Pandemis cerasana

Author: (Hübner, 1786)

Barred fruit tree tortrix

Species Overview:

Adult: 16-24 mm wingspan; forewings pale ochreous-yellow to greyish brown, with pale brown, chestnut-edged markings, inner margin of median fascia not produced; hindwings greyish brown; antennae of male with a basal notch.
Egg: flat and oval; deposited in an oval, raft like batch.
Larva: 20 mm long; rather thin and flattened; light green, but darker above, with pale green pinacula; head light green to brownish green (often with brown cuneate pattern); prothoracic plate green or yellowish green, with dark sides and hind edge; anal plate green, dotted with black; anal comb yellowish with 6-8 prongs; first and last spiracles elliptical and distinctly larger than the others [Pandemis cerasana larva].
Pupa: 9-15 mm long; light brown to brownish black, darker dorsally; cremaster length greater than width. Spines of front and back row of abdominal segments 4 and 5 larger and more separated than those on the back rows [details pupa P. cerasana ; Pandemis cerasana pupa].

Taxonomic Description:

Male:

Pandemis cerasana male
Pandemis cerasana male 2
Pandemis cerasana males
External characters: Frons and labial palpus varying from dark brown to light brown, sometimes with greyish white admixture; labial palpus paler interiorly. Antenna weakly dentate-ciliate, with notch near base, flagellum whitish ochreous posteriorly, segments indistinctly barred with brown. Costa of forewing without costal fold, curved outwards in basal half; dorsum strongly curved at base, then slightly concave. Forewing ground colour varying from pale ochreous-yellow to greyish brown (sometimes with an olive tint), weakly strigulated distally; markings pale brown, edged with chestnut-brown; outer margin of basal fasciae sinuous, slightly oblique, median fascia strongly oblique. Cilia darker than ground colour. Hindwing almost uniform greyish brown; cilia whitish (Bradley et al., 1973).

male gen. P. cerasana
Genitalia: Uncus proportionally long, with rounded or oval apex, spinules on uncus arranged in longitudinal band along lateral margins. Valva width less than length; transtilla broad, narrow medially. Aedeagus with one spinule on wall near apex.

Female:

Pandemis cerasana female
Pandemis cerasana female 2
Pandemis cerasana females
External characters: Antenna sparsely ciliate, without notch, scaling of flagellum as in male. Forewing colouration and markings as in male.

female gen. P. cerasana
Genitalia: Sterigma with anterior (cup-shaped) part broad; antrum relatively short, parallel sclerites of antrum spiny, not trough-like. Ductus bursae without cestum. Corpus bursae without two sclerotized patches.

Biology:

Moths occur from June to August. The egg batches are deposited on the leaves or branches, some hatching after a few weeks but others not until the spring. Young summer larvae feed on the foliage for a short time and then, whilst still small, spin silken retreats on the twigs, in which they overwinter. Activity recommences at bud burst, when overwintered eggs also hatch. Larvae feed in a rolled or folded leaf until May or early June and then pupate in a whitish cocoon spun in the larval habitation or in a folded leaf (Alford, 1984; Alford, 1995).
Just before emergence of the adult the pupa protrudes from the cocoon.

Host plants:

The larvae are polyphagous, occurring on many trees and shrubs including apple (Malus), pear (Pyrus), cherry and plum (Prunus), currant (Ribes), blackberry and raspberry (Rubus), hazelnut (Corylus), Abies , Alnus, Acer, Betula, Crataegus, Fraxinus, Quercus, Ribes, Rhamnus, Rosa, Salix, Sorbus, Picea, Tilia, Ulmus and Vaccinium.
Also a pest in tea plantations (Camellia).

Damage:

Leaf damage is usually unimportant, as larvae rarely feed together in large numbers. In fruit orchards, however, attacks on young blossoms and fruitlets in the spring may result in blemished fruit at harvest (Alford, 1984).

Distribution:

Europe to Asia Minor, Siberia, China, Mongolia, Korea and Japan.

Pheromone:

E 11-14Ac : 64 *
Z 11-14Ac : 21 *
14Ac : 2
Z 11-14OH : 3
E 11-14OH : 10

Components marked with * are involved in attraction (Tonini et al., 1982).

Parasitoids:

Ichneumonidae:
Habrocryptus porrectorius F.
Mesochorus sylvarum Curt.
Phytodietus segmentator Grav.
Phytodietus polyzonias Först.
Pimpla maculator F.
Phaeogenes callopus Wesm.
Phaeogenes stimulator Grav.
Hybophanes scabriculus Grav.
Apechtis rufata Gmel.
Omorga mutabilis Hlgr.
Itoplectis alternans Grav.
Oedemopsis scabricula (Grav.)

Braconidae:
Ascogaster rufidens Wesm.
Macrocentrus abdominalis F.
Meteorus ictericus Nees
Apanteles xanthostrigma Hal.
Zele testaceator Curt.

Chalcidoidea:
Brachymeria euploeae Westw.
Pediobius sp.
Habrocytus ? saxeseni Ratz.
Dibrachys cavus Walk.
Monodentomerus aereus Walk.
Habrocytus sp.

Tachinidae:
Neopales pavida Meig.
Compsilura concinnata
Pseudoperichaeta nigrolineata (Walker)

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