Author: (Hübner, 1800)
Rusty oak moth
Species Overview:
Adult: 16-20 mm wingspan; forewing greyish-yellow to ferruginous with ochreous and blackish scaling basally, and with a pale ochreous dorsal spot; costal strigulae very short, interspaces white or ochreous; ocellus indistinct with three or four black dashes, its outer edge plumbeous. Hindwing dark fuscous.
Larva: Sorhagen, 1881, describes the larva as following: body dirty whitish, dark grey or brown dorsally, particularly anteriorly; head small, heart-shaped, shining honey brown; thoracic plate and legs paler, the microscopic pinacula glass-like with very fine setae; anal plate dirty grey. Both Kennel, 1908-1921, and Swatschek, 1958, describe the larva as being brick-red. Since many species of Cydia turn pink or red shortly before pupation, they probably described full-grown larvae.
Pupa: in a cocoon in the soil.
Taxonomic Description:
Male:
Cydia amplana male
Cydia amplana adult
External characters: Wingspan 16-20 mm. Head ferruginous; labial palpus reddish ochreous; antenna dark fuscous, ringed ochreous, scape reddish ochreous; thorax and abdomen ferruginous. Forewing ground colour greyish-yellow to ferruginous with ochreous and blackish scaling basally; dorsal spot pale ochreous; costal strigulae very short, black with white or ochreous interspaces, some plumbeous towards apex; a blackish pretornal patch (although sometimes this is ferruginous); ocellus indistinct with three or four black dashes, its outer edge plumbeous; cilia dark fuscous mixed with ferruginous basally, blackish at apex, otherwise dark grey. Hindwing dark fuscous, cilia ochreous, with a dark subbasal line, becoming greyish towards anal angle.
male genitalia Cydia amplana
Genitalia: Tegumen rounded apically, with small pointed projection. Aedeagus slightly sinuate, broadened in apical region. Cucullus long, semi-rectangular, demarcated from rest of valve by small oblique fold ventrally.
Female:
Cydia amplana female
External characters: Forewing markings darker and more pronounced than in male.
female genitalia Cydia amplana
Genitalia: Lamella postvaginalis long, narrowing medially, convex posteriorly. Ductus bursae highly sclerotized and tapering up to inception of ductus seminalis.
Biology:
This species often needs two years for development. Moths fly in June and July. Larvae can be found in September and October, feeding inside hazelnuts, walnuts, beechnuts and acorns. Pupation takes place in the soil.
Host plants:
Corylus, Juglans, Castanea, Fagus, Quercus.
Damage:
According to Bovey, 1966, larvae usually only feed inside nuts that have fallen to the ground, but Postner, 1978, states that the larvae cause significant damage at times by causing the nuts to drop.
Distribution:
Central and South Europe to Asia Minor, South-Western Russia and Trans-Caucasus.
Pheromone:
Pheromone unknown.