Moths of North Carolina
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Cameraria Members:
19 NC Records

Cameraria betulivora (Walsingham, 1891) - Birch-leaf Blotchminer Moth


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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Gracillarioidea Family: GracillariidaeSubfamily: LithocolletinaeTribe: [Lithocolletini]P3 Number: 330347.00 MONA Number: 810.00
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 Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIFTechnical Description, Adults: Walsingham (1891); Braun (1908)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Eiseman (2019)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following is based primarily on the original description of a single female by Walsingham (1891) and illustrated by Braun (1908), as well as our own specimens from North Carolina. The antenna is grayish above and white beneath. The palps, head, and face are white, while the crown tuft and thorax is reddish saffron. The forewing is shining reddish saffron and has a small dull white costal spot at one fourth the wing length. Opposite this, and slightly more basally, is a small dorsal spot that is dull white. There is a slender white fascia at the middle of the wing that is angulated outwardly near the costal margin. The fascia has a series of black scales on its outer edge that vary among individuals from a few isolated scales to a well-defined black margin. Beyond this a small costal streak and an opposite dorsal streak, both dull white, with blackish scales on their outer edges. A group of black scales at the apex of the wing is preceded by either a small dull whitish mark or a dull white streak. The apical cilia are grayish with saffron-tinged bases, and on some individuals have a slender blackish line along their middle that passes around the apex. The hindwings are dark gray with gray cilia. The abdomen is gray and tinged with saffron posteriorly. The front and middle legs are whitish with blackish banding on the lower portions. The hind legs are mostly whitish, with a very faint indication of darker scaling on the penultimate tarsal joint.
Wingspan: 7 mm (Braun, 1908).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae produce upper-surface blotch mines on birch leaves. These are sometimes almost circular in shape (Walsingham, 1891), but can also be more complex with elongated components to the blotch. As of 2022, we have several site records for occupied mines. The mines contained a single larva, were roughly circular or irregularly oblong in shape, and had frass that was deposited towards the center of the mine.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Cameraria betulivora has been documented in Ontario, Quebec, Maine, and in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Braun (1912) first found this species in Jackson Co., and it was not until 2010 that it was collected again in North Carolina (BOLD). It has since been found at several additional sites in association with birch trees.
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: The flight season is poorly documented. As of 2021, we have records for occupied mines from mid-July through September.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Our one historic record for this species (Braun, 1912) probably comes from a Cove Forest. The most recent collections are from mid- to higher elevation sites where birches are present locally.
Larval Host Plants: The reported larval hosts include Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis), Paper Birch (B. papyrifera), and Gray Birch (B. populifolia (Robinson et al., 2010; Eiseman, 2019). In North Carolina, we have observed mines on both Yellow Birch and Sweet Birch (B. lenta).
Observation Methods: This species appears to be uncommon in North Carolina, with most of our records from mid- to higher elevations in the mountains. We recommend searching for the mines on the upper surfaces of Yellow Birch or Sweet Birch during the summer months.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Montane Mesic Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: [GNR] SU
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: Populations that have been collected in North Carolina are mostly associated with mid- to higher-elevation communities with Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis) or Sweet Birch (B. lenta). Populations in our mountains may be disjunct from those from the main range in Canada and Maine.

 Photo Gallery for Cameraria betulivora - Birch-leaf Blotchminer Moth

Photos: 29

Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-09-20
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-09-20
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-09-20
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-09-08
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-09-08
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-08-17
Yancey Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-08-17
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-08-10
Mitchell Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-08-10
Mitchell Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-03-14
Yancey Co.
Comment: A reared adult from Yellow Birch; mine on 2021-08-30; adult emerged on 2022-03-14 (see companion photo of mine from 2021-08-30.
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-08-30
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-08-30
Yancey Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-08-30
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-08-26
Buncombe Co.
Comment: One of 10 occupied mines that were on Yellow Birch; all had a single larva. Adult was reared and emerged on April 5, 2022 after overwintering in refrigerator.
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-08-26
Buncombe Co.
Comment: One of 10 occupied mines that were on Yellow Birch; all had a single larva. Adult was reared and emerged on April 5, 2022 after overwintering in refrigerator. 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-08-26
Buncombe Co.
Comment: One of 10 occupied mines that were on Yellow Birch; all had a single larva. Adult was reared and emerged on April 5, 2022 after overwintering in refrigerator.
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-08-03
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-08-03
Watauga Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-08-01
Graham Co.
Comment: An adult that was reared from a mine on Yellow Birch (see companion photo of the mine from 2021-07-21). 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-07-31
Mitchell Co.
Comment: A reared adult from a mine on Betula lenta (see companion photo of the mine from 2021-07-13).
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-07-31
Mitchell Co.
Comment: Adult was reared from a mine on Betula lenta; mine collected on 13 July; adult emerged on 31 July.. 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-07-28
McDowell Co.
Comment: An adult that was reared from Betula lenta (see companion photos of the mine from 2021-07-13).
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-07-21
Graham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-07-21
Graham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-07-21
Graham Co.
Comment: A mine on Yellow Birch with a single larva (see companion photo of the adult that emerged on 1 August). 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-07-13
McDowell Co.
Comment: One of two occupied, upper-surface mines on Sweet Birch (Betula lenta). Each mine had a single larva.
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-07-13
McDowell Co.
Comment: One of two occupied, upper-surface mines on Sweet Birch (Betula lenta). Each mine had a single larva, and one adult emerged on 28 July. 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-07-13
McDowell Co.
Comment: A backlit image of an occupied mine on Sweet Birch (Betula lenta).
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-07-13
Mitchell Co.
Comment: