Destructive prune worm

Description

Acrobasis tricolorella, the destructive prune worm or tricolored acrobasis moth, is a species of snout moth in the genus Acrobasis. It was described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1878, and is known from southern Canada and northern United States. The wingspan is about 25 mm. The ground color of the forewing is gray dusted with white scales, with a bi-colored brown and white basal crossband, a small elongate discal spot and a blackish and white apical zigzag band. The hindwings are broad and white with grayish margins. Adults are on wing from June to October. The larvae feed on Prunus, Malus pumila, Prunus armeniaca, Sorbus americana, Rosa, Amelanchier and Heteromeles arbutifolia. They feed on buds and fruits of their host plant. The species overwinters in the larval stage. Acrobasis is a genus of moths of the family Pyralidae.