Author: (Kuznetsov, 1962)
Species Overview:
Adult: 9-12 mm wingspan; forewings monochromatic, grey-brown; interspaces between costal strigulae whitish; ocellus well developed, edged by silvery streaks and containing three to five longitudinal dashes; dorsal spot absent; hindwing greyish.
Egg: deposited singly or in small rows, preferably on young leaves.
Pupa: in a thin cocoon on the soil.
Taxonomic Description:
Male:
Cydia medicaginis adult
Cydia medicaginis forewing
External characters: 9-12 mm wingspan; forewings monochromatic, grey-brown; interspaces between costal strigulae whitish. Ocellus well developed, edged by silvery streaks and containing three to five longitudinal dashes; dorsal spot absent. Hindwing greyish (Agassiz and Karsholt, 1989).
male gen. Cydia medicaginis
aedeagus Cydia medicaginis
Genitalia: Cucullus not elongated, almost rounded, with isolated dent on ventral margin. Aedeagus with small projection situated post-medially on right side.
Female:
External characters: Usually slightly smaller than males; forewings less dark.
female gen. Cydia medicaginis 1
female gen. Cydia medicaginis 2
Genitalia: Notch in posterior margin of seventh sternite deep. Sterigma in shape of ring surrounding ostium with weak and small, semisquare lamella postvaginalis. Ductus bursae sclerotized from inception of ductus seminalis to a little before ostium.
Biology:
Cydia medicaginis is an univoltine species. Full-grown larvae hibernate in a silken cocoon buried at a depth of five to seven cm in the soil. By the end of May or the beginning of June, the larvae leave their hibernaculum and construct a thin cocoon on the soil to pupate in. The pre-pupal stage lasts about ten days; pupation lasts another eight to ten days. Moths fly from early June till early August. About five to eight days after hatching, the females deposit their eggs, singly or in a small row, on young leaves. After hatching, the young larva penetrates a bud or a flower where it feeds on the base of petals, causing the flower to dry. When the host-plant is older and the flowers have withered, the larva bores into the pods and feeds on the seeds. An attacked pod is not affected in size or colour, and can only be recognized by irregular holes (Agassiz and Karsholt, 1989).
Host plants:
Medicago, Genista, Ulex, Sarothammus, Cytisus, Lotus.
Damage:
The species is a pest of lucerne and other Leguminosae, feeding on the seeds.
Distribution:
Northern and Central Europe (UK, Lettland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Franc, Poland, Romania), Trans-Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Western Russia to Southern Siberia.
Pheromone:
Pheromone unknown.
Attractantia:
E 8E 10-12Ac (Bournoville, 1979)
Grapholita caecana (Schläger)
Grapholita caecana (Schläger) also feeds on Medicago sativa and is not included in the key.
Grapholita caecana adults
Grapholita caecana adult
This species has brownish grey forewings and well-defined blackish brown costal strigulae; the interspaces between these are white and produce plumbeous striae. The ocellus is poorly developed. In Cydia medicaginis the ocellus is well-developed.
Grapholita caecana occurs from Europe to Northern Iran, Northern China and Eastern Russia.
Genitalia:
male genitalia G. caecana : Cucullus without isolated dent on ventral margin.
female genitalia G. caecana : Lamella antevaginalis cup-shaped.