Aphelia alleniana
| Wide-striped leafroller | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Tortricidae |
| Genus: | Aphelia |
| Species: | A. alleniana
|
| Binomial name | |
| Aphelia alleniana (Fernald, 1882)[1]
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Aphelia alleniana, the wide-striped leafroller or Allen's tortrix moth, is a species of moth in the family Tortricidae. It is native to northern North America, where it has a wide distribution across Canada, extending as far north as Alaska. In the United States, it has been recorded from Colorado, Idaho, Maine, and Montana.[2]
Description
Adult
The wingspan is 21–27 mm.[3] The forewings are light brown with fine darker brown reticulations (a net-like pattern). The hindwings are dull greyish brown. Like other tortricid moths, adults have a characteristic bell-shaped or arrowhead-shaped appearance when at rest, with wings folded rooflike over the body.
Larva
The larvae are light green with a dark green dorsal stripe running along the back and a yellow head. As members of the subfamily Tortricinae, the larvae feed externally on plant tissue and construct leaf rolls for shelter, a behavior that gives the species its common name.
Life cycle
Adults are on wing from late June to mid-July.[4] The species is univoltine, producing one generation per year, which is typical for tortricid moths in northern latitudes with short growing seasons.
The larvae mostly feed on herbaceous plants, but may also feed on deciduous and coniferous woody plants. Like other leafrollers, larvae use silk to tie or roll leaves together, creating shelters in which they feed and are protected from predators and the elements. They pass through five instars during development.
The species overwinters as a third instar larva within a folded leaf. Overwintering larvae resume feeding in spring before completing their development and pupating. Pupation typically occurs within the larval shelter.
Taxonomy
The species was first described by American entomologist Charles Henry Fernald in 1882 as Tortrix alleniana in his "Synonymical Catalogue of the Described Tortricidae of North America".[5] It was later transferred to the genus Aphelia, a predominantly Palearctic genus established by Jacob Hübner in 1825.[6]
Subspecies
- Aphelia alleniana alleniana (Fernald, 1882)
- Aphelia alleniana rindgeorum Obraztsov, 1959[6]
References
- ^ "Aphelia". Tortricidae.com. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
- ^ "Allen's Tortrix Moth (Aphelia alleniana)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
- ^ "Aphelia alleniana". Moth Photographers Group. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
- ^ Dombroskie, J. J. (April 16, 2009). "Species Details: Aphelia alleniana". University of Alberta Museums. E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ Fernald, C. H. (1882). "A synonymical catalogue of the described Tortricidæ of North America, north of Mexico". Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 10: 1–64.
- ^ a b "Aphelia". Funet. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
External links
- Aphelia alleniana at BugGuide