Moths of North Carolina
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10 NC Records

Stigmella nigriverticella (Chambers, 1875) - No Common Name

Taxonomy
Family: NepticulidaeP3 Number: 16a0014 MONA Number: 89.00
Comments: Stigmella macrocarpae and S. nigriverticella are two closely related species that appear to be members of a species complex that may contain one or more undescribed species. Chambers (1878) originally described a form with a broad fascia near the middle of the forewings as Nepticula latifasciella (= Stigmella latifasciella, and later S. macrocarpae). He also described a second form (Chambers, 1875) with an even broader, less well-defined, and more diffuse band as N. nigriverticella (= S. nigriverticella). North American experts have traditionally treated the narrow-banded form as S. macrocarpae (e.g., Newton and Wilkinson 1982), and most specimens from North Carolina appear to be this form. However, a recent revision of the Nepticulidae (Van Nieukerken et al. 2016) reinterpreted the narrow-banded form as being S. nigriverticella rather than S. macrocarpae. The genitalia appear to be identical for S. macrocarpae and S. nigriverticella (Newton and Wilkinson 1982) and DNA analyzes reveal at least seven major lineages (BINS) within the two recognized species. Both S. macrocarpae and S. nigriverticella; sensu Van Nieukerken et al. 2016) are recognized in the latest North American checklist (Pohl and Nanz, 2023), and we recognize both with the caveat that additional taxonomic changes may occur in the future.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Stigmella nigriverticella is a distinctive species that is mostly creamy white with a contrasting dark sub-basal band on the forewing, along with a slightly wider dark band on the apical third of the wing. The scale tuft on the face is ocherous to dull-white, while the tuft on the vertex is dark-brown or blackish. The collar, eye-cap, thorax, and extreme base of the forewing are creamy white to buff-white. The remainder of the forewing is dark-brown to blackish, except for a broad buff-white band near the middle that is about as wide as the sub-basal dark band that adjoins it. The cilia along the terminal margin are creamy-white, but often fade to light gray around the inner margin and costa. Both the hindwing and cilia are light gray. This species is generally similar to S. macrocarpae, but has a relatively narrow white band near the middle of the wing that is about the same width as the blackish sub-basal band that adjoins it. In S. macrocarpae, the white band is about twice as wide as the blackish sub-basal band.
Immatures and Development: The green larvae are leaf miners on oaks and produce a long, somewhat sinuous mine. The frass is initially greenish and fills most of the tract, but turns dark brown with age (Eiseman, 2022).
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Stigmella nigriverticella is found in eastern North America, including southern Canada (Ontario; Quebec; Nova Scotia), and in the U.S. from New Hampshire and Massachusetts southward mostly through the Appalachian and Piedmont regions to northern Georgia, northern Alabama and northern Mississippi, then westward to central Texas, central Oklahoma, southern Colorado, and Arkansas. The range also extends westward farther north from the New England states through Ohio to Illinois. As of 2024, we have records from the central Blue Ridge, Piedmont and northern 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: local populations appear to produce 1-3 broods per year depending on the latitude and local climatic conditions. Specimens have been documented from April through September in different areas of the range. As of 2024, our records extend from early-May through early-October.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Local populations are generally associated with hardwood forests with oaks, including semi-wooded residential neighborhoods.
Larval Host Plants: The larva feed on oaks (Eiseman, 2022), with the known hosts including Bear Oak (Q. ilicifolia), Northern Red Oak (Q. rubra) and Black Oak (Q. velutina). Tracy Feldman found a mine on Cherrybark Oak (Q. pagoda) in Durham County. Erik van Nieukerken (see Eiseman, 2022) has also found mines that appear to be this species on White Oak (Q. alba) and Chestnut Oak (Q. montana), but these have not been confirmed based on DNA barcoding.
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights and the mine can be found on oak leaves.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR[S3S4]
State Protection:
Comments: This species appears to be fairly common in many areas of the state, but more information is needed on its distribution and abundance before we can accurately assess its conservation status.

 Photo Gallery for Stigmella nigriverticella - No common name

Photos: 11

Recorded by: Tracy Feldman on 2023-09-14
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-20
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2021-07-30
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2021-07-30
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Rob Van Epps on 2020-07-14
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Rob Van Epps on 2020-07-14
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2019-05-10
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2018-10-08
Gates Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Kyle Kittelberger on 2017-10-09
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Julie Tuttle on 2017-07-23
Chatham Co.
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Recorded by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn on 2017-05-03
Stokes Co.
Comment: