Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Gracillariidae Members:	Cameraria Members:	26 NC Records

Cameraria ulmella (Chambers, 1871) - Elm Leafminer Moth

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Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Gracillarioidea

Family:
Gracillariidae

Subfamily:
Lithocolletinae

P3 Number:
33a0270

MONA Number:
839.00

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, BOLD

Technical Description, Adults: Braun, 1908.

Adult Markings: The following is based on descriptions in Braun (1908). The face and palpi are silvery white, while the tufts are white with intermixed golden scales. The antennae are silvery white, and the apical two-thirds are ringed with brown. The forewing is bright golden to orangish. A white streak extends along the dorsal margin from the base of the wing to the cilia, where it is deflexed and passes on to the dusted portion of the apex near the posterior margin. The dusted portion is dark brown to blackish on a white ground. There are three small silvery streaks along the costa. The first and second are near the middle of the costal margin, and the second one is the largest. The third streak is small and near the apex. The size of the third costal streak and the extent of the apical dusting varies among individuals, and the costal streaks are often faintly dark margined behind. The second streak is more likely to have a well-developed dark margin than the other two (often missing on these). The legs are whitish, and the forelegs often have pale golden to blackish spots on the tarsi.

This species closely resembles C. conglomeratella and is most easily differentiated by the antennae. In C. ulmella, the basal third is pure white, while the remainder of the antenna is annulated with brown. In C. conglomeratella, the annulations are present for the whole length of the antenna, although sometimes they are indistinct toward the base. C. quercivorella is also similar to C. ulmella, but in C. quercivorella the dorso-basal white streak extends only a short distance beyond the middle of the wing.

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

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

Immatures and Development: The larvae form irregular blotch mines on the upper side of leaves. As larvae feed, the frass is concentrated towards the middle of the blotch to produce a diffuse darker zone. Larvae of the summer brood pupate under a flat silken cocoon. Larvae in the second brood change from the usual green color to a pale yellow color, and pass the winter in silk-lined chambers.

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Cameraria ulmella is broadly distributed in eastern North America from the Great Lakes region eastward to Maine, and south and southwestward to Georgia, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Texas. As of 2020, we have documented North Carolina populations statewide from the lower elevations in the mountains to the Coastal Plain.

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: Many local populations appear to be bivoltine, with a summer and autumn brood. Larvae from the autumn brood overwinter in the fallen leaves. As of 2020, we have adult records extending from late March through September.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Populations are generally found in wet to mesic forests that support either American Elm or Slippery Elm, or in mesic to drier habitats that support Winged Elm. These include bottomland forests, stream edges, rich woods with circumneutral soils, and field edges and thickets.

Larval Host Plants: The larvae mine the leaves of elms, including Winged Elm (U. alata), American Elm (Ulmus americana), and Slippery Elm (U. rubra). This species was recently reported to use oaks (Eiseman, 2019), which suggests the possible occurrence of a cryptic species that uses oaks. As of 2023, most of our leaf mine records are for Winged Elm, with one from Slippery Elm. Tracy Feldman also has records from White Oak (Quercus alba), Water Oak (Q. nigra), and Darlington Oak (Q. hemisphaerica) that Eiseman has placed in the C. ulmella account on BugGuide. - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights. Little effort has been put forth searching for leaf mines and rearing adults. This may prove to be an effective way to document additional populations within the state.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Elm Forests

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S3S4

State Protection:

Comments:

Photo Gallery for Cameraria ulmella - Elm Leafminer Moth

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

	Recorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2025-06-17 Alamance Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2025-06-17 Alamance Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2024-10-02 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2024-10-02 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2024-10-02 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-09-21 Madison Co. Comment: Occupied mine was on Ulmus rubra.
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-09-21 Madison Co. Comment: Occupied mine was on Ulmus rubra.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-08 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-08 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-26 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-26 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2024-08-12 Pamlico Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-22 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-22 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2024-04-14 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-07-14 Madison Co. Comment: An occupied mine on Slippery Elm.
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-07-11 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-07-11 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2023-06-24 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2023-06-24 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George on 2023-05-15 Alamance Co. Comment: On Ulmus alata.		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-04-12 Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-09-28 Anson Co. Comment: Occupied mines were on Winged Elm.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-09-28 Anson Co. Comment: Occupied mines were on Winged Elm.
	Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2022-06-27 Durham Co. Comment: On Winged Elm.		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-18 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-18 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2021-10-07 Mecklenburg Co. Comment: On Winged Elm.
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2021-10-07 Mecklenburg Co. Comment: On Winged Elm.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Bo Sullivan on 2021-08-02 Ashe Co. Comment: