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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #408979
Research Project: Systematics of Beetles, Flies, Moths and Wasps with an Emphasis on Agricultural Pests, Invasive Species, Biological Control Agents, and Food Security

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: Lesser maple leaf blotch miner, phyllonorycter lucidicostella (Clemens) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), confirmed in Virginia

Author
item LANZAFAME, TESSA - University Of Mary Washington
item Metz, Mark
item ANTWI, JOSEPHINE - University Of Mary Washington

Submitted to: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/24/2024
Publication Date: 3/1/2024
Citation: Lanzafame, T., Metz, M., Antwi, J. 2024. Lesser maple leaf blotch miner, phyllonorycter lucidicostella (Clemens) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), confirmed in Virginia. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 125 (3):426-427. https://doi.org/10.4289/0013-8797.125.3.426.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4289/0013-8797.125.3.426

Interpretive Summary: Informed decisions about native and potentially invasive insect species are crucial to protecting US natural resources, and both conservation and management of insect species requires knowing their current geographic distributions, specific identities, and natural histories. Here we provide the first confirmed report of the presence of the lesser maple leaf blotch miner in the US state of Virginia. We collected and reared caterpillars of this moth from three species of maple: black maple, sugar maple, and red maple, and confirmed the moth’s identity. Scientists studying this and related insects, horticulturists, and extension entomologists will benefit from this research.

Technical Abstract: The lesser maple leaf blotch miner, Phyllonorycter lucidicostella, attacks tree species in the genus Acer. Confirmed records of its distribution and hosts are limited and form a patchwork of data in northeastern North America. Larvae of this gracilariid moth were collected and reared from Acer nigrum, A. saccharum, and A. rubrum at a suburban site in Fredericksburg, VA, a new state record. Images of the leaf mines, pupal exuviae embedded in the mine, and adults are provided as well as the confirmed publication date of the name.