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

Cameraria aceriella Clemens, 1859 - Maple Leaf Blotch Miner Moth

Cameraria aceriella
view caption 		Cameraria aceriella
view caption 		Cameraria aceriella
view caption 		Cameraria aceriella
view caption
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Gracillarioidea Family: GracillariidaeSubfamily: LithocolletinaeP3 Number: 33a0220 MONA Number: 803.00
Comments: Cameraria is a genus of leaf-mining micromoths. Many species are stenophagous and specialize on a small number of closely related host species. There are currently more than 50 described species in North America.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Clemens (1859), Braun (1908).                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following description of the adults is based on Clemens (1859) and Braun (1908). The face is silvery white and the tuft has a mixture of orange and silvery scales (general appearance is whitish). The forewings are reddish orange with several silvery or whitish marks. A short white streak with a black posterior margin extends from the inner basal angle to the fold. The most conspicuous marks are two straight or nearly straight fasciae that are whitish or silvery white with black borders on the posterior margin. The two fasciae are oblique, with one at about the middle of the wing, and the second midway between it and the base of the wing. Near the wing tip there is a prominent dorsal streak that curves towards the apex and a smaller, opposing costal spot that is often faint. A similar spot or short streak is present at the apex. All three marks have black borders on their posterior margin. The marginal line in the cilia is indistinct, and the apical third of the forewing is not dusted with dark coloration as occurs in some Cameraria. The hindwings are plumbeous, with cilia that have a fulvous hue. Cameraria hamameliella is very similar but differs by having deeper and more reddish color on the tuft and wings. The hind tarsi of C. hamameliella are also usually tipped with black, whereas in C. aceriella they are either faintly blackish tipped or entirely pure white. Based on our rearing on North Carolina specimens, there are exceptions to these general trends and adults are best identified by either rearing or barcoding.
Wingspan: 7 mm, but individuals in some Canadian populations may reach 9 mm (Braun, 1908)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae produce long, flat, and rather broad upper-surface mines that sometimes have one or more short lobes that extend off of the main track. Larvae deposit frass pellets along the margins of the mine. Pupation of the summer brood occurs in a silk-lined chamber. Larvae in the fall brood overwinter within a circular nidus, then pupate within the nidus the following spring.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Cameraria aceriella occurs in the northeastern US and nearby regions of southern Canada (Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick), then south and southwestward to Illinois, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and North Carolina. As of 2022, populations in North Carolina are only known from the mountains.
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: Local populations are bivoltine, with a summer brood that is followed by a fall brood that overwinters (Eiseman, 2019). As of 2022, our earliest records for occupied mines are from mid-June. Mines with overwintering larvae have been found in October.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Our larval records are mostly from Red Maple and Sugar Maple in rich hardwood forests at mid- to higher elevations in the mountains.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum), and Red Maple (A. rubrum), and to a lesser extent on Mountain Maple (A. spicatum) and Silver Maple (A. saccharinum; Eiseman, 2019). Braun (1908) reported that the mines are common throughout the Atlantic States on Red Maple, but are rarely found on Sugar Maple. In North Carolina, this species frequently uses both Sugar Maple and Red Maple, but also uses Mountain Maple at the highest elevations in the Blue Ridge. - View
Observation Methods: The adults appear to only rarely visit lights, so we recommend searching for the conspicuous leaf mines on maples, and rearing adults whenever feasible. Cameraria saccharella also feeds on maples, so care should be taken to document the frass patterns and pupal chambers in mines.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Rich Montane Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [S3-S5]
State Protection:
Comments: This species appears to be restricted to the western mountains where it is somewhat common in rich hardwood forests.

 Photo Gallery for Cameraria aceriella - Maple Leaf Blotch Miner Moth

69 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-08-28
Madison Co.
Comment: Occupied mine was on Sugar Maple. 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-06-17
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-06-17
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Bo Sullivan on 2023-08-08
Wilkes Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Bo Sullivan on 2023-08-08
Wilkes Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-29
Swain Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2022-11-06
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2022-11-06
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-10-24
McDowell Co.
Comment: Occupied mines with niduses were on Red Maple. 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-10-24
McDowell Co.
Comment: A backlit image on Red Maple with a nidus.
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-10-09
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-10-04
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-09-15
Caldwell Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-07-29
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-07-23
Buncombe Co.
Comment: An adult that was reared from Red Maple; mine on July 7; adult emerged on July 23, 2022 (see companion photo of the mine).		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-07-15
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-07-07
Buncombe Co.
Comment: Occupied mines were on Red Maple.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-07-07
Buncombe Co.
Comment: Occupied mines were on Red Maple.
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-06-17
Madison Co.
Comment: Occupied mine was on Red Maple. 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-06-17
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-04-18
Yancey Co.
Comment: A reared adult from a mine on Red Maple (see companion photo of the mine from 2021-08-26). 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-04-03
Madison Co.
Comment: A reared adult from Red Maple; occupied mine on Sept 18, 2021; adult emerged on April 3, 2022 (see companion photo of the mine)
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-03-26
Yancey Co.
Comment: Adult was reared from Red Maple; larvae on 26 Aug., 2021; adult emerged on March 26, 2022 after overwintering in refrigerator.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-10-14
Yancey Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-10-14
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-09-24
Henderson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-09-24
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-09-22
Buncombe Co.
Comment: An occupied mine on Red Maple.
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-09-22
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-09-18
Madison Co.
Comment: An occupied Red Maple leaf with two mature mines.