PHYLLONORYCTER CELTIFOLIELLA
Phyllonorycter celtifoliella
LEAF BLOTCH MINER MOTHS (Gracillariidae)
This diminutive moth is 1/16 inch long from head to wingtip. It is tan colored with long scales on the head that are arranged in a bushy hair-do. The forewings have burnt-orange markings with dark gray chevrons. The antennae are long and slender. This moth has a unique “tripod” stance with the front part of the body elevated and the wingtips touching the surface on which the moth is resting. This moth was identified by a volunteer expert (Terry Harrison) at the BugGuide website.
This Leaf Blotch Miner Moth is probably common, but has only been found once at Neale Woods. The moth shown here was found in early November, 2012 with 60 other Leaf Blotch Miner Moths tucked behind the bark of a dead oak tree. They were sheltering in a discarded silk cocoon and pupal exuviae of a Giant Leopard Moth (Hypercompe scribonia).
The larvae eat the leaves of oak and hackberry trees. The larvae make a “blotch mine” on the leaf. The leaf is often folded, then tied with silk. The larvae feed inside this shelter and usually pupate in there as well.
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