Author: (Hübner, 1817)

"Hautboy" tortricid

Species Overview:

Adult: 11-18 mm wingspan in males, 11-14 mm wingspan in females; forewing ochreous-yellow, strigulated or suffused with orange, with dark plumbeous markings (markings obscure in females); hindwing pale grey.
Larva: head light brown, region of stemmata and postero-lateral margin darker; prothoracic plate light brown or shining green, posterior margin sometimes dark brown or blackish; abdomen translucent, whitish green varying to bluish green or greenish brown, darker dorsally; pinacula concolorous with integument; anal comb bearing six prongs; thoracic legs dark brown.
Pupa: yellowish brown; in the larval habitation.

Taxonomic Description:

Male:

Acleris aspersana male 1
Acleris aspersana male 2
Acleris aspersana adults
External characters: 11-17 mm wingspan. Labial palpus rusty-brown, paler anteriorly; head and scape of antenna and anterior part of flagellum rusty-brown to rusty; remaining part of flagellum brown; thorax rather concolorous with head; abdomen grey. Forewing expanding terminally, costa curved basally, then straight; apex short.
Ground colour ochreous-yellow, faintly strigulated or suffused with orange-yellow, veins weakly emphasized with orange-brown; markings dark plumbeous mixed with deeper ochreous and ferruginous; basal fascia developed on costa, sub-basal on dorsum; costal blotch extending to apex, inner margin almost straight, strongly edged with ferruginous, outer margin irregular, weakly edged with ferruginous; a trace of black on costa before apex; termen finely edged with ferruginous; cilia pale yellow, suffused with reddish ochreous around apex, grey on dorsum before tornus, with a pale ferruginous-brown sub-basal line. Hindwing pale grey, infuscate distally (after Bradley et al., 1973; Razowski, 1984).

male genitalia A. aspersana
Genitalia: Tegumen with well developed terminal lobes; socii broad, short; tuba analis broad, valva elongate; sacculus broad anteriorly, with slender spined termination; brachiola elongate. Aedeagus pointed apically; 5 short cornuti and a rather small, strongly sclerotized plate present in vesica.

Female:

Acleris aspersana female
External characters: 11-14 mm wingspan. Forewing with costa shallowly concave; apex protruding; ground colour ochreous-yellow, as in the male, but heavily suffused with ferruginous; markings obscure, costal blotch mixed with thick plumbeous striae; cilia paler. Hindwing grey, infuscate distally; cilia paler.

female gen. A. aspersana
Genitalia: Sterigma with elongated, rounded apically anterior projections; antrum proportionately long, broadening submedially; ductus bursae short, broadening before antrum; signum small.

Variation:

This species shows considerable minor variation but extreme forms appear to be unknown. In the male the strigulation on the forewing may be increased and the veins more heavily lined, producing a strong reticulate pattern; very rarely the forewing is strongly suffused with ferruginous and the plumbeous striae are more extensive and extend dorsad from the costal blotch. In pale specimens of the female the costal blotch is usually better defined, though never as clearly as in the male, and the basal area may be less heavily suffused and lighter ochreous-yellow; in darker specimens the blackish content of the costal blotch is usually increased (Bradley et al., 1973).

Biology:

Moths fly from June to September, apparently varying in time of appearance according to locality. They fly freely in the afternoon and evening. Larvae occur in May and June, living in a folded leaf or within a spinning of two or three leaves drawn together. Pupation occurs in June and July, in the larval habitation or a folded leaf (after Bradley et al., 1973).

Host plants:

Spiraea, Potentilla, Fragaria vesca ; also Filipendula ulmaria, Sanguisorba minor, Geum, Alchemilla vulgaris agg., Rubus, Malus, Dryas octopetala, Helianthemum chamaecistus and Salix aurita.

Damage:

Larvae feed on leaves; damage is of no economic importance.

Distribution:

Northern and Central Europe (including Iceland) to Western Russia, Kazakhstan and the Ukraine; Central and South-Eastern Siberia; Israel; North America.

Pheromone:

Pheromone unknown.

Parasitoids:

Actia pilipennis (Fallén) (Tachinidae)