Bug FAQWitch-hazel Caloptilia
Caloptilia superbifrontella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gracillariidae
Source: Wikipedia
The adult moth has a wingspan of about 11 mm. It is found in eastern Canada and the eastern United States, from Québec and Nova Scotia down to Florida and west to Arkansas. The caterpillars feed on witch-hazel (Hamamelis) leaves, mining them and potentially harming the plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan measures roughly 11 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on Hamamelis species such as H. vernalis, H. virginica and H. virginiana, mining the leaves.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes eastern Canada and the eastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 22 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Mississippi.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where is this moth found?
It lives in eastern Canada and the eastern United States, from Québec and Nova Scotia down to Florida and west to Arkansas.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the caterpillars eat?
They mine the leaves of witch-hazel plants (Hamamelis), including H. vernalis, H. virginica and H. virginiana.
Source: Wikipedia
Does this insect damage gardens or crops?
The leaf-mining larvae can damage witch-hazel plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Gracillariidae)
Horse-chestnut LeafminerCameraria ohridellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Aspen Serpentine Leafminer MothPhyllocnistis populiellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Phyllocnistis vitegenella complexPhyllocnistis vitegenellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Locust Digitate Leafminer MothParectopa robiniellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Poison Ivy Leaf-miner MothCameraria guttifinitella
Phyllocnistis insignisDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caloptilia_superbifrontella
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.