Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Gracillariidae Members:	Cameraria Members:	17 NC Records

Cameraria quercivorella (Chambers, 1879) - Rusty Oak Leafminer Moth

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Gracillarioidea

Family:
Gracillariidae

Subfamily:
Lithocolletinae

Tribe:
[Lithocolletini]

P3 Number:
33a0260

MONA Number:
835.00

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: Leckie and Beadle, 2018.

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

Technical Description, Adults: Braun, 1908.

Adult Markings: The following description of the adults is based on Braun (1908). The face and palps are silvery white, while the tuft is white above and reddish orange on the sides. The antennae are whitish, with each joint spotted above with dark brown. The spots becoming small and indistinct toward the base. The thorax and forewings are reddish to golden, and there is a median white streak on the thorax that is continuous with a dorso-basal white streak on the forewing. The streak extends slightly beyond the middle of the dorsal margin, and its end is usually bordered with two or three fuscous scales. There are three costal white streaks. The first is oblique, occurs about one-third from the wing base, and is dark margined behind and sometimes anteriorly on the costa. The second is also oblique, is at the middle of the wing, and is dark margined behind and around the tip. The dark scales project rearward for a short distance. The third is a white costal spot or short streak before the cilia and is often dark margined on both sides. Opposite this is an elongated dorsal white streak that is densely margined with blackish scales that expand into the dusted apical part of the wing. Two small white marks (often connected to form a curved streak) adjoin the dark dusted area. The cilia are silvery ocherous and have a dark brown marginal line. The hindwings and cilia are silvery ocherous, and the abdomen is pale yellow. The fore and middle tarsi are annulate with black, but the hind tarsi are usually silvery white.

Cameraria quercivorella is closely related to C. ulmella and C. conglomeratella. It may be distinguished from both by the fact that the dorso-basal white streak on C. quercivorella extends only a short distance beyond the middle of the wing to produce a reddish gap between the dorso-basal streak and the oblique dorsal white streak.

Wingspan: Expanse 6.5-7 mm (Braun, 1908).

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

Immatures and Development: The larva forms a small, flat blotch mine on the upper leaf surface that is usually near the tip of a lobe (Braun, 1908; Eiseman, 2019). The mines are often fairly dark brown, but can be pale greenish-brown on some hosts (Eiseman, 2019). There are usually one or two creases in the upper epidermis when the mine is complete. Pupation occurs within the mine.

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: This species is widely distributed in eastern North America from the Great Lakes region of Canada and the US, eastward to Maine, and south and southwestward to Florida and Texas. Our records for North Carolina as of 2019 are from Durham and Scotland Cos.

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: Populations in most areas appear to be bivoltine, but the southernmost populations may be trivoltine. The first brood occurs soon after the spring leaf-out, and the second brood occurs in late summer or early fall. Larvae in the second brood overwinter and pupate during the spring warm-up.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: This species is a fairly generalist feeder on members of the red oak group, particularly Northern Red Oak (Eiseman, 2019). Populations occur in a variety of urban and forested landscapes with the host plants.

Larval Host Plants: Larvae specialize on oaks, with reported hosts including Southern Red Oak (Q. falcata), Bear Oak (Q. ilicifolia), Laurel Oak (Q. laurifolia), Sand Post Oak (Q. margarettae), Water Oak (Q. nigra), Pin Oak (Q. palustris), Northern Red Oak (Q. rubra), Post Oak (Q. stellata), and Live Oak (Q. virginiana) (Eiseman, 2022). In North Carolina, mines have been recorded on Southern Red Oak, Water Oak, Post Oak, Sand Post Oak, and Live Oak. - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights, and the adults can be reared from the upper-surface mines. The leaf mines are similar to those of C. conglomeratella, so adults should be reared to accurately document this species.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Oak-Hickory Forests

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S2S4

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

Comments:

Photo Gallery for Cameraria quercivorella - Rusty Oak Leafminer Moth

Photos: 26

	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-15 Scotland Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-06 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2023-05-21 New Hanover Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-04-21 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-04-21 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn on 2023-03-28 New Hanover Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn on 2023-03-28 New Hanover Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn on 2023-03-28 New Hanover Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-10-11 Scotland Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-09-30 Scotland Co. Comment: on Post Oak.
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-09-30 Scotland Co. Comment: Occupied mine was collected on 30 September on Post Oak; adult was reared and emerged on 11 October.		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2021-06-11 Onslow Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2021-04-09 Onslow Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-04-09 Onslow Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2020-03-09 Scotland Co. Comment: A view of the upper leaf surfaces of Quercus virginiana leaves with upper-surface mines. An adult emerged from one of these on 2020-03-30 (see companion photo).		Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2020-03-09 Scotland Co. Comment: A view of the lower leaf surfaces of Quercus virginiana leaves with upper-surface mines. An adult emerged from one of these on 2020-03-30 (see companion photo).
	Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2020-03-09 Scotland Co. Comment: An adult that emerged on 2020-03-30 from leaf mines collected on 2020-03-09 (see companion photos of the mines).		Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2017-05-09 Durham Co. Comment: An upper-side blotch mine on Quercus falcata. An adult was reared from this.
	Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2017-05-09 Durham Co. Comment: A view of the lower surface of a Quercus falcata leaf with an upper-side blotch mine. An adult was reared from this.		Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2016-06-07 Scotland Co. Comment: A view of two upper-surface blotch mines on Quercus nigra. Adults were reared from these.
	Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2016-06-07 Scotland Co. Comment: A view of the undersides of two Quercus nigra leaves with upper-surface blotch mines. Adults were reared from these.		Recorded by: Harry Wilson on 2015-08-08 Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: T. DeSantis on 2015-04-14 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Harry Wilson on 2013-07-07 Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Harry Wilson on 2013-07-07 Wake Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Kyle Kittelberger on 2011-06-30 Wake Co. Comment: