Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Gracillariidae Members:	Cameraria Members:	7 NC Records

Cameraria fletcherella (Braun, 1908) - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Gracillarioidea

Family:
Gracillariidae

Subfamily:
Lithocolletinae

Tribe:
[Lithocolletini]

P3 Number:
33a0241

MONA Number:
820.00

Comments: This is one of over 50 Cameraria species that have been described from North America.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD

Technical Description, Adults: Braun, 1908

Adult Markings: The following is based on Braun's (1908) original description based on specimens from Ottawa, Canada. The antenna is whitish with brown annulations. The face is white and the palps dark externally. The tuft are ocherous with whitish scales in the middle. The thorax and ground color of the forewing is reddish ocherous. There are four white costal streaks and three white dorsal streaks that are all margined with dark brown posteriorly. The first costal and dorsal streaks are oblique, with the costal at the basal third, and the dorsal a little nearer the wing base. The dorsal streak is broader at the base and its pointed apex is directed toward that of the first costal streak. The second pair of streaks is at the middle and almost parallel to the first pair. These meet to form a more or less interrupted angulated white fascia, of which the dark margin is continuous. A third pair of streaks is present at the apical third. These streaks are nearly perpendicular to the wing margins and almost meet in the middle of the wing. The fourth costal streak is curved and almost encloses the more or less dusted apex. In the male, there is a small white spot with a few dark scales behind it at the middle of the wing, and about half way between the third pair of streaks and the fourth costal streak. The fringe is ocherous, and the hindwing and cilia are grayish ocherous. The legs are ocherous with the hind tarsi pure white.

Wingspan: 8.5-9 mm (Braun, 1908)

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.

Immatures and Development: Very little is known about the larval life history. The larva forms an upper surface blotch mine as do other oak-feeding Cameraria, with the frass deposited away from the blotch margins.

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Cameraria fletcherella is found in eastern North America, but remarkably few records of the leaf mines or adults exist. As of 2025, scattered populations have been found in Ontario, Quebec, Oklahoma, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Maine. We also have records from three counties from all three physiographic provinces.

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
Flight Comments: Adults have been collected from April through September. As of 2025, our records extend from late-May through early-July.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: The only known hosts are oaks, so populations are presumably affiliated with deciduous forests or urban settings where the host species occur locally.

Larval Host Plants: The only reported hosts are White Oak (Quercus alba and Northern Red Oak (Q. rubra; Braun, 1908; Eiseman 2022), but records of mines are very limited and other oak species are likely used. As of 2025, we have rearing records for Bluejack Oak (Q. incana). - View

Observation Methods: The adults appear to rarely visit lights; the mines are poorly documented and should be searched for on White Oak during the summer months.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Oak-Hickory Forests

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S1S3

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.

Comments: Although this is a seemingly rare species in North Carolina and throughout its range, we currently do not have sufficient data to accurately assess its conservation status.

Photo Gallery for Cameraria fletcherella - None

Photos: 15

	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2025-06-13 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2025-06-13 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2025-06-13 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2025-05-24 Richmond Co. Comment: Blotch mine on Bluejack oak (Q. incana). Crease later formed on upper surface. See companion photo of reared adult from 2025-06-12.
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2025-05-24 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2025-05-24 Richmond Co. Comment: Blotch mine on Bluejack oak (Q. incana). Crease later formed on upper surface. See companion photo of reared adult from 2025-06-12.
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-09 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-09 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-06-16 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-06-16 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-07-01 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-07-01 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-05-24 Wake Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Kyle Kittelberger on 2012-06-17 Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Kyle Kittelberger on 2012-06-17 Wake Co. Comment: