Arthropods • Earth.com

Archips cerasivorana

(Archips cerasivorana)

galery

Description

Archips cerasivorana, the ugly-nest caterpillar moth, is a species of moth of the family Tortricidae. The caterpillars of this species are known to create nests by tying the leaves of their host plant together. Within the nests, they live and feed off the leaves that have been tied together. The larvae are brownish or greenish yellow with a shiny dark brown head. Larvae can be found from May to July. The species overwinters as an egg, and pupation takes place within the nest. Caterpillars are seen to follow one another in trails, a behavior prompted by the release of signaling pheromones from their spinnerets. A. cerasivorana is found throughout North America, as far north as Alaska and as far south as North Carolina. The wingspan is 20–25 mm. The forewings are dull orange marked with irregular dark brownish spots. The hindwings are yellow with orange shading. Adults can be found from July to September in one generation per year. A. cerasivorana is commonly referred to as the ugly-nest caterpillar moth. It is a species of moth in the family Tortricidae. Related species include Archips fervidana. Archips rileyana is very similar to A. cerasivorana, both in appearance and larval habits. At first, A. rileyana was considered a subspecies of A. cerasivorana, but Obraztsov (1959) demonstrated that both adults and larvae of the two species can be separated. A. cerasivorana is characterized by an uncus with parallel sides in the male, a large blunt signum in the female, and smaller, sometimes body-colored pinacula on the larval abdomen. In contrast, A. rileyana is characterized by a spatulate uncus in the male, a moderate pointed signum in the female, and very large, conspicuous, black pinacula on the larval abdomen. The larvae feed on the leaves of Prunus virginiana, Prunus serotina, Crataegus, Rosa, Malus, Cotoneaster, Betula and Populus species. It is found in various parts of North America, from Alaska to Canada and United States. Within the United States, it can be found towards the east in New England, the south in North Carolina, and the west in California, Utah, and Colorado.

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:
Class: Insecta
Order:Lepidoptera
Family:Tortricidae
Genus:Archips
News coming your way
The biggest news about our planet delivered to you each day