Moths of North Carolina
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Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Family (Alpha):
ACROLEPIIDAE-
ADELIDAE-
AMPHISBATIDAE-
AUTOSTICHIDAE-
BATRACHEDRIDAE-
BEDELLIIDAE-
BLASTOBASIDAE-
BOMBYCIDAE-
BUCCULATRICIDAE-
CARPOSINIDAE-
CHOREUTIDAE-
COLEOPHORIDAE-
COSMOPTERIGIDAE-
COSSIDAE-
CRAMBIDAE-
DEPRESSARIIDAE-
DREPANIDAE-
ELACHISTIDAE-
EPERMENIIDAE-
EPIPYROPIDAE-
EREBIDAE-Erebid Moths
ERIOCRANIIDAE-
EUTELIIDAE-
GALACTICIDAE-
GELECHIIDAE-
GEOMETRIDAE-
GLYPHIDOCERIDAE-
GLYPHIPTERIGIDAE-
GRACILLARIIDAE-
HELIOZELIDAE-
HEPIALIDAE-
HYBLAEIDAE-
INCURVARIIDAE-
LASIOCAMPIDAE-
LECITHOCERIDAE-Long-horned Moths
LIMACODIDAE-
LYONETIIDAE-
MEGALOPYGIDAE-Flannel Moths
MICROPTERIGIDAE-
MIMALLONIDAE-
MOMPHIDAE-Mompha Moths
NEPTICULIDAE-
NOCTUIDAE-Owlet Moths
NOLIDAE-
NOTODONTIDAE-
OECOPHORIDAE-
OPOSTEGIDAE-
PELEOPODIDAE-
PLUTELLIDAE-
PRODOXIDAE-
PSYCHIDAE-Bagworm Moths
PTEROPHORIDAE-
PYRALIDAE-
SATURNIIDAE-Saturniids
SCHRECKENSTEINIIDAE-
SESIIDAE-
SPHINGIDAE-Sphinx Moths
THYATIRIDAE-
THYRIDIDAE-
TINEIDAE-
TISCHERIIDAE-
TORTRICIDAE-
URANIIDAE-
URODIDAE-
XYLORYCTIDAE-
YPONOMEUTIDAE-
YPSOLOPHIDAE-
ZYGAENIDAE-
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Nepticulidae Members:
Acalyptris thoracealbella
Acalyptris unidentified species
Anacampsis rhoifructella-consonella complex
Ectoedemia clemensella
Ectoedemia nyssaefoliella
Ectoedemia platanella
Ectoedemia quadrinotata
Ectoedemia rubifoliella
Ectoedemia similella
Ectoedemia trinotata
Ectoedemia ulmella
Ectoedemia unidentified species
Ectoedemia virgulae
Etainia unidentified
Fomoria hypericella
Fomoria pteliaeella
Glaucolepis saccharella
Nepticulidae
Stigmella apicialbella
Stigmella argentifasciella
Stigmella caryaefoliella
Stigmella castaneaefoliella
Stigmella corylifoliella
Stigmella fuscotibiella
Stigmella intermedia
Stigmella juglandifoliella
Stigmella macrocarpae
Stigmella macrocarpae/nigriverticella complex
Stigmella myricafoliella
Stigmella procrastinella
Stigmella prunifoliella
Stigmella quercipulchella
Stigmella rhamnicola
Stigmella rhoifoliella
Stigmella rosaefoliella
Stigmella sclerostylota
Stigmella tiliella
Stigmella unidentified species
Stigmella villosella
Zimmermannia bosquella
Zimmermannia obrutella
Zimmermannia unidentified species
Stigmella
Members:
Stigmella apicialbella
Stigmella argentifasciella
Stigmella caryaefoliella
Stigmella castaneaefoliella
Stigmella corylifoliella
Stigmella fuscotibiella
Stigmella intermedia
Stigmella juglandifoliella
Stigmella macrocarpae
Stigmella macrocarpae/nigriverticella complex
Stigmella myricafoliella
Stigmella procrastinella
Stigmella prunifoliella
Stigmella quercipulchella
Stigmella rhamnicola
Stigmella rhoifoliella
Stigmella rosaefoliella
Stigmella sclerostylota
Stigmella tiliella
Stigmella unidentified species
Stigmella villosella
39 NC Records
Stigmella caryaefoliella
(Clemens, 1861) - No Common Name
view caption
A mine with a feeding larva on the far left.
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Nepticuloidea
Family:
Nepticulidae
P3 Number:
160019.00
MONA Number:
93.10
Comments:
Members of the genus
Stigmella
are a group of small leaf-mining moths that typically create linear mines, although a few species form linear-blotch or blotch mines. Newton and Wilkinson (1982) recognized 51 species in their revision on the North American fauna, and new discoveries have since raised the total to around 57 species. Almost all species are specialists and rarely use more than one genus of host plants. Host-specificity, mine characteristics, and genitalic differences are helpful in recognizing closely related forms that are externally similar.
Species Status:
Wilkinson and Scoble (1979) synonymized
S. caryaefoliella
and
S. obscurella
(Braun, 1912) with
S. ostryaefoliella
on the basis of the male genitalia. Nieukerken et al. (2016) removed these synonyms and recognized all three as good species. Each species feeds on a different host and has distinct DNA barcodes and morphologies.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions:
Online Photographs:
MPG
,
BugGuide
,
iNaturalist
,
Google
,
BAMONA
,
GBIF
Technical Description, Adults:
Wilkinson and Scoble (1979)
Technical Description, Immature Stages:
Payne et al., 1972
Adult Markings:
The following description of the adults is based on Braun (1917) and Wilkinson and Scoble (1979). The palps are gray and lustrous, and the antenna is purplish gray and lustrous. The tuft is pale ochreous to bright orange-ochreous. The eye-cap is shining creamy white, and often has brownish purple shading around the edges. The collar varies from pale ochreous to gray-purple. The thorax and forewing are dark grayish brown to deep purplish black, and sometimes have bronze or purple reflections. There is a single, broad, white, postmedial fascia on the forewing. The fascia has a silvery shine and is broadest on the dorsum. The cilia are gray to blackish and concolorous with the wings. The hindwing and cilia are gray. The legs are purplish gray and lustrous, with pale ochreous to purplish patches, particularly on the forelegs, midlegs, hind tarsi and tibial spurs.
Stigmella caryaefoliella
is difficult to distinguish from closely related forms such as
S. ostryaefoliella
based on external characteristics. Reliable identification is best achieved using genitalia, DNA barcoding, or by rearing adults from the host plants.
Wingspan:
3.2-4.2 for males; 3.6-4.2 for females (Wilkinson and Scoble, 1979).
Adult Structural Features:
Wilkinson and Scoble (1979) synonymized
S. caryaefoliella
with
S. ostryaefoliella
on the basis of the male genitalia. The following description of the males is based on their account of
S. ostryaefoliella
. The tegumen is in the form of a narrow band, and the posterior edge is not serrated. The uncus is weakly bilobed, with the lobes extending into short, inwardly pointed, arcuate papillae. The gnathos has horns that are clearly branched. The valves are broad with stout, elongated, hair-like scales that arise from the inner aspect of the tip. The transtilla has a horizontal bar that is not significantly bilobed.
Immatures and Development:
The larvae produce whitish to light tan upper surface mines on hickory leaflets. The mine is narrow and elongated, and gradually widens to about 2 mm in width as the larva grows. The mine often follows a lateral vein or the midrib for a substantial portion of its length. A narrow, dark, central frass line extends along the length of the mine. The larva are pale green when young and dark green when mature. The mature larva exits the leaf through a crescent-shaped slit in the upper epidermis and spins a light tan to brownish red cocoon on the ground (Braun, 1917; Payne et al., 1972; Eiseman, 2019).
Larvae ID Requirements:
Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
Stigmella caryaefoliella
is widely distributed in eastern North America where the host plants occur locally. Populations have been documented in Ohio, Ontario, Quebec, and the New England states south and southwestward to Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. As of 2020, we have records from the Inner Coastal Plain and eastern Piedmont.
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:
There appear to be two or possibly three broods per year. Braun (1917) noted that full grown larvae first occur seasonally in the middle of June in the vicinity of southern Ohio. A second and third brood occurs in July, and in late August and early September. Elsewhere, mines with larvae have been found as late as October. We have records for unoccupied mines in May and June.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Stigmella caryaefoliella
is a specialist on hickories and occurs in a variety of hardwood or mixed conifer-hardwood forests with the host species.
Larval Host Plants:
The known hosts include Bitternut Hickory (
Carya cordiformis
), Pecan (
C. illinoinensis
), Shagbark Hickory (
C. ovata
), and Mockernut Hickory (
C. tomentosa
). In North Carolina we have records for Bitternut Hickory, Mockernut Hickory, Pignut Hickory (
C. glabra
), Shellbark Hickory (
C. laciniosa
) and Red Hickory (
C. ovalis
).
Observation Methods:
The adults appear to rarely visit lights and most records are based on either leaf mines or adults that were raised from mines. We recommend searching for mines, and rearing and photographing the adults. A second undescribed species of
Stigmella
also uses hickory species, but has frass that is broadly distributed in the mine throughout most of its length rather than forming a narrow, central line. Care needs to be taken to not confuse the two when examining mines.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for
General Oak-Hickory Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks:
GNR S3S4
State Protection:
Comments:
We have very few records for this species in North Carolina, which likely reflect the extent to which leaf-mining species have been undercollected, rather than true rarity. Additional data on the distribution and abundance of this species is needed before we can assess its conservation status.
Photo Gallery for
Stigmella caryaefoliella
- No common name
66 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Recorded by: David George, Jim George on 2022-10-12
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jim George on 2022-10-12
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Becky Watkins on 2022-10-09
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George on 2022-10-04
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-10-04
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-10-04
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-10-01
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-10-01
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-09-28
Anson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-09-28
Anson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George on 2022-09-28
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-09-13
Rutherford Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-09-13
Rutherford Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George on 2022-09-13
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George on 2022-09-13
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George on 2022-09-12
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George on 2022-09-12
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George on 2022-08-29
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George on 2022-08-29
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-08-25
Clay Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-08-24
Macon Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-08-24
Macon Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-08-04
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-08-04
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-07-26
Randolph Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-07-26
Randolph Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-07-22
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-07-22
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-07-20
Mitchell Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-07-20
Mitchell Co.
Comment: