Hedya pruniana

Author: (Hübner, 1799)

Plum tortrix

Species Overview:

Adult: 15-18 mm wingspan; forewings ochreous-white apically, suffused with ochreous grey, the remainder marbled with fuscous, bluish grey and black; apical spot distinct; blackish postmedian dots situated distad of the medial angulation of the median fascia.
Larva: head and prothoracic plate black, medial sulcus distinct, abdomen bright green; pinacula black, conspicuous; anal plate greenish brown or black; anal comb present; thoracic legs black [Hedya pruniana larva ].
Pupa: dark brown to black; in a loosely spun silken cocoon in the larval habitation or in a spun leaf.

Taxonomic Description:

Male:

Hedya pruniana adult 1
Hedya pruniana adult 2
Hedya pruniana adults
External characters: 15-18 mm wingspan. Forewing ground colour white, heavily strigulated with plumbeous blue-grey and blackish between basal patch and median fascia, partially tinged with pale ochreous distad of median fascia; a moderately conspicuous, orbicular antemedian patch on submedian fold; markings dark brown intermixed and strigulated with fuscous and black; basal and sub-basal fascia confluent, forming an ill-defined basal patch strigulated with plumbeous; median fascia with outer edge angled abruptly outwards near middle, usually with two distinct blackish dots immediately distad of prominence, an indistinct narrow band of plumbeous extending across middle of fascia, continuing downwards towards obsolescent pre-tornal marking; subterminal fascia obsolescent, represented by a variable, pale ochreous mixed with brown patch situated near middle of distal area, often emitting fine linear connections to termen and costa; an elongate, pale plumbeous tornal patch; a distinct apical spot; cilia white, suffused or mixed with grey along termen, with a dark sub-basal line. Hindwing grey; cilia paler, a dark sub-basal line. (After Bradley et al., 1979).

male genitalia H. pruniana
Genitalia: Valva elongated, with tufts of setae along ventral margin; sacculus without clasper. Aedeagus without cornuti. Uncus narrow, apex not bifurcate. Socii relatively broad.

Female:

External characters: Usually smaller than male; hindwing darker; forewing colouration often darker.

female genitalia H. pruniana
Genitalia: Sterigma rounded with small caudal lobes. Antrum broad, dilated and bent medially. Corpus bursae with two signa; one smaller than the other.


Variation:

The intensity of the forewing colouration and the development of the markings can show minor variation. In well-marked specimens the blackish strigulae in the fasciae are heavier and the subterminal fascia forms a dense, almost circular patch. A very rare light-coloured form occurs in which the forewing markings are almost obsolete.

Biology:

In the UK, moths fly in May and June, and larvae are active in April and May. In Poland, moths fly from May until July and larvae are active in May and June. Larvae first live in the young shoots of the host plant, eating into the heart. Later they live in a folded leaf or between two leaves, securing the edges of the shelter with white silk. Pupation occurs in a loosely spun, silken cocoon in the larval habitation, in late May or June (Bradley et al., 1979).

Host plants:

Prunus spinosa, Prunus domestica, Prunus avium, Prunus cerasus, Malus sylvestris, Pyrus, Crataegus, Corylus avellana, Rosa, Sorbus, Salix.

Damage:

The species is an occasional pest of apple, plum, cherry and hazelnut, feeding on buds, blossoms, leaves, fruits and shoots.

Distribution:

Europe to Asia Minor, Iraq and Iran; Trans-Caucasus, Ural, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Southern Siberia.

Pheromone:

Pheromone unknown.

Attractantia:

Z 8E 10-12Ac
(Witzgall et al., 1996b)

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