Moths of North Carolina
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103 NC Records

Machimia tentoriferella Clemens, 1860 - Gold-striped Leaftier Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Gelechioidea Family: DepressariidaeSubfamily: [Amphisbatinae]Tribe: [Amphisbatini]P3 Number: 420257.00 MONA Number: 951.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Immature Stages: Chapman and Lienk, 1971; Marquis et al., 2019                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following description is primarily based on that of Clarke (1941). The labial palp is pale yellowish white, and the second segment is strongly suffused with blackish fuscous exteriorly on the basal half. The third segment is inwardly speckled with blackish fuscous on the basal third. The antenna is ochreous and annulated with fuscous, while the head is pale whitish ochreous. The thorax and forewing are reddish ochreous and sparsely specked with blackish fuscous. The thorax has a patch of black scales at the posterior tip, and the forewing has three prominent blackish-fuscous spots. Two are at the beginning and end of the cell, and the third is equidistant between these two, closer to the inner margin, and more diffuse. At about two-thirds the wing length, a blackish-fuscous line of scales extends from the costa posteriorly for a short distance. It then sharply angles back towards the inner margin while roughly paralleling the curvature of the termen. A series of small, blackish-fuscous spots extends from near the end of the costa around the termen and onto the inner margin for a short distance. The cilia of the forewing are ochreous. The hindwing is fuscous with a reddish cast and the cilia are ochreous with a fuscous sub-basal band. The legs are ochreous and heavily overlaid with fuscous, except at the joints. The abdomen is ochreous and speckled and suffused with blackish fuscous. This is a distinctive species that is best distinguished by the broadly curved wings with angulated tips, the three prominent blackish-fuscous spots on the forewing, and the black patch of scales near the posterior tip of the thorax. The blackish-fuscous line in the post-median region that angles back towards the inner margin is often faint in worn specimens.
Wingspan: 19-28 mm (Clarke, 1941).
Adult Structural Features: Clarke (1941) provides detailed descriptions and illustrations of the male and female genitalia.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae are polyphagous and feed on hardwoods. The larvae reside within shelters that consist of either leaves that are tied together, or a single leaf that is partially folded or rolled. Each larva makes a flat surface web on the underside of a leaf that is open at either end and slightly raised to produce a domed retreat. Early instars skeletonize the leaf at the head end of the web, but later instars feed outside of the retreat and eat the whole leaf. When disturbed, the larva wriggles backward to escape and drops through the rear slit in the web (Marquis et al., 2019). Pupation occurs within the shelter or under the folded edge of a leaf (Forbes, 1923; Chapman and Lienk, 1971; Baker, 1972; Marquis et al. 2019). In Missouri the larvae are found during June and July and pupation occurs in a folded leaf during July and August (Marquis et al. 2019). Unlike Psilocorsis species, the larva lacks a punctate head and is green with two faint longitudinal whitish bands (Marquis et al. 2019). The head is light yellow or yellowish-green, and the mature larvae are around 17-21 mm long (Chapman and Lienk, 1971).
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Machimia tentoriferella is found primarily in eastern North America, including much of extreme southern Canada from Manitoba eastward to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. In the eastern US the range extends from Maine southward to northern Georgia and central Alabama, and westward to central Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa and eastern Minnesota. It appears to be absent or rare in the southeastern Coastal Plain. Isolated populations have been found in California, Colorado and Texas that may reflect introductions. In North Carolina, populations are largely restricted to the Blue Ridge and Piedmont. As of 2023 we have only one record from 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)

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