Blueberry Leaf Shelter Caterpillar - Neotelphusa praefixa

Moved, Neotelphusa praefixa

Moved from Litini.

… Aaron Hunt, 25 July, 2023 - 2:33pm

Thanks for the ID confirmation!

… Osmeterium, 26 July, 2023 - 1:35am

Moved

Moved from Butterflies and Moths.

Nice job rearing that handsome fellow. I think your ID is correct but this is not a species I have direct experience with. If nobody follows up you may want to ask Aaron Hunt directly.

… George Smiley, 8 July, 2023 - 7:37pm

Ok, thank you! What do you think would be a reasonable amount of time to wait for someone to follow up?

… Osmeterium, 9 July, 2023 - 12:44am

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

… v belov, 2 July, 2023 - 3:25pm

Maybe Neotelphusa praefixa?

… Osmeterium, 25 June, 2023 - 9:56pm

The HOSTS database

lists several gelechiids known from Vaccinium in the Nearctic. They belong to the genera Aroga, Dichomeris, Filatima, Neotelphusa, Telphusa, and Xenolechia.

Source

Something to start with anyway!

… John van der Linden, 24 June, 2023 - 11:05pm

HOSTS

Oh, thank you! I did not know about this resource. I was just telling my husband yesterday that I wished that I could narrow the search down by the host plant.

… Osmeterium, 24 June, 2023 - 11:10pm

You're welcome

It is a helpful resource for sure. I have been told it does have errors in it though, so best to use it with some caution.

Just looked through your stuff on BugGuide. You've got some great life cycle images. That is the sort of thing I do too. You might also enjoy seeing the work of MJ Hatfield here on BugGuide (if you haven't already), or Marcie O'Connor (external website). Marcie and MJ are friends/colleagues of mine and have been a big source of inspiration for me.

… John van der Linden, 24 June, 2023 - 11:23pm

Websites

Thank you! I upload my life cycles more to iNaturalist than to BugGuide because it would take too long to do both, but I try to upload here if I am really stuck or if I notice missing larval images. I am planning to get a better camera soon. You can see my iNaturalist page here if you are interested. I am currently catching up on uploading the caterpillars that I reared last year, and then will move on to this season.

Thank you for the recommendations! I will definitely take a look. From your page it looks like you focus on miners and such? I have been paying more attention to them since picking up Charley Eiseman's book. I accidentally adopted Dibolia borealis when collecting food for a caterpillar, so I am taking care of that little one now.

… Osmeterium, 24 June, 2023 - 11:45pm

Yep, I focus on miners, borers, and gallmakers. Charley's book is an excellent resource, isn't it?

Love this one: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/149460100. You had some nice success with the Dichomeris nonstrigella. The only gelechiid I tried to rear this spring was parasitized -- all three of the larvae I collected.

Good luck with the Dibolia!

… John van der Linden, 24 June, 2023 - 11:56pm

I am glad that there are people out there like you who are focusing on the tiny and often overlooked critters. Miners, borers, and gallmakers are so neat.

Thanks! I would love to rear more Catocala caterpillars, but I don't find them often. If you do find one, don't touch it without a container underneath it. I made that mistake once and will never do that again. The caterpillar launched itself off the branch like a spring and disappeared into the underbrush. Dichomeris nonstrigella was one of my favorites this spring. I have another one that I am hoping will emerge soon. I hope that you have better luck with parasitoids this season. Thanks for chatting with me. :)

… Osmeterium, 25 June, 2023 - 12:14am