Moths of North Carolina
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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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Nepticulidae Members:
Acalyptris thoracealbella
Acalyptris unidentified species
Anacampsis rhoifructella-consonella complex
Ectoedemia clemensella
Ectoedemia nyssaefoliella
Ectoedemia platanella
Ectoedemia quadrinotata
Ectoedemia rubifoliella
Ectoedemia similella
Ectoedemia trinotata
Ectoedemia ulmella
Ectoedemia unidentified species
Ectoedemia virgulae
Etainia unidentified
Fomoria hypericella
Fomoria pteliaeella
Glaucolepis saccharella
Nepticulidae
Stigmella apicialbella
Stigmella argentifasciella
Stigmella caryaefoliella
Stigmella castaneaefoliella
Stigmella corylifoliella
Stigmella fuscotibiella
Stigmella intermedia
Stigmella juglandifoliella
Stigmella macrocarpae
Stigmella macrocarpae/nigriverticella complex
Stigmella myricafoliella
Stigmella procrastinella
Stigmella prunifoliella
Stigmella quercipulchella
Stigmella rhamnicola
Stigmella rhoifoliella
Stigmella rosaefoliella
Stigmella sclerostylota
Stigmella tiliella
Stigmella unidentified species
Stigmella villosella
Zimmermannia bosquella
Zimmermannia obrutella
Zimmermannia unidentified species
Stigmella
Members:
Stigmella apicialbella
Stigmella argentifasciella
Stigmella caryaefoliella
Stigmella castaneaefoliella
Stigmella corylifoliella
Stigmella fuscotibiella
Stigmella intermedia
Stigmella juglandifoliella
Stigmella macrocarpae
Stigmella macrocarpae/nigriverticella complex
Stigmella myricafoliella
Stigmella procrastinella
Stigmella prunifoliella
Stigmella quercipulchella
Stigmella rhamnicola
Stigmella rhoifoliella
Stigmella rosaefoliella
Stigmella sclerostylota
Stigmella tiliella
Stigmella unidentified species
Stigmella villosella
6 NC Records
Stigmella rosaefoliella
(Clemens, 1861) - No Common Name
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Nepticuloidea
Family:
Nepticulidae
P3 Number:
160030.00
MONA Number:
78.00
Comments:
Members of the genus
Stigmella
are a group of small leaf-mining moths that typically create linear mines, although a few species form linear-blotch or blotch mines. Newton and Wilkinson (1982) recognized 51 species in their revision on the North American fauna, and new discoveries have since raised the total to around 57 species. Almost all species are specialists and rarely use more than one genus of host plants. Host-specificity, mine characteristics, and genitalic differences are helpful in recognizing closely related forms that are externally similar.
Species Status:
Wilkinson and Scoble (1979) recognized two subspecies of
Stigmella rosaefoliella
(
S. r. rosaefoliella
;
S. r. pectocatena
) based on differences in genitalia.
Stigmella r. pectocatena
was later found to actually be
S. centifoliella
, an introduced European species, and was synonymize with
S. centifoliella
(from van Nieukerken 2016).
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions:
Online Photographs:
MPG
,
BugGuide
,
GBIF
,
BOLD
Technical Description, Adults:
Braun, 1917; Wilkinson and Scoble (1979)
Technical Description, Immature Stages:
Braun, 1917; Wilkinson and Scoble (1979)
Adult Markings:
The following description of the adults is based on Braun (1917) and Wilkinson and Scoble (1979). The palps are gray and lustrous. The antenna is gray, and the eye-cap is shining creamy white. The tuft on the front of the head and vertex is orange-ochreous, and the collar is off-white. The thorax and abdomen are brownish black. The forewing is almost black, with a very faint dark blue and bronzy luster. Just beyond the middle of the wing is a rather broad straight silvery white or very pale golden fascia. The cilia are gray, and the hindwing is dark gray. The legs are gray-brown and lustrous, and have irregular off-white patches. This species closely resembles several other species that have a single, shiny silvery white fascia. It can be distinguished from
S. rubifoliella
and
S. nyssaefoliella
by the cilia (white versus gray in
S. rosaefoliella
), and from
S. slingerlandella
by the darker head, the dark cilia, and somewhat broader wings of
S. rosaefoliella
. Identification can only be reliably determined by rearing adults from the host plants, or by genitalia and genetic markers.
Wingspan:
4.5 mm (Braun, 1917)
Adult Structural Features:
The following description of the genitalia is from Wilkinson and Scoble (1979). Males: The tegumen is bluntly rounded and the saccus is wide and bilobed. The uncus has two papillate lobes. The gnathos has a pair of long, horn-like spines, each with a broad, short spine laterally. The valves reach the uncus and are divided into a broad rounded cuiller and small spine-like style. The transtilla is stout; if the lateral arms are not joined medially, then they end in swellings. The aedeagus is robust and straight. It has a patch of spiculate cornuti and usually has a striate plate that is weakly defined or absent. Females: The anal papillae are shorter than broad, and the bursa copulatrix is covered with minute scallop-shaped pectinations. The signum is absent. The anterior apophyses are arcuate and narrow, and widen terminally into a plate. The posterior apophyses are straight and narrow.
Immatures and Development:
The egg is laid on either leaf surface, often against the midrib or a vein. The mine is serpentine, usually much contorted, and reaches a maximum width of 1.5-2 mm. For the first half of its length, the mine may follow a vein and then double back on itself (Braun, 1917; Eiseman, 2019). It often follows the leaf serrations for part or all of its length. In very small leaves, the mine may cross the midrib. It is usually filled with frass for the first third, after which the margins are clear and the frass tends to be deposited in a zigzag pattern (Wilkinson and Scoble, 1979). The Larva is pale yellowish green, while the cocoon is yellowish brown, flattened, and spun externally.
Larvae ID Requirements:
Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
Stigmella rosaefoliella
is widely distributed across southern Canada from British Columbia to Nova Scotia. In the eastern US, it occurs from the northeastern states westward to Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri, and as far south as Arkansas and North Carolina. As of 2020, our only county record is for Scotland Co.
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
Flight Comments:
Braun (1917) found that there are three generations in southern Ohio, with full grown larvae first appearing in June and early July. Mines with larvae can be found almost any time during the summer and fall through November. We have a record for an active mine from mid-November.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Stigmella rosaefoliella
utilizes roses, including both introduced and native species. These occur in a variety of habitats such as mesic to dry forests, fencerows, pastures, and other disturbed, open habitats.
Larval Host Plants:
The known hosts include Prickly Rose (
Rosa acicularis
), Multiflora Rose (
R. multiflora
), Climbing Prairie Rose (
R. setigera
) and Virginia Rose (
R. virginiana
).
Observation Methods:
The adults appear to rarely visit lights and most records are based on leaf mines or adults that were reared from mines. We recommend searching for mine during the summer and fall months and rearing adults. Two introduced species of
Stigmella
(
S. anomalella
;
S. centifoliella
) also mine rose leaves and produce mines that are similar to those of
S. rosaefoliella
. These species have not been found in North Carolina, and can be distinguished by the color of the larvae (pale yellow-green for
S. rosaefoliella
; orange-yellow for
S. anomalella
and
S. centifoliella
).
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for
General Rosaceous Thickets
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks:
GNR S2S4
State Protection:
Comments:
Stigmella rosaefoliella
is undoubtedly more common that our limited records suggest, since little effort have been put forth to document leafminers in North Carolina. We currently do not have sufficient information on the distribution and abundance of this species to assess its conservation status.
Photo Gallery for
Stigmella rosaefoliella
- No common name
Photos: 12
Recorded by: David George on 2022-12-11
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jim George on 2022-10-12
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jim George on 2022-10-12
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George on 2022-10-05
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-07-22
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-07-22
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2022-07-17
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2022-07-17
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2022-07-17
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2018-11-13
Scotland Co.
Comment: Unoccupied and occupied mines on Rosa multiflora. Mines are linear with central frass trail No successful rearings from this batch. Date stamps on the close photos are incorrect.
Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2018-11-13
Scotland Co.
Comment: Unoccupied and occupied mines on Rosa multiflora. Mines are linear with central frass trail No successful rearings from this batch. Date stamps on the close photos are incorrect.
Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2018-11-13
Scotland Co.
Comment: Unoccupied and occupied mines on Rosa multiflora. Mines are linear with central frass trail No successful rearings from this batch. Date stamps on the close photos are incorrect.