Category: Hosts

Hosts

fagaceae

Oak family (Fagaceae)

Oaks (Quercus spp.), chestnut (Castanea sp.), and American beech (Fagus grandifolia)

Figure 1. One of Block Island’s only oak trees.

Fagaceae specialists presumed to breed locally, mainly on chestnuts [#records, 2014–2022 unless otherwise noted]

Tischeria quercitella Clemens, 1863 [4 records, all Nathan Mott Park; known hosts of this species are oak and chestnut]

Coptotriche citrinipennella (Clemens, 1859) [10 adult records, of which 6 in Nathan Mott Park, 2 at the Scout camp; also reared from chestnut sapling in Nathan Mott Park and photographed once at Grindley property; known hosts of this species are oak and chestnut]

Phyllonorycter kearfottella (Braun, 1908) [4 records, all single location in Nathan Mott Park on three different nights; chestnut is the only known host of this species]

Neurobathra strigifinitella (Clemens, 1860) [25 records in 2018–2021 quantitative data, of which 14 in Nathan Mott Park, 5 at the Scout camp, 4 at Hunt property; photographed once at Grindley property; known hosts of this species are oak, chestnut, and beech]

Coleotechnites quercivorella (Chambers, 1872) [several records, most or all in Nathan Mott Park; records need to be checked for completeness; oak is the only known host genus of this species, but Block Island records strongly suggest chestnut is a suitable host]

Pseudotelphusa quercinigracella (Chambers, 1872) [7 records, of which 6 in Nathan Mott Park and 1 at Hunt property; species may not be known from chestnut, but Block Island records strongly suggest it is a suitable host]

Nadata gibbosa (Smith, 1797) [25+ records; larvae prefer Fagaceae but have been found on other trees; on Block Island, most records are from Nathan Mott Park and the Scout camp, suggesting the population relies at least mainly on chestnut and beech; two larvae found on chestnut in Nathan Mott Park]

Fagaceae specialists recorded on Block Island likely only as strays [#records, 2014–2022]

Figure 1. Distribution map for records of oak specialists (23 sightings of 18 species) presumed to have been strays, 2018–2022 quantitative data. Four male *Heterocampa obliqua* at one sheet at the Scout camp (25 July 2020) are counted as a single sighting on the assumption that all were siblings laid on the nearby oaks by a stray gravid female, as are pair of *Xenolechia ontariensis* at the same sheet at the Scout camp (26 June 2019). Six individual moths in the *Chionodes formosella* complex have been recorded on Block Island, five of which are part of the 2018–2022 quantitative data. It is unclear whether the specimens represent multiple species, so they are all excluded from analyses for now. All species possibly represented among these specimens are oak-feeding.

Nepticulidae: Stigmella macrocarpae (Freeman, 1967) [1]

Bucculatricidae: Bucculatrix packardella Chambers, 1873 [1]

Gracillariidae: Phyllonorycter fitchella (Clemens, 1860) [1]

Gelechiidae: Trypanisma prudens Clemens, 1860 [1]; Pubitelphusa latifasciella (Chambers, 1875) [1]; Xenolechia ontariensis Keifer, 1933 [3]; Chionodes pereyra Clarke, 1947 [1]; Chionodes sevir Hodges, 1999 [2]; Chionodes thoraceochrella (Chambers, 1872) [3]

Tortricidae: Chimoptesis pennsylvaniana (Kearfott, 1907) [1]; Acleris semipurpurana (Kearfott, 1905) [2]; Argyrotaenia quercifoliana (Fitch, 1858) [2]; Archips semiferanus (Walker, 1863) [2]

Pyralidae: Oneida lunulalis (Hulst, 1887) [1]; Salebriaria turpidella (Ragonot, 1888) [1]; Salebriaria engeli (Dyar, 1906) [1]

Geometridae: Besma quercivoraria (Guenée, [1858]) [4]

Noctuoidea: Peridea angulosa (Smith, 1797) [1]; Macrurocampa marthesia (Cramer, 1780) [1]; Heterocampa obliqua Packard, 1864 [4 — all same night near two oaks in Scout camp, potentially offspring of stray gravid female]; Catocala dejecta Strecker, 1880 [1]; Catocala ilia (Cramer, 1775) [2]; Catocala connubialis Guenée, 1852 [1]; Catocala lineella Grote, 1872 [1]; Acronicta modica (Walker, 1856) [0 — unconfirmed, before 1996]; Acronicta lithospila (Grote, 1874) [1]; Cosmia calami (Harvey, 1876) [4]

Status unclear [#records, 2014–2022]

Blastobasis glandulella (Riley, 1871) [13 records, suggesting species may breed locally utilizing undocumented host; the species is abundant regionally]

Sereda tautana (Clemens, 1865) [only one record; probably a stray but possibly breeding on pair of oaks at Scout camp and otherwise missed due to early flight]

Pococera expandens (Walker, 1863) [several records on Block Island without geographic association with Fagaceae, and this is not an especially common species regionally; may have additional host]

Cyclophora packardi (Prout, 1936) [9 records: 2 at the Scout camp, 3 at Hunt property, 2 at Rohn property possibly misidentified C. myrtaria, 2 at Grindley property; surely breeds on island, likely utilizing host other than oak]

Hyperstrotia pervertens (Barnes & McDunnough, 1918) [4 records on Block Island without geographic association with Fagaceae; may have additional host]

Hosts

pinales

Conifers (Pinales)

Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii), eastern juniper (Juniperus virginiana), tamarack (Larix laricina), and more

Figure 1. Japanese black pines in fixed dune habitat on Block Island, mid-April.

Figure 2. Juniper in fixed dune habitat on Block Island, mid-April.

List of species:

Gracillariidae

Marmara fasciella (Chambers, 1875)

Cosmopterigidae

Periploca nigra Hodges, 1962

Gelechiidae

Coleotechnites albicostata (Freeman, 1965)

Coleotechnites florae (Freeman, 1960)

Coleotechnites variiella (Chambers, 1872)

Exoteleia sp.

Battaristis vittella (Busck, 1916)

Dichomeris marginella (Fabricius, 1781)

Argyresthiidae

Argyresthia alternatella Kearfott, 1908

Argyresthia thuiella (Packard, 1871)

Tortricidae

Taniva albolineana (Kearfott, 1907)

Rhyacionia buolliana ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)

Rhyacionia rigidana (Fernald, 1880)

Eucopina cocana (Kearfott, 1907)

Eucopina tocullionana (Heinrich, 1920)

Zeiraphera canadensis Mutuura & Freeman, [1967]

Cydia toreuta (Grote, 1873)

Argyrotaenia pinatubana (Kearfott, 1905)

Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens, 1865)

Choristoneura houstonana (Grote, 1873)

Pyralidae

Pococera maritimalis (McDunnough, 1939)

Dioryctria abietivorella (Grote, 1878)

Dioryctria reniculelloides Mutuura & Munroe, 1973

Dioryctria disclusa Heinrich, 1953

Dioryctria zimmermani (Grote, 1877)

Moodna pallidostrinella Neunzig, 1990

Geometridae

Macaria minorata Packard, 1873

Macaria bisignata Walker, 1866

Macaria sexmaculata Packard, 1867

Caripeta piniata (Packard, 1870)

Patalene olyzonaria (Walker, 1860)

Species recorded on conifers and other plants as well

Tortricidae: Spilonota ocellana ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) [polyphagous, woody plants, with records on Larix and Picea (both Pinaceae)]; Argyrotaenia velutinana (Walker, 1863) [polyphagous, both woody and herbaceous plants, with records from several conifers]; Choristoneura rosaceana (Harris, 1841) [polyphagous, mainly woody plants, with records from several conifers]; Choristoneura conflictana (Walker, 1863) [feed mainly on <i>Populus</i>]; Archips argyrospila (Walker, 1863) [polyphagous, woody plants, primarily a wide variety of trees]; Syndemis afflictana (Walker, 1863); [polyphagous, woody plants, mainly trees, including conifers]; Xenotemna pallorana (Robinson, 1869) [feed primarily on herbaceous Fabaceae but are polyphagous, have been reported to cause injury to young pines in plantations]; Sparganothis sulfureana (Clemens, 1860) [polyphagous, both woody and herbaceous plants, with records from several conifers]; Amorbia humerosana Clemens, 1860 [polyphagous, woody plants, mainly trees, including conifers]

Pyralidae: Moodna ostrinella (Clemens, 1860) [polyphagous, both woody and herbaceous plants, with records from <i>Pinus</i>]

Limacodidae: Malacosoma disstria Hübner, 1820 [larvae feed on a variety of trees, have been recorded on Pinaceae in outbreak years]

Geometridae: not checked yet

Sphingidae: Sphinx gordius Cramer, 1780 [polyphagous, woody plants including Pinaceae]; Sphinx poecila Stephens, 1828 [polyphagous, woody plants including Pinaceae]

Erebidae: Idia americalis (Guenée, 1854) [detritivore, fungivore, lichenivore; records on HOSTS of Picea and Pseudotsuga (both Pinaceae) may be for live foliage, needle beds, or perhaps fungal associates of conifers]; Idia aemula Hübner, 1814 [detritivore; feeding on live pine needles doubtful on Block Island — see note on taxon page]; Zanclognatha cruralis (Guenée, 1854) [leaf litter, with records on live conifer needles]; Palthis angulalis (Hübner, 1796) [polyphagous on a wide variety of trees]; Zale minerea (Guenée, 1852) [polyphagous, mainly trees]

Noctuidae: Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel, 1766) [polyphagous, both woody and herbaceous plants, with several records from conifers]; Acronicta oblinita (J.E. Smith, 1797) [polyphagous, both woody and herbaceous plants]; Acronicta sperata (Grote, 1873) [polyphagous, all records on trees]; Abagrotis alternata (Grote, 1864) [polyphagous, both woody and herbaceous plants]; Actebia fennica (Tauscher, 1806) [polyphagous, both woody and herbaceous plants]; Balsa tristrigella (Walker, 1866) [records from Crataegus, Picea; surely relies on one or more other taxa on Block Island]; Elaphria versicolor (Grote, 1875) [polyphagous, mainly woody plants with many records from conifers]; Euplexia benesimilis McDunnough, 1922 [polyphagous, both woody and herbaceous plants including conifers and ferns]; Eurois occulta (Linnaeus, 1758) [polyphagous, both woody and herbaceous plants]; Melanchra picta (Harris, 1841) [polyphagous, both woody and herbaceous plants]; Orthosia hibisci (Guenée, 1852) [polyphagous, woody plants, primarily a wide variety of trees]; Orthosia rubescens (Walker, 1865) [polyphagous, mainly trees, with a record from Tsuga (Pinaceae) on HOSTS]; Peridroma saucia (Hübner, [1808]) [highly polyphagous, both woody and herbaceous plants]; Phlogophora periculosa Guenée, 1852 [polyphagous, both woody and herbaceous plants]; Spiramater lutra (Guenée, 1852) [polyphagous, both woody and herbaceous plants]; Xestia dilucida (Morrison, 1875) [recorded on Ericaceae and Pinaceae]

Hosts

baccharis

Baccharis halimifolia (groundsel bush)

There are five species of microlepidoptera on the East Coast that are known to feed only on Baccharis halimifolia L. (Asteraceae): Bucculatrix ivella (Bucculatricidae), Aristotelia ivae (Gelechiidae), Epiblema discretivana (Tortricidae), Lorita baccharivora (Tortricidae), and Hellinsia balanotes (Pterophoridae). All five of these species occur on Block Island, which is near the northern end of the host plant’s range. Additionally, Macaria varadaria and Eusarca fundaria (both Geometridae) are known (in the former case) and suspected (in the latter case, per George Smiley) to be specialists on Baccharis in the Southeast US, but neither appears to have been recorded in the Northeast.

Figure 1. Adults of the five *Baccharis* specialist micromoths of the Eastern US. Photo of *Aristotelia ivae* courtesy of George Smiley (TX). All other photos are of moths that came to the Hunt property lights on Block Island.

Baccharis is a very large Neotropical genus of hundreds of species, only a few of which occur in the Eastern US. B. halimifolia is the northernmost representative of the genus, occurring throughout the Deep South and north along the coast to Cape Cod, with isolated populations along a stretch of the southwest coast of Nova Scotia. A few other Baccharis species occur in Florida and along the coast north to the Outer Banks, and a number of species occur in the Western US. Common names for B. halimifolia include eastern baccharis, groundsel bush, sea myrtle, and saltbush, though the plant is often called simply baccharis across most of its range, where it is the only native member of its genus. I will use the common name eastern baccharis in this article to distinguish the species from the North American congeners I will mention.

Figure 2. Observations of *Baccharis halimifolia* on iNaturalist (“Research Grade” only). North of the Carolinas, the species historically occurred mainly along the immediate coast; recently it has proliferated along some highways where heavy salting in winter favors salt-tolerant species.

On Block Island, eastern baccharis occurs in salt marsh and dune habitats. In salt marshes, it may be confused with marsh elder (Iva frutescens L.) (Asteraceae), which typically occurs only in a narrow band just above the reach of spring tides. Three of the five moth species that specialize on eastern baccharis were described in the early 1900s from specimens reared from plants misidentified as marsh elder, and all three unfortunately have specific epithets derived from their supposed host plants: Bucculatrix ivella, Aristotelia ivae, and Phalonidia elderana (Kearfott, 1907), which is almost certainly a senior synonym of Lorita baccharivora. Diatloff and Palmer (1988) studied the host specificity of A. ivae and L. baccharivora to determine their suitability for release as biocontrols of eastern baccharis in Australia, where it is invasive. Both species were found to have high host fidelity, though marsh elder unfortunately was not one of the plants tested.

Figure 3. Sighting locations of eastern baccharis specialist moths on iNaturalist and BugGuide as of September 2022. *Hellinsia balanotes* is excluded due to difficulty of identification; the species has been collected along the coastal plain from Texas to Massachusetts with scattered records from the Southwest, where other species of *Baccharis* occur.

Bucculatrix ivella Busck, 1900 (Bucculatricidae) is a leafminer. The last instar exits the mine and feeds externally, I think for a day or two, leaving characteristic markings on leaves. The larvae probably pupate on the host plant or on lower plants; I once found a cocoon on a blade of grass below the host.

Aristotelia ivae Busck, 1900 (Gelechiidae) feeds externally in loose silken shelters. George Smiley described the feeding habit and evidence to me as follows: “They are upper surface feeders [that build] a large loose web with multiple silk paths to feeding sites… Most of the time they start at the tip and as they grow in size they extend their web down to lower/larger leaves but occasionally it appears one sets up further down. I suppose that may be a parental decision. When not feeding they hang out in the loose web and from a good angle are easier to spot” (pers. comm. 17 ix 2022). This is the only Baccharis specialist with a likely record from Nova Scotia, a photograph of an adult taken in 2020. The sighting is from some 25km away from the nearest known Baccharis populations but on the immediate coast, indicating there may be one or more new or previously unnoticed populations of the host in the area. While I am fairly confident of the identification, A. fungivorella adults are similar enough to those of A. ivae that I can’t be certain; records of larvae or a collected adult specimen would be needed to confirm this large range extension.

Epiblema discretivana (Heinrich, 1921) (Tortricidae)

Lorita baccharivora Pogue, 1988 (Tortricidae) is a seed feeder.

Hellinsia balanotes (Meyrick, 1908) (Pterophoridae) is a stem borer.

*Macaria varadaria (Walker, 1860) (Geometridae) is a surface feeder.

*Eusarca fundaria (Guenée, [1858]) (Geometridae) is a surface feeder.

Diatloff G. & W.A. Palmer, 1988. The host specificity and biology of Aristotelia ivae Busck (Gelechiidae) and Lorita baccharivora Pogue (Tortricidae), two microlepidoptera selected as biological control agents for Baccharis halimifolia (Asteraceae) in Australia. Proc. Entomol. Soc. Wash. 90(4): 458–461.

Mazerlle D. & Blaney S., 2010. COSEWIC Status Report on Eastern Baccharis Baccharis halimifolia in Canada prepared for Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, 44 pp.

Hosts

bayberry

Myrica pensylvanica (bayberry)

Figure 2. Solitary young bayberry in summer.

Figure 3. Bayberry along inland margin of dunes, mid-June.

Figure 4. Bayberry flowers. Credit Oregon State University.

Figure 5. Coastal shrubland on Block Island in late May, east coast looking north; nearly all the bare branches in this photo are bayberry. The bayberry pictured are in bloom with inconspicuous flower clusters; the striking white flowers are of beach plum (*Prunus maritima*).

Figure 6. Coastal shrubland on Block Island in late May, east coast with due west just left of up following property lines; the foreground of Fig. 5 is just past the right edge of this picture. Nearly all the bare branches in this photo are bayberry; just right of center, several patches of flowering beach plum (*Prunus maritima*) appear whitish. Most of the light green is invasive Oriental bittersweet (*Celastrus orbiculatus*) and Japanese honeysuckle (*Lonicera japonica*). Another invasive, beach rose (*Rosa rugosa*), is a main constituent of dune habitats on Block Island and appears dark green here, most noticeably where is forms nearly a monoculture at bottom right.

Specialists of bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) on Block Island

Block Island’s populations of all the species listed below are presumed to rely exclusively on bayberry, which is the only species of Myricaceae present on the island. Other Myricaceae have been reported as suitable hosts for many of the species below. Coleophora comptoniella also feeds on Betulaceae, a family scarcely found on Block Island.

Nepticulidae

Stigmella myricafoliella (Busck, 1900) is a linear leafminer of Myricaceae. Larvae develop rapidly, making the species somewhat hard to rear despite being fairly common on Block Island. While mines of this species are easily distinguished from those of the four other bayberry specialist leafminers found on Block Island, they may be indistinguishable from those of Stigmella corylifoliella (Clemens, [1862]), an adult of which was collected at light on Block Island and confirmed by DNA barcode. S. corylifoliella is one of the most polyphagous leafmining moths known, having been reared from various Betulaceae, Ericaceae, Myricaceae, Rhamnaceae, and Rosaceae. The color of the larva (pale green in myricafoliella and yellow in corylifoliella) is thought to be a consistent character separating these species. Adults of both species are externally identical to each other and a number of other Stigmella species.

Heliozelidae

Aspilanta argentifera (Braun, 1927) is a blotch miner of Myricaceae. As in all Heliozelidae, the mature larva forms a portable case out of a pair of discs cut out of the upper and lower epidermis of its host leaf and drops to the ground to pupate in its case, leaving an oval-shaped hole at the edge of its completed mine. I have never seen mines of this species, but Mike Nelson and Dave Wagner reported finding them on Block Island in their 1998 survey of leafminers. Adults are externally identical to those of Aspilanta ampelopsifoliella (Braun, 1927), which feeds on Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus virginiana). Nelson and Wagner (1998) reported mines of A. ampelopsifoliella on Block Island, and I found a vacant mine in 2019. I have seen four unidentified adults of this genus.

Gracillariidae

Caloptilia flavella (Ely, 1915) forms an underside blotch mine in bayberry and feeds within a folded leaf in later instars. We have found three adults apparently belonging to this species in our survey but have not found mines. Nelson and Wagner (1998) reported this species.

Ornixolinae n. Gen. n. sp. mines leaves of Myricaceae. The larva initially forms a linear mine before entering the midrib and feeding within in for a time. The larva then leaves the midrib and forms a large, irregular blotch mine, exiting the mine to pupate on the leaf edge or elsewhere. The larva pupates within an oblong, white cocoon ornamented with a 20 or 30 froth spherules.

Cameraria picturatella (Braun, 1916) forms an upper surface blotch mine in bayberry. Mines are brownish and occupy most of the leaf surface when completed, making them highly conspicuous. In my limited experience, the rate of parasitism is very high. The species is common on Block Island, where it is univoltine, with larvae mining July into August. Adults evidently overwinter but are rare at lights, with records from August, September, and June.

Depressariidae

Agonopterix walsinghamella (Busck, 1902) is a leaftier of Myricaceae evidently rare on Block Island, with one rearing record and five adult records.

Coleophoridae

Coleophora comptoniella (McDunnough, 1926) is a case-bearing leafminer of Myricaceae and Betulaceae that eats a series of windows in multiple leaves of the host plant from within its leaf case. The species is univoltine on Block Island with adults on wing in July and August.

Gelechiidae

Neotelphusa n. sp. is a common leaftier of Myricaceae. The species is univoltine and flies mainly in July on Block Island.

Filatima confusatella Darlington, 1949

Aroga epigaeella (Chambers, 1881)

Tortricidae

Olethreutes myricana Kearfott, 1910 is a leaftier of bayberry univoltine on Block Island with adults on wing in summer. The species is currently treated as a junior synonym of Olethreutes sericoranum (Walsingham, 1879) in the MONA checklist. If this synonymy is unwarranted, O. myricana is a specialist of Myricaceae.

Strepsicrates smithiana Walsingham, 1891

Archips myricana (McDunnough, 1923)

Pyralidae

Acrobasis comptoniella Hulst, 1890

Geometridae

Cyclophora myrtaria (Guenée, [1858])

Erebidae

Catocala muliercula Guenée, 1852

Catocala badia badia Grote & Robinson, 1866

Host specialization unclear

Pyralidae: Condylolomia participalis Grote, 1873

Notodontidae: Coelodasys apicalis Grote & Robinson, 1866