Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGracillariidae Members:
Chrysaster Members:
47 NC Records

Chrysaster ostensackenella (Fitch, 1859) - No Common Name


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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Gracillarioidea Family: GracillariidaeSubfamily: LithocolletinaeTribe: [Lithocolletini]P3 Number: 330392.00 MONA Number: 842.00
Comments: Chrysaster is a small genus of leaf-mining moths with only two described species. Chrysaster ostensackenella is the only representative in North America.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Braun, 1908Technical Description, Immature Stages: Eiseman, 2019                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following description is based primarily on Braun (1908). The face and palps are silvery white, with a purplish and golden iridescent luster. The antenna and tuft are dark brown. The ground color of the forewing is brilliant golden brown, and that of the thorax a shade darker. There are two silvery fascias that are margined anteriorly with dark brown, one at about one-fourth and the second near the middle of the wing. The dark margin on the first fascia shades gradually into the ground color of the wing. Beyond the second streak there are two pairs of opposing dorsal and costal streaks that are also dark margined anteriorly. On a small proportion of specimens, the first pair meets to form a third fascia. The second pair is reduced and often extends into the cilia. The cilia has a band of dark brown marginal scales at the base, but is otherwise silvery gray. The hindwings and cilia are gray. The legs are gray with varying levels of dark banding. This is a distinctively patterned and colored species that is difficult to confuse with other species.
Wingspan: 5.5-6 mm (Braun, 1908).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The hatchling initially produces a short, linear track that widens into an irregular, oblong blotch that usually obliterates the linear portion. The blotch remains more or less flat and can be produced on either surface of a leaflet. When numbers are low, upper surface mines are apparently more prevalent; at higher densities the underside mines may be equally common (Eiseman, 2019). Upper surface mines are initially light yellowish brown, but the central portion becomes darker brown as the mine expands. The color of underside mines is much lighter. When mature, the larva exits through a semicircular slit in the epidermis and spins a flat, oval, pale yellowish-brown cocoon (Braun, 1908; Eiseman, 2019). Individuals overwinter as pupae and the adults emerge after the spring warm-up.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Chrysaster ostensackenella is found primarily in eastern North America. It occurs in southern Canada (Ontario; Quebec; Nova Scotia) and the northeastern states, westward to Iowa and Wisconsin, and as far south as the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Mississippi. Possible disjunct populations have been found in Colorado and Arizona, and the species has been introduced into China (Eiseman, 2019). As of 2021, our records extend from the lower elevations in the mountains to the western Coastal Plain and Sandhills.
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)

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