Author: Zetterstedt, 1839
Species Overview:
Adult: 11-16 mm wingspan; forewings grey, irrorate (tips of scales) with white, the distal area overlaid with tawny-brown and with dark fuscous markings, variably mixed with ochreous or tawny-brown. Hindwing dark grey.
Larva: head and prothoracic plate dark brown or black; abdomen pale yellowish white, with narrow, dark or purplish brown segmental bands dorsally which become paler laterally; integument and prothoracic plate finely shagreened; pinacula inconspicuous; anal plate light brown. Ventral prolegs with 14-16 crochets.
Pupa: reddish brown to black; spun up in the larval habitation. Similar to those of Blastesthia turionella.
Taxonomic Description:
Male:
Blastesthia posticana male
Blastesthia posticana adults
External characters: 11-16 mm wingspan. Labial palpus, head, thorax anteriorly and base of tegula light tawny-brown, thorax posteriorly and tip of tegula grey, irrorate (tips of scales) with white. Forewing ground colour grey, irrorate (tips of scales) with white and sometimes sprinkled with black, a few dark fuscous striae, these occasionally edged with ochreous or tawny-brown, distal area overlaid with tawny-brown; markings dark fuscous variably mixed with ochreous or tawny-brown, sometimes sprinkled with black; basal and subbasal fasciae forming an obscure basal patch, its outer edge obtusely angulated medially; median fascia diffuse, its margins rather irregular, the ochreous or tawny admixture sometimes pronounced; subterminal fascia obsolete; cilia grey, with a dark sub-basal line. Hindwing dark grey; cilia paler, with a dark sub-basal line (Bradley et al., 1979).
male genitalia B. posticana
Genitalia: Uncus reduced; gnathos absent; socii very long and narrow, curved outwards. Valva with clasper and semicircular notch on ventral margin.
Female:
External characters: Similar to male.
female genitalia B. posticana
Genitalia: Sterigma cylindrical; ostium a large central opening. Cingulum large. Signum with sharp point.
Variation:
In some specimens the tawny-brown colouration of the forewings is confined to the apical area and the general colouration is darker.
Biology:
Blastesthia posticana is an univoltine species. The species has a very similar biology to Blastesthia turionella. Moths fly in May and June. Larvae occur from September to April, feeding on the lateral shoots, tunnelling in the stem, causing a slight resinous exudation and aborting the shoot. In the spring the larva enters the buds and hollows them out. It shows a preference for smaller buds than those attacked by Blastesthia turionella and causes less damage to the trees. Pupation occurs in April and May
(Bradley et al., 1979; Schröder, 1978).
Host plants:
Pinus sylvestris
Damage:
Blastesthia posticana can occasionally become a nuisance on Pinus sylvestris. It shows a preference for smaller buds than those attacked by Blastesthia turionella and causes less damage to the trees. An infested bud can be recognized by the whitish resin oozing from the hole at its base (Bradley et al., 1979; Scott, 1972).
Distribution:
Northern and Central Europe to Eastern Russia.
Pheromone:
Pheromone unknown.
Attractantia:
E 9-12Ac : 9
E 9-12OH : 1 (Booij et al., 1986)
or
E 9-12Ac (Booij and Voerman, 1984a)
Parasitoids:
Apanteles sp. (Braconidae)
Eubadizon extensor L. (Braconidae)
Macrocentrus abdominalis F. (Braconidae)
Macrocentrus resinellae L. (Braconidae)
Ephialtes longiseta Ratz. (Ichneumonidae)
Ephialtes ruficollis Grav. (Ichneumonidae)
Pimpla sp. (Ichneumonidae)
Lissonota transversa Bridgm. (Ichneumonidae)
Glypta resinanae Hartig (Ichneumonidae)
Campoplex diformis Gmel. (Ichneumonidae)
Campoplex ramidulus Brischke (Ichneumonidae)