Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGracillariidae Members: Phyllonorycter Members: 9 NC Records

Phyllonorycter trinotella (Braun, 1908) - No Common Name

Phyllonorycter trinotellaPhyllonorycter trinotellaPhyllonorycter trinotella
view caption 		Phyllonorycter trinotella
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Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Gracillarioidea		 Family:
Gracillariidae		Subfamily:
Lithocolletinae		P3 Number:
33a0363		 MONA Number:
799.00
Comments: Phyllonorycter is a genus of small and often colorful moths, with 79 described species in North America. The larvae of most form underside tentiform mines on woody plants and pupate within the mines.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Braun, 1908.                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following description is based on Braun (1908). The palps, face, tuft and antennae are glistening snowy white, and the antennae are faintly annulated above with ocherous. The thorax and basal two-thirds of the forewings are glistening white, but somewhat suffused with yellow below the fold. The apical third of the wings is pale golden. A pale golden-brown basal streak begins on the costa, then progressively angles away from the costa as it extends posteriorly towards the middle of the wing and fades away. In the apical portion there are two white, wedge-shaped streaks along the costa. There is a similar dorsal streak just before the tornus and opposite the first costal streak. All of the streaks are internally margined with dark scales. Some specimens may show evidence of a third white costal streak, which is often obscure and unmargined, and an indistinct second dorsal streak beyond the tornus. There is a well-defined black apical spot, and a pale fuscous marginal line in the cilia. The cilia are whitish and faintly tinged with yellow. The hindwings and cilia are whitish. The abdomen is pale grayish ocherous above and whitish beneath, while the legs are whitish. Phyllonorycter trinotella closely resembles P. quercialbella. The primary distinction is that P. quercialbella has three well-defined white costal streaks, versus only two well-defined streaks in P. trinotella.
Wingspan: 5 mm (Braun, 1908)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae create small lower-surface tentiform mines on maple leaves. The mature mines are roughly oval or oblong in shape and often wrinkled. Mines that Eiseman (2019) observed measured 9–14 mm by 4–5.5 mm, and each had a prominent central longitudinal crease in the lower epidermis. Some also had extremely fine wrinkles adjacent to the crease. The frass was collected in a ball near the middle of the mine. Pupation occurred within a loose web of silk between the frass ball and the opposing end of the mine. The pupa was thrust through the lower epidermis when the adult emerged.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Phyllonorycter trinotella is found in eastern North America from southern Canada (Ontario; Nova Scotia) southward and westward to Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, and North Carolina. As of 2020, our records are all from the east-central part of the state.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Phyllonorycter trinotella
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

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