Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFTischeriidae Members: Coptotriche Members: 35 NC Records

Coptotriche citrinipennella Clemens, 1859 - No Common Name

Coptotriche citrinipennella
view caption 		Coptotriche citrinipennella
view caption 		Coptotriche citrinipennella
view caption 		Coptotriche citrinipennella
view caption
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Tischerioidea		 Family:
Tischeriidae		Subfamily:
[Tischeriinae]		Tribe:
[Tischeriini]		P3 Number:
23a0026		 MONA Number:
126.00
Comments: Coptotriche is a genus of specialized leafminers that currently consists of 27 recognized Nearctic species. Most species fall within one of two major groups. Members of the first group typically have orangish to yellowish fore wings (rarely white) and specialize on oaks and chestnuts. Members of a second group have dark gray, brown, or blackish fore wings and mostly feed on members of the Rosaceae (Braun, 1972; Eiseman, 2019).
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Braun (1972)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Braun (1972), Eiseman (2019).                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following is from Braun's (1972) description based on observations of 160 specimens from throughout the range of the species. The face is yellow and the scales of the tuft darken towards the tips. The thorax and forewing are pale yellow, and the wing shades to brownish orange in the apical fourth. Brownish color extends to the wing base along the extreme costal margin, and to the tornus, but varies among individuals in the extent of development. Some specimens may have a few darker scales at the apex, and the cilia are concolorous. The underside of the forewing of the male has a discal, elongated, dark brownish fuscous patch at the base. The hindwing is yellowish white in the female and grayish tinged in the male, with a brownish fuscous basal patch on the upper side that sometimes is produced as a point. The cilia are concolorous. The costal margin of the hindwing of the female is slightly convex, especially towards the base. The legs are pale yellowish, with a faint fuscous dusting outwardly. The underside of the abdomen has fuscous dusting on the basal two-thirds. Key characteristics that help distinguish this species from closely related forms include the lighter median area of the forewing (pale yellow or pale ocherous) that contrast with the darker costal and dorsal margins, the dark dusting on the apical fourth of the forewing, and the presence of a brownish fuscous basal patch on the upper surface of the hindwing of the male.
Wingspan: 8-9 mm (Braun, 1972).
Adult Structural Features: Braun (1972) provides keys for identifying both males and females based on genitalia. Her verbatim description of the genitalia follows: vinculum produced as a short point; harpes with short setae; surface of anellus clothed with microscopic spinules with two clusters of larger spinules; forks of aedeagus flat, expanding apically, vesica densely clothed with microscopic broad spinules; forks of uncus widely separated, membrane between not notched. Female genitalia: ovipositor lobes larger than lateral lobes, lateral lobes with stout setae; sex opening rounded, margins sclerotized; posterior apophyses greatly expanded at tips; arms of patibulum broad posteriorly; prela large, broad in basal two-thirds, more than half the length of the anterior apophyses.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae mine the upper side of leaves and produce a very elongated mine along the margin of the leaf. This begins as a narrow blotch with longitudinally wrinkles. The leaf margin eventually curled over most of the mine and hides the loosened epidermis (Braun, 1972; Eiseman, 2019).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Braun (1972) considered Coptotriche citrinipennella to be the most widespread of the oak-feeding species. It occurs from southern Ontario and the northeastern US to as far south as eastern Texas and southern Alabama. This species is widespread in North Carolina and likely occurs statewide where suitable hosts occur.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Coptotriche citrinipennellaAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
Piedmont (Pd)
Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.