description, Immature Stages: Braun, 1909                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following is primarily based on the description in Braun (1909) from specimens in Ohio. The head and face are silvery gray, except the vertex which has a few fuscous scales. The antenna is shining brownish gray. The labial palp is silvery white, with the apex of the second joint beneath somewhat roughened with dark brown scales, and the terminal joint with a dark brown annulation near the tip. The maxilary palp is dark blackish brown. The thorax is dark brown, and the ground color of the forewings dark brown and somewhat mottled with whitish scales. The markings are silvery white and somewhat variable. A silvery white basal fascia occurs at about one-third the wing length that is slightly broader on the dorsal margin. This is sometimes reduced to either a single dorsal spot, or two small costal and dorsal spots. A second fascia occurs near the middle of the wing that is narrowest in the middle and slightly bowed posteriorly. It is often interrupted in the middle to form a pair of triangular streaks, with the costal one slightly more anterior. This is followed by a pair of dorsal and costal streaks at about three-fourths that are roughly triangular, with the costal being the larger of the two. A final costal streak or spot is often evident near the apex, and there are often one or two curved whitish bars with black margins on the posterior edge at the wing tip. The fringe is white, and the hindwing grayish fuscous to dark brown. The legs are black with silvery annulations of varying widths. Specimens in the southern part of the range tend to be more mottled and to have the fascia and streaks reduced in size, often to only small dorsal and costal spots. BOLD specimens show two BINS, indicating significant genetic variation in this species.
Wingspan: 5.0-5.5 mm (Braun, 1909)
Immatures and Development: The larvae mine the leaves of Greenbrier (Smilax spp.) and produce silvery white linear mines that darken with age. The mine rarely exceed 2.5 mm in diameter and usually has a very long, winding course that often criss-crosses itself repeatedly. In many cases the mine may nearly cover the surface of a smaller leaf (Braun, 1909; Eiseman, 2019). A brownish, diffuse central frass line may be present, but is often absent or represented by broken fragments. The larva is flattened with serrated edges along the margin. It is initially pale, but turns bright red at maturity. The larva eventually exits the mine and spins a yellowish white cocoon with a group of iridescent globules at each end (Braun, 1909; Eiseman, 2019). Larvae in the final seasonal brood overwinter and emerge the following year after the spring warm-up. Mines in North Carolina are produced on both the upper and lower leaf surfaces, but more commonly on the upper surface.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Marmara smilacisella is found in the eastern US from Indiana, Ohio, and Maryland southward to Texas, Alabama, and Florida. This species occurs statewide in North Carolina.
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)

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