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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #425163
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: First account of the larval biology of Coleotechnites nigra (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), with new host and distribution records

Author
item EISEMAN, C - Non ARS Employee
item FELDMAN, TRACY - Non ARS Employee
item Metz, Mark

Submitted to: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/16/2025
Publication Date: 7/16/2025
Citation: Eiseman, C.S., Feldman, T.S., Metz, M. 2025. First account of the larval biology of Coleotechnites nigra (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), with new host and distribution records. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 127(1):9-20. https://doi.org/10.4289/0013-8797.127.1.9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4289/0013-8797.127.1.9

Interpretive Summary: The ability to predict the biologies of poorly known species based on hypotheses of relatedness to known species is tested and enhanced with each new published account. Leaf-tier needleminer moths comprise 49 described species, all but one occurs in North America. Most of the species are needleminers on conifers and some species in western states are considered pests causing defoliation in thousands of acres in National Forests. This study reports the biology of a confirmed member of the moth genus, which is a leafminer of St. John’s Wort, a non-coniferous, medicinal plant. Confirming the identity of the species and reporting its biology informs the evolutionary history of host plant associations and behavior in this moth genus. The diagnostic, biological, and behavioral data in the study will be useful for making management decisions about millions of dollar’s worth of lumber habitat in western North America.

Technical Abstract: Coleotechnites nigra (Busck), revised status (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is the correct name for the species formerly known as C. nigritus Hodges. Until now, nothing has been published about it beyond the fact that the holotype was accidentally reared from Hypericum (Hypericaceae) in the vicinity of Washington, DC, with unknown larval habits. This species has since been reared from leaf-mining larvae on H. crux-andreae (L.) Crantz, H. hypericoides, and H. prolificum L. in Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia. We redescribe the species based on this additional material and discuss its biology, illustrating the variation in adult coloration, as well as the male and female genitalia, larva, and leaf mines. Additional tentative distribution records are given based on DNA barcoding data and photographed leaf mines. Parasitoids of C. nigra include Chelonus (Microchelonus) sp. (Braconidae) and Haltichella sp. (Chalcididae). In addition to correcting the name of this species, we clarify the status of the homonym Recurvaria piceaella var. nigra Kearfott.