Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGracillariidae Members: Phyllonorycter Members: 6 NC Records

Phyllonorycter tiliacella (Chambers, 1871) - Basswood Round-blotch Miner Moth

Phyllonorycter tiliacellaPhyllonorycter tiliacellaPhyllonorycter tiliacellaPhyllonorycter tiliacella
Taxonomy
Family:
Gracillariidae		Subfamily:
Lithocolletinae		P3 Number:
33a0362		 MONA Number:
797.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Braun (1908)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Eiseman (2022)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Phyllonorycter tiliacella is an easily recognized species that has a glistening, snowy-white head and thorax. The forewing has a pale-golden ground color that has three equally-spaced, silvery-white, angulated fasciae that are boldly margined with black scales on the anterior margin. The first fascia is complete, while the middle and distal fasciae are interrupted on the costal half, with the gap of the latter greater than that on the middle fascia. The fringe is tinged with light-golden coloration, and the legs are mostly light golden-brown.
Wingspan: 6 mm (Braun, 1908).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae mine the leaves of American Basswood and produce a whitish mine that is densely speckled with dark brown frass. In some mines the frass is deposited in numerous, fine, overlapping lines rather than scattered about as specks. The mines vary from nearly circular to somewhat oblong and are easily seen on the upper surface of the leaf. They do not become visible on the lower surface until the lower epidermis dies (Braun, 1908; Eiseman, 2022). Local populations are bivoltine and overwinter as pupae in fallen leaves, with the adults emerging after the spring leaf-out. Larvae in the first brood pupate in a very slight silken web that is suspended in the mine, while those in the second brood produce a denser cocoon that is attached to the top and bottom of the mine.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Phyllonorycter tiliacella is mostly found at northern latitudes in the eastern US and adjoining areas of southern Ontario and Quebec. In the US, the range extends from Maine and the New England states southward to New Jersey and Maryland, and westward through New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio to Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Populations have recently been documented in the southern Appalachians in the Blue Ridge of North Carolina and an adjoining area of southeastern Tennessee. These appear to be disjunct from the main range to the north. As of 2025, our records are all from mid- to higher-elevation sites in the Blue Ridge.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Phyllonorycter tiliacellaAlamance 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 Hanover 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)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Flight Comments: The adults have been observed from March through September in different areas of the range. As of 2025, our records extend from early-May through early-August. Local populations appear to be bivoltine, with the first brood appearing in June or July in most areas of the range.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: This species is found in rich, mesic forests where American Basswood is present.
Larval Host Plants: The larvae appear to specialize on American Basswood (Tilia americana; Eiseman, 2022), which is consistent with our observations in North Carolina. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights and the leaf mines can be found on American Basswood during the summer months.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Basswood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S1S3
State Protection:
Comments: North Carolina populations appear to be highly disjunct from those in the main range that is in southern Canada and the northern US. As of 2024, we have only four site records and all are from the Blue Ridge.

 Photo Gallery for Phyllonorycter tiliacella - Basswood Round-blotch Miner Moth

Photos: 6
Phyllonorycter tiliacella
Recorded by: tom ward on 2024-05-08
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Phyllonorycter tiliacella
Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-08-07
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Phyllonorycter tiliacella
Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-06-14
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Phyllonorycter tiliacella
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-08-03
Ashe Co.
Comment:
Phyllonorycter tiliacella
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-08-03
Ashe Co.
Comment: 		Phyllonorycter tiliacella
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-05-21
Madison Co.
Comment: