Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Gracillariidae Members:	Phyllocnistis Members:	82 NC Records

Phyllocnistis vitegenella Clemens, 1859 - No Common Name

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Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Gracillarioidea

Family:
Gracillariidae

Subfamily:
Phyllocnistinae

Tribe:
[Phyllocnistini]

P3 Number:
33a0382

MONA Number:
853.00

Comments: Phyllocnistis is a large genus with more than 125 described species worldwide, with 16 species currently recognized in North America. Davis and Wagner (2011) surmised that there may be hundreds of undescribed species in the neotropics. The adults of some species are very similar, and knowledge of the host plant and mine characteristics is helpful in identifying morphologically similar species (Eiseman, 2019).

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

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

Technical Description, Adults: Chambers (1871)

Technical Description, Immature Stages: Chambers (1871)

Adult Markings: In this species, the head and thorax are glistening snowy white, while the antenna is dark above. The ground color of the forewing is also glistening snowy white, but tinged with light golden towards the apex. Overlaying this are a series of narrow, blackish streaks or lines that are less than half the width of the forewing. An elongated dorsal spot is present on the dorsal margin just posterior to the base. Near the middle of the wing there is a narrow, oblique, blackish costal streak. Just behind it is a small, narrow blackish streak that is less oblique and opposes a similar small dorsal streak. These tend to meet to form a narrow, dark fascia (sometimes incomplete). There is a conspicuous circular black spot at the wing tip. Just anterior to this there are two relatively straight black costal streaks. At the tip of the wing are three blackish diverging streaks or thin lines in the cilia that tend to converge towards the apical spot. Finally, a blackish marginal line arches forward from near the apical spot towards the dorsal margin. There is often a broad area of golden wash that adjoins the marginal line on the anterior side. The hindwing and cilia are silvery white. Chambers (1871) noted that this species closely resembles P. vitifoliella, but differs in having antennae that are dark above (whitish in P. vitifoliella), a semi-oval dorsal spot (absent in P. vitifoliella), and the second costal streak that unites with the opposite dorsal streak to form a narrow fascia (these remain separated in P. vitifoliella).

Immatures and Development: The larvae produce long, linear superficial mines on the upper surfaces of leaves. The mines are restricted to the cuticle and epidermis and lack frass. They have a glistening whitish or greenish shine that resembles the tracks of snails, and they often parallel the mid-vein or lateral veins of leaves during at least some of their length. Sections of a mine often loop back on themselves as the larva feeds parallel to a vein, then crosses the vein and feeds in a parallel fashion in the opposite direction. Pupation typically occurs beneath a small folded edge of the leaf margin, but pupation chambers are occasionally produced away from the leaf margin.

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

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Phyllocnistis vitegenella is found in eastern North America, and appears to have been introduced in the West based on disjunct populations in in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Oregon. In the East, populations occur in Ontario, Quebec, and throughout much of the eastern US to as far south as Florida, the Gulf Coast, and eastern Texas. As of 2024, we have records that range 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: Chambers (1871) reported that mines with larvae or pupae can be found from May-November, and the adults from June-November in Kentucky. As of 2024, our earliest record for mines is from early May, which suggests that the adults first start flying in late-April or very early May.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Local populations are strongly associated with wild grapes, which are the primary hosts. Grapes inhabit a variety of forest and edge habitats, and often become established after soil disturbance or timbering. Representative habitats include forest edges along roadways and trails, mature hardwood or mixed hardwood-pine forests, and floodplains where they often arch over trees and shrubs near the water's edge.

Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on wild grapes (Muscadinia and Vitis spp.; Robinson et al., 2010; Eiseman, 2019). Some of the known hosts include Muscadine (Muscadinia rotundifolia), Possum Grape (V. baileyana), Fox Grape (V. labrusca), Riverbank Grape (V. riparia), and Frost Grape (V. vulpina). In North Carolina, Muscadine is a very common host in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont, while Vitis species, including Fox Grape, are the primary hosts in the mountains. - View

Observation Methods: The adults rarely appear at lights and most records are based on leaf mines. Photographs of adults are needed to better document phenotypes that occur in North Carolina, and are best obtained by rearing adults from the mines.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Vitaceous Tangles

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S4S5

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

Comments: This species is often locally common where native grapes are present and appears to be secure within the state.

Photo Gallery for Phyllocnistis vitegenella - None

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

	Recorded by: Mark Basinger and Donald Zepp on 2025-06-11 Edgecombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Tracy Feldman, David George on 2025-05-09 Cumberland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George on 2024-10-29 Onslow Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-20 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger and Donald Zepp on 2024-08-23 Edgecombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-23 Nash Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2024-08-12 Pamlico Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-09 Mitchell Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-18 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-02 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-02 Craven Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-02 Jones Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-02 Lenoir Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-06-29 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-23 Alamance Co. Comment: Vitis vulpina was host plant; mines unoccupied.		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-23 Burke Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-23 Guilford Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-23 McDowell Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-20 Bladen Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-06-20 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-20 Duplin Co. Comment: Vitis labrusca was host plant. Mines were unoccupied.		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-20 Johnston Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-20 Sampson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-20 Wayne Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-20 Wayne Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-19 Columbus Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-18 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-17 Greene Co. Comment: Mines were on Muscadinia (Vitis) rotundifolia.
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-17 New Hanover Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-17 Pender Co. Comment: