Gracillarioidea
Guides
Bucculatricidae
Ribbed Cocoon-Making Moths
Bucculatricidae is a small family of moths in the superfamily Gracillarioidea, with representatives distributed worldwide. Adults are minute with narrow wings held tightly around the body at rest, making them easily overlooked. Larvae exhibit hypermetamorphosis with distinct changes in feeding habits between instars: early instars are typically leaf miners forming characteristic blotches or linear mines, while later instars usually feed externally on leaves or bore into stems. The family is notable for pupal cases with distinctive longitudinal ridges, giving rise to the common name 'ribbed cocoon makers.' Some authors recognize only the single genus Bucculatrix, though Australian genera Cryphioxena and Ogmograptis (scribbly gum moths) are now frequently included.
Bucculatrix cerina
Bucculatrix cerina is a small moth in the family Bucculatricidae, commonly known as ribbed cocoon-maker moths. It was first described in 1963 by lepidopterist Annette Frances Braun. The species is known only from Florida in North America, with adult records from January and November. Like other members of its genus, it likely has a specialized leaf-mining larval stage and constructs distinctive ribbed cocoons for pupation, though these life history details have not been directly documented for this species.
Bucculatrix copeuta
Bucculatrix copeuta is a small moth in the family Bucculatricidae, first described by Edward Meyrick in 1919. The species is known from limited records in North America, specifically Ontario, Canada and Maine, USA. Larvae of this genus are known as "ribbed cocoon-makers" and construct distinctive ribbed cocoons on host plants. The larval host for B. copeuta has been tentatively associated with Prunus pensylvanica.
Bucculatrix quadrigemina
A small moth in the family Bucculatricidae, described by Annette Frances Braun in 1918. Known from California, where larvae mine leaves of Althaea rosea (hollyhock). Adults fly from January through June and again in October. The species exhibits typical bucculatricid biology: early instars are leaf miners, later instars feed externally creating holes, and pupation occurs in a white cocoon.
Bucculatrix sororcula
Bucculatrix sororcula is a micro-moth in the family Bucculatricidae, first described by Annette Frances Braun in 1963. It is recorded from Arizona and California in western North America. Members of this genus are commonly known as ribbed cocoon-maker moths due to the distinctive ribbed structure of their larval cocoons. The family Bucculatricidae is a small group of leaf-mining moths within the superfamily Gracillarioidea.