Moths of North Carolina
Home Page
Recent Entries
Recent Account Updates
County Searches
General Search
Submit a Public Record
References
Maps
Draft Checklists
Family PDFs
NC Biodiversity Project
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-
«
Home
»
View
PDF
Gracillariidae Members:
Acrocercops albinatella
Acrocercops astericola
Acrocercops strigosa
Acrocercops unidentified species
Anarsioses aberrans
Caloptilia alnivorella
Caloptilia azaleella
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 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
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
Parectopa lespedezaefoliella
Parectopa pennsylvaniella
Parectopa plantaginisella
Parectopa robiniella
Parectopa unidentified species
Parornix geminatella
Parornix preciosella
Parornix unidentified species
Parornix vicinella
Phyllocnistis ampelopsiella
Phyllocnistis hyperpersea
Phyllocnistis insignis
Phyllocnistis liquidambarisella
Phyllocnistis liriodendronella
Phyllocnistis liriodendronella__magnoliella complex
Phyllocnistis magnoliella
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 obscuricostella
Phyllonorycter occitanica
Phyllonorycter ostryaefoliella
Phyllonorycter propinquinella
Phyllonorycter quercialbella
Phyllonorycter salicifoliella
Phyllonorycter scudderella
Phyllonorycter tiliacella
Phyllonorycter trinotella
Phyllonorycter unidentified species
Porphyrosela desmodiella
Porphyrosela minuta
Porphyrosela unidentified species
Povolnya quercinigrella
Phyllonorycter
Members:
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 obscuricostella
Phyllonorycter occitanica
Phyllonorycter ostryaefoliella
Phyllonorycter propinquinella
Phyllonorycter quercialbella
Phyllonorycter salicifoliella
Phyllonorycter scudderella
Phyllonorycter tiliacella
Phyllonorycter trinotella
Phyllonorycter unidentified species
5 NC Records
Phyllonorycter obscuricostella
(Clemens, 1859) - No Common Name
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Gracillarioidea
Family:
Gracillariidae
Subfamily:
Lithocolletinae
P3 Number:
330311.00
MONA Number:
775.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions:
Online Photographs:
MPG
; BogGuide
Technical Description, Adults:
Braun, 1908.
Adult Markings:
The following is primarily based on the description in Clemens (1859). The head and frontal tuft are silvery, and the thorax is very pale golden. The ground color of the forewing is pale golden, and frequently lighter colored on the dorso-basal third. The forewing has a silvery median streak that extends from the base to the middle of the wing. The streak has a black margin on the costal edge and terminates between the first pair of costal and dorsal streaks. There are a total of three silvery dorsal streaks and four silvery costal streaks, with a black margin on the basal (anterior) edge. The black margin is often reduced or missing on the last two costal streaks and the last dorsal streak. The first pair of dorsal and costal streaks are near the mid-wing, and are very oblique and long relative to the others. A second pair of streaks that are less oblique occurs at about three-fourths. The remaining streaks (two costal streaks; one dorsal) are greatly reduced in size. The apical spot is black, while the cilia are grayish with a black marginal line. The hindwing and cilia are bluish gray.
Wingspan:
6.0-6.5 mm (Braun, 1908).
Adult ID Requirements:
Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development:
The larvae mine the underside of the leaves of
Ostrya
and produce small tentiform mines. The mines are usually between two veins and are less wrinkled than those of
Phyllonorycter ostryaefoliella
. The pupa is formed inside of a thin silken web which occupies an entire half of the mine (Braun, 1908).
Larvae ID Requirements:
Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
Phyllonorycter obscuricostella
is found in the eastern US from Maine, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, west to Illinois and southward to Kentucky and North Carolina. As of 2020, our one record for North Carolina is from the Piedmont.
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
Immature Dates:
High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
Piedmont (Pd)
Coastal Plain (CP)
Click on graph to enlarge
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Larval Host Plants:
Larvae feed on Ostrya virginiana (Robinson et al., 2010)
Observation Methods:
The adults appear to rarely visit lights and most records are from reared adults. Searching for mines on the undersides of
Ostrya
leaves is the easiest way to document local populations.
Phyllonorycter ostryaefoliella
also mines the undersides of
Ostrya
leaves, but the mine is larger and more wrinkled than that of
P. obscuricostella
, and is usually formed near the leaf margin rather than between two veins (Eiseman, 2019).
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for
Rich Dry-Mesic Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks:
[GNR] SU
State Protection:
Comments:
Photo Gallery for
Phyllonorycter obscuricostella
- No common name
Photos: 6
Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2022-06-03
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2022-06-03
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-04-26
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-04-25
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2018-06-12
Wake Co.
Comment: A lower-surface tentiform mine on Ostrya virginiana. The mine of this species has one central crease, but few wrinkles on the underside. An adult was reared from this one.
Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2018-06-12
Wake Co.
Comment: A lower-surface tentiform mine on Ostrya virginiana. The mine of this species has one central crease, but few wrinkles on the underside. An adult was reared from this one.