Ericaceae
Guides
Aleuroparadoxus
whiteflies
Aleuroparadoxus is a genus of whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) established by Quaintance & Baker in 1914. The genus contains at least one documented species, A. arctostaphyli Russell, 1947, which was first recorded in Mexico in 2017. Species in this genus are associated with host plants in the genus Arctostaphylos (Ericaceae).
Cameraria new-species-on-lyonia-fruticosa
An undescribed species of Cameraria (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) that has been documented feeding on Lyonia fruticosa, a shrub in the Ericaceae family. The species has not yet received formal taxonomic description. As with other Cameraria species, it likely produces blotch mines in leaves during its larval stage. The specific epithet reflects its documented host association rather than a formal scientific name.
Coccinella hieroglyphica
Hieroglyphic Lady Beetle, Hieroglyphic Ladybird, Hieroglyphic Ladybug
Coccinella hieroglyphica is a Palearctic lady beetle species associated with heath and moorland habitats, particularly on Ericaceae plants. It is distributed across northern Europe, extending beyond the Arctic Circle, through Russia and Siberia to East Asia. The species is aphidophagous, with populations showing considerable annual fluctuation. Adults are active from May through October and overwinter in coarse woody debris beneath pines and birches.
Colletes validus
Blueberry Cellophane Bee
Colletes validus is a solitary, ground-nesting bee in the family Colletidae, commonly known as the blueberry cellophane bee. It is a specialist pollinator of ericaceous plants, particularly in early spring when Vaccinium species bloom. The species exhibits gregarious nesting behavior in sandy soils and is notable for its distinctive elongated, triangular facial structure.
Datana major
azalea caterpillar, major datana
Datana major is a moth in the family Notodontidae, commonly known as the azalea caterpillar or major datana. The species ranges across the eastern and central United States, from Maryland south to Florida and west to Kansas and Arkansas. Adults are active from June to August, with one generation per year in most of the range and a partial second generation in southern areas. The larvae are notable pests of azaleas and related ornamental plants.
Empria
Empria is a genus of sawflies in the family Tenthredinidae, distributed across the Palaearctic region with records from Europe, Japan, and other parts of Asia. Species within the genus are primarily herbivorous, with documented host plant associations predominantly in Rosaceae and a single record in Ericaceae. The genus includes several morphologically similar species groups that have required taxonomic revision using integrated approaches combining morphology, morphometrics, and molecular data.
Ericaphis
blueberry aphids
Ericaphis is a genus of aphids in the family Aphididae, established by Börner in 1939. The genus includes species associated with Ericaceae, particularly Vaccinium species. Ericaphis fimbriata, the type species, is a significant pest of cultivated highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) in the Pacific Northwest of North America. Species in this genus exhibit typical aphid life cycles with both aperous and alate morphs, and are known vectors of plant viruses.
Ericaphis gentneri
Ericaphis gentneri is an aphid species described by Mason in 1947. It belongs to the genus Ericaphis, which is associated with ericaceous host plants. The species is part of the tribe Macrosiphini, a large group of aphids that includes many economically important and host-specific species. Like other Ericaphis species, it is presumed to feed on plants in the heath family (Ericaceae), though specific host records for this species are limited in available sources.
Etainia
Etainia is a genus of minute moths in the family Nepticulidae, established by Beirne in 1945. It was formerly treated as a subgenus of Ectoedemia but has been elevated to generic status. The genus contains species distributed across North America and Europe, with larvae that are leafminers and stem borers on woody plants. At least two native North American species are known, including Etainia thoraceleuca, which feeds on Ericaceae.
Etainia thoraceleuca
Etainia thoraceleuca is a North American moth in the family Nepticulidae, described in 2024 as the second native American species in the genus. It is known from light-collected adults across California, Arizona, and Ontario, Canada. The species is a specialist feeder on Ericaceae, with larvae making short leafmines on Arbutus and Arctostaphylos species before continuing development in stems and branches. It is sister to the European species E. albibimaculella.
Kleidocerys resedae
birch catkin bug
Kleidocerys resedae, commonly known as the birch catkin bug, is a small seed bug in the family Lygaeidae. It has a Holarctic distribution spanning Europe, Northern Asia, and North America. The species is associated with birch and ericaceous shrubs, where it feeds on developing seeds and reproductive structures. Populations in Maine, USA, exhibit a bivoltine life cycle with adults overwintering in leaf litter.
Rhagoletis mendax
blueberry maggot, blueberry maggot fly
Rhagoletis mendax, commonly known as the blueberry maggot, is a tephritid fruit fly native to eastern North America and a major pest of cultivated and wild blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) and related Ericaceae. The species completes a univoltine life cycle in most regions, with adults emerging in spring or summer to oviposit in ripening berries; larvae feed internally, destroying fruit marketability. It is closely related to the apple maggot (R. pomonella), with which it is reproductively isolated primarily through host-specific chemical cues despite morphological similarity and laboratory interfertility. Management relies on degree-day predictive models, monitoring with baited sticky traps, and targeted insecticide applications.
Stephanitis takeyai
Andromeda lace bug
Stephanitis takeyai, the andromeda lace bug, is a small sap-feeding insect native to Japan that has become an invasive pest of ornamental Ericaceae in North America and Europe. It is closely associated with Pieris japonica (Japanese andromeda), its preferred host, but has been documented on multiple genera within Ericaceae including Rhododendron, Vaccinium, and Kalmia. The species exhibits facultative seasonal host alternation in parts of its native range, moving from evergreen Pieris japonica in winter to deciduous Lyonia elliptica in summer when the latter is available.
Tamalia
Ericaceous Gall Aphids, Manzanita Leaf Gall Aphids
Tamalia is a Nearctic genus of gall-forming aphids and the sole genus in the subfamily Tamaliinae. Eight described species induce galls on woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae), primarily on manzanita (Arctostaphylos) and related genera. The genus exhibits a distinctive social system in which multiple foundresses co-occupy galls, a trait that has been exploited by the evolution of socially parasitic inquiline species within the same genus.
Tamaliinae
Tamaliinae is a small subfamily of aphids (Aphididae) containing the Nearctic genus Tamalia. Members are obligate gall-formers on woody plants in the family Ericaceae, including Arctostaphylos, Arbutus, and Comarostaphylis. The subfamily exhibits social behavior, with foundresses co-occupying galls and high relatedness among colony members. Some species act as inquilines, acting as obligate parasites within galls of other Tamalia species.