Heliozelidae
Guides
Antispila aurirubra
Antispila aurirubra is a small North American moth in the family Heliozelidae, described by Annette Frances Braun in 1915. It is endemic to California and is associated with Cornus (dogwood) species as larval hosts. The species exhibits distinctive metallic coloration on the thorax and forewings.
Antispila cf-isabella
Antispila cf-isabella is a provisional species designation within the genus Antispila, a group of leaf-mining moths in the family Heliozelidae. The 'cf.' (confer) notation indicates morphological similarity to A. isabella without confirmed species identity. Antispila moths are commonly known as shield-bearer moths due to the oval cutouts their larvae make in leaves for pupation. Species in this genus are specialized herbivores with larvae that create distinctive mines in the leaves of specific host plants.
Antispila freemani
Antispila freemani is a small moth in the family Heliozelidae, described by J. Donald Lafontaine in 1973. It is native to North America, with records from Ontario, British Columbia, and Vermont. The larvae are leaf miners that feed specifically on Cornus canadensis (bunchberry).
Antispila nysaefoliella
Tupelo Leafminer Moth
Antispila nysaefoliella is a leafmining moth in the family Heliozelidae. Larvae feed exclusively on black tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica), creating mines in leaves. The species is notable for producing distinct seismic signals during feeding and locomotion. Adults are small with a wingspan of approximately 8 mm and are active in spring.
Aspilanta
Aspilanta is a genus of minute leaf-mining moths in the family Heliozelidae, erected in 2020 to accommodate North American species previously assigned to Antispila. Adults are distinguished by reduced wing venation and small size (wingspan 4.0–6.2 mm). Larvae feed internally in leaves of woody plants, primarily Vitaceae (grape family), with two species known from Hydrangeaceae and Myricaceae. The genus name is a partial anagram of Antispila.
Aspilanta oinophylla
Aspilanta oinophylla is a minute leafmining moth in the family Heliozelidae, native to eastern North America and introduced to Italy where it has become a pest of commercial vineyards. It is the type species of the genus Aspilanta, erected in 2020 for Nearctic heliozelids with reduced wing venation previously placed in Antispila. The larvae feed as leaf miners on Vitaceae, particularly grapevines, and cut characteristic shield-shaped pupal cases from their host leaves.
Aspilanta viticordifoliella
Aspilanta viticordifoliella is a small leafmining moth in the family Heliozelidae, originally described as Antispila viticordifoliella by Clemens in 1860 and transferred to the new genus Aspilanta in 2020 based on phylogenetic analysis. The species is characterized by reduced wing venation and distinctive silvery forewing markings without an apical spot. Its larvae are specialized leaf miners on Vitaceae host plants.
Coptodisca
Coptodisca is a genus of small moths in the family Heliozelidae, established by Walsingham in 1895. Species are leafminers whose larvae feed internally on leaves of woody plants, creating distinctive blotch mines. Several species have become invasive pests in Europe, particularly C. lucifluella and C. juglandiella on walnut (Juglans) and related trees. The genus is native to the Nearctic region with approximately 20 described species.
Coptodisca arbutiella
madrone shield bearer
Coptodisca arbutiella, commonly known as the madrone shield bearer, is a small moth in the family Heliozelidae. It was first described by August Busck in 1904. The species is restricted to western North America and is tightly associated with Arbutus host plants. Its larvae are leaf miners that produce distinctive blotch-like mines.
Coptodisca cercocarpella
curl-leaf mountain mahogany leafminer
Coptodisca cercocarpella is a small moth in the family Heliozelidae, described by Annette Frances Braun in 1925. It is known as the curl-leaf mountain mahogany leafminer, indicating its association with mountain mahogany plants (Cercocarpus). The species occurs in western North America, with records from Arizona, California, Utah, and Colorado. As a leafminer, its larvae feed within leaf tissue, creating distinctive feeding patterns.
Coptodisca diospyriella
Coptodisca diospyriella is a small moth in the family Heliozelidae, described by Vactor Tousey Chambers in 1874. The species is known for its specialized leaf-mining larvae that feed on Diospyros species. It occurs in eastern North America.
Coptodisca juglandiella
Walnut Shield-bearer
Coptodisca juglandiella is a Nearctic leafminer moth in the family Heliozelidae, first described by Chambers in 1874. Native to North America, it was discovered in Hungary in 2019 as a new invasive species for Europe. The larvae feed internally on walnut leaves, creating distinctive blotch mines. Unlike its congener C. lucifluella, it has not undergone a host plant shift since introduction to Europe.
Coptodisca lucifluella
walnut shield bearer
Coptodisca lucifluella is a small leaf-mining moth in the family Heliozelidae, native to eastern North America and invasive in Europe since 2010. Larvae create distinctive blotch-shaped mines on walnut and hickory foliage, then construct oval silk-attached cases for pupation. The species has undergone a documented host shift in Europe, expanding from its native specialization on Carya (pecan) to primarily exploiting Juglans regia (common walnut) and occasionally other Juglandaceae. It completes 3–4 generations annually in Italy, with autumn generations producing substantially more mines than spring generations.
Coptodisca matheri
A minute moth in the family Heliozelidae, described from Mississippi in 1974. Adults have strikingly bicolored forewings with silvery white bases and pale yellow tips. The larvae are leaf miners on sparkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum), creating distinctive serpentine mines that widen into blotches.
Coptodisca negligens
Coptodisca negligens is a minute leaf-mining moth described by Annette Frances Braun in 1920. Adults are active in late June to mid-July and possess distinctive metallic forewings with orange-yellow tips. The larvae are specialized feeders on cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon), mining between leaf layers and occasionally reaching pest status in cultivated bogs.
Coptodisca powellella
Coptodisca powellella is a small moth in the family Heliozelidae, described by Paul A. Opler in 1971. It is endemic to California and is associated with coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia). The larvae are leaf miners, creating distinctive feeding patterns within the leaves of their host plant.
Coptodisca sp. (Conocarpus erectus)
An undescribed species of Coptodisca (family Heliozelidae) that develops as a leaf miner on Conocarpus erectus (button mangrove). The species remains formally unnamed but has been documented from field collections. Heliozelid moths in this genus are characteristically small, with larvae that create distinctive blotch or serpentine mines in host leaves. This species represents part of the poorly known Neotropical heliozelid fauna associated with coastal mangrove vegetation.
Coptodisca undescribed-species-on-morella
An undescribed species of shield-bearer moth in the family Heliozelidae, known from larvae mining leaves of Morella species (bayberries). The genus Coptodisca contains small moths whose larvae are leaf miners, creating distinctive disc-shaped or blotch mines on host plants. This species has been documented but not formally described in scientific literature.
Heliozela
Heliozela is a genus of small moths in the family Heliozelidae, described by Herrich-Schäffer in 1853. Species are leaf miners as larvae, feeding internally on host plant leaves. The genus has a Holarctic distribution with records from Europe and North America, and has been reported from southern Brazil. Heliozelidae are among the most primitive lineages of Lepidoptera.