Author: Kuznetsov, 1969
Lustrous spruce cone moth
Species Overview:
Adult: 14-17 mm wingspan. Forewing ground colour varying from brownish-grey to bronze (darker than in Barbara herrichiana), with silvery white spots and stripes. It mainly differs from other Barbara species in the occurrence of a very characteristic x-shaped white figure, formed by two transverse lines crossing in the middle part of the forewing. Hindwing with base light coloured, contrasting with a dark band along the margins, broadest at apex.
Pupa: 7-9 mm long; dark brown.
Taxonomic Description:
Male:
Barbara fulgens adult
External characters: 14-17 mm wingspan. Forewing ground colour varying from brownish-grey to bronze (darker than in Barbara herrichiana), with silvery white spots and stripes. Basal fascia with black scales along margin, margin curved in an angle of almost 90°. It mainly differs from other Barbara species in the occurrence of a very characteristic x-shaped white figure, formed by two transverse lines crossing in the middle part of the forewing. Hindwing not unicolorous: base light coloured, contrasting with a dark band along the margins, broadest at apex (Fang and Roques, 1988).
male genitalia Barbara fulgens
Genitalia: The species strongly differs from other Barbara species in the shape of the valva, especially the sacculus and cucullus. In Barbara fulgens the sacculus appears more rounded and convex, whereas it forms a 90-100° angle in other Barbara species. The separation between cucullus and sacculus is more constricted, and the internal lobe of the cucullus is more elongated (Fang and Roques, 1988).
Female:
External characters: Similar to male
female genitalia B. fulgens
Genitalia: The ostium is located very close to the anterior margin of the postvaginal plate; postvaginal plate more triangular than in other Barbara species; one signum in corpus bursae (Fang and Roques, 1988).
Biology:
Pupae were collected in late July in North-Eastern China. Stored under natural conditions of France, moths emerged in March of the following year. The holotype, collected in Eastern Russia, was labelled '6 October 1997' indicating that pupae probably do not hibernate under natural conditions (Fang and Roques, 1988).
Host plants:
Picea koraiensis; Picea sibiricus
Damage:
Barbara fulgens is a pest of Korean spruce in Heilongjian province, China. Larvae destroy cones.
Distribution:
North-Eastern China (Heilongjian province); Eastern Russia (Khabarovsk district).
Pheromone:
Pheromone unknown.