Moths of North Carolina
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Caloptilia Members:
25 NC Records

Caloptilia ostryaeella (Chambers, 1878) - Ironwood Leafcone Moth

Caloptilia ostryaeella
view caption 		Caloptilia ostryaeella
view caption 		Caloptilia ostryaeella
view caption 		Caloptilia ostryaeella
view caption
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Gracillarioidea		 Family:
Gracillariidae		Subfamily:
Gracillariinae		Tribe:
[Gracillariini]		P3 Number:
33a0186		 MONA Number:
618.00
Comments: Caloptilia is a large genus with nearly 300 described species; 64 species have been described in North America north of Mexico. The larvae begin as leaf-mining sap-feeders, but the latter instars usually exit the mines and feed within a conical roll that begins at the leaf apex or at the tip of a leaf lobe.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Braun, 1912.Technical Description, Immature Stages: Braun, 1912; Eiseman, 2019.                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This species is unusual among our Caloptilia in showing seasonal dimorphism that involves summer and autumn color morphs that differ markedly in patterning and coloration (Braun, 1912). In the summer form, the forewing is suffused with purplish bronze and has a pale golden region at the base that is broadest on the dorsum. A rounded costal triangle (costal patch) is present that is pale golden and extends outward as a band along the costa to the costal cilia. The pale patch typically has two or more tiny brown dots on the costa. The hindwings are fuscous and the cilia reddish. The antennae are ocherous, become darker toward the tip, and are broadly annulate with dark brown. The face, head and thorax are pale golden, with the vertex somewhat bronze. The front and middle legs are dark purplish brown except the tarsi, which are white and sometimes faintly tipped with black. The hind legs are pale yellowish.

The autumn form is drab relative to the summer form. The forewings are suffused with purplish brown and speckled with patches of darker brown scales. The base of the wing has a narrow edge of golden color instead of the broad golden patch at the base in the summer form. In darker specimens the golden edge is often missing. The costal triangle is pale and has a fine margin of dark scales along the costa. The costal triangle is separated from the pale patch beyond (with which it is continuous in the summer form) by a patch of dark brown scales on the costa. The golden yellow color of the costal triangle deepens into purplish brown toward the costa, where there are two or three small brown spots. The pale costal patch beyond is sometimes almost obsolete because of the darkening of the color and the large admixture of dark brown scales. The hindwings and cilia are fuscous, and the antennae are grayish and annulate with dark brown. The face is golden below, and the head and thorax bronzy gray. The legs resemble those of the summer form, except that the tibiae of the hind legs and the tarsi are more deeply shaded with brown.

Caloptilia negundella closely resembles the summer form of C. ostryaeella and is most easily distinguished by the presence of a dark band on the upper tarsi of the front and middle legs. The band is missing on C. ostryaeella.
Wingspan: Expanse: 9.5-10.5 mm (Braun, 1912)
Immatures and Development: A larva initially forms a linear mine that spreads into a whitish blotch that usually has irregular, finger-like processes. The blotch later becomes transparent with a network of brownish frass trails. The larva eventually abandon the blotch and construct a feeding structure by rolling the leaf tip downward into a cone (Braun, 1912; Eiseman, 2019). The larvae use both Ostrya and Carpinus as hosts. When using Ostrya they tend to use the upper surface and center the blotch on a vein; when using Carpinus, they tend to use the lower surface and construct the blotch between two lateral veins.

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Caloptilia ostryaeella is wide-ranging in eastern North America, with populations occurring from southern Canada and the northeastern US, southward to northern Florida. The species occurs westward to Louisiana and southeastern Texas in the south, and to the Great Lakes region to the north. Populations appear to be uncommon or absent in many areas of the Piedmont and Coastal Plain in the Southeast. As of 2019, we have only three county records for North Carolina.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Caloptilia ostryaeella
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: This species appears to be bivoltine, with adults emerging in early August and in autumn (Eiseman, 2019)
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: This species is restricted to habitats that support Ostrya and Carpinus. These small, deciduous trees generally prefer alluvial forests and stream bank habitats (Carpinus) or rich, mesic woods with slightly acidic to circumneutral soils. Collectively, they occur across the state.
Larval Host Plants: American Hop-hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) and American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) are the only known host plants. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Corylaceous Thickets and Understories
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S3S4
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Caloptilia ostryaeella - Ironwood Leafcone Moth

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

Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-07-14
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-10
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-01
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-25
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-16
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-16
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-05-31
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-05-12
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Becky Watkins on 2022-10-09
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2022-08-09
Watauga Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2022-08-09
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2022-07-30
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2022-07-30
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-07-04
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2022-06-15
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2022-06-06
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Bo Sullivan on 2021-08-02
Ashe Co.
Comment: Unoccupied mine was on Hop-hornbeam.		Recorded by: J. B. Sullivan on 2020-10-23
Ashe Co.
Comment: A view of the autumn color morph of this species.
Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2020-07-15
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2020-07-13
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2020-07-13
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-08-01
Madison Co.
Comment: A summer form adult.
Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman and Charley Eiseman on 2019-05-31
Wake Co.
Comment: A summer form adult that was reared from larva found in a leaf roll on Ostrya virginiana.		Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2019-05-10
Wake Co.
Comment: A leaf roll on Ostrya virginiana; a larva was present inside (see companion photo).
Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2019-05-10
Wake Co.
Comment: A view from the upper leaf surface of Ostrya virginiana that has a leaf roll that is used as a feeding shelter; a larva was present inside (see companion photo).		Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2019-05-10
Wake Co.
Comment: A view of a larva that was inside of a rolled leaf tip of Ostrya virginiana.
Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2019-05-03
Wake Co.
Comment: An empty mine on Ostrya virginiana.		Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2019-05-03
Wake Co.
Comment: An empty mine on Ostrya virginiana.
Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2019-05-03
Wake Co.
Comment: An empty mine on Ostrya virginiana.		Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman on 2018-05-25
Wake Co.
Comment: A view of a leaf mine on the upper leaf surface of Ostrya virginiana. Note the two finger-like projections that extend from the main mine.