Author: (Denis and Schiffermüller, 1775)
Dark strawberry tortrix moth
Species Overview:
Adult: 14-18 mm wingspan; forewing ground colour cream-white, with a faint olive tinge, strigulated with plumbeous; markings blackish brown, suffused or strigulated with pale olive. Although extremely variable, this species can usually be distinguished from its near relatives by the strong indentation or lacuna in the median fascia above the middle. In dark forms this indentation tends to become obscure but is seldom totally obliterated and usually a trace of the light scaling remains.
Egg: lenticular-ovate; deposited in batches of two to three on the upper surface of the leaves along the veins.
Larva: up to 14 mm long; head light yellowish brown to brown, marked with black laterally, or entirely black; prothoracic plate light yellowish brown to black, edged anteriorly with grey; abdomen varying in colour according to the food plant: light yellow, cream, green, greyish white, dark brown to blackish brown, usually with a darker dorsal line; pinacula shining black; setae whitish; peritreme of spiracles black; anal plate varying from light yellowish cream to yellow marked with brown, or entirely black; anal comb present; thoracic legs yellowish cream to brown or black [Celypha lacunana larva on strawberry].
Pupa: Shining dark brown or blackish brown; spun up amongst leaf litter on the ground.
Taxonomic Description:
Male:
Celypha lacunana adult
Celypha lacunana adults 1
Celypha lacunana adults 2
External characters: 14-18 mm wingspan. Forewing ground colour cream-white, with a faint olive tinge, strigulated with plumbeous; markings blackish brown, suffused or strigulated with pale olive; basal and sub-basal fasciae confluent, forming a large basal patch, its outer edge irregularly sinuate, with a deeper excavation below middle; median fascia broad, narrowly separated from pre-tornal marking but sometimes confluent, partially interrupted on inner edge above middle by a longitudinal streak of ground colour which extends to near outer edge; cilia cream-white except for incursions of subterminal fascia and pretornal marking. Hindwing with anal fold, grey; cilia paler, shaded with fuscous at apex, with a dark grey subbasal line (Bradley et al., 1979).
male genitalia C. lacunana
valve C. lacunana
Genitalia: Valva with narrow cucullus; sacculus with narrow, inwardly turned lobe and tuft of long thin setae. Vesica of aedeagus with two to three small cornuti. Socii fused with tegumen. Uncus reduced; tuba analis large.
Female:
External characters: Similar to male.
female genitalia C. lacunana
Genitalia: Sterigma consisting of convex median part, which is incised posteriorly, large lateral wing-shaped plates and weak anterior fold. Antrum short, weakly sclerotized. Signum small, round.
Variation:
The general colouration and forewing markings show a wide range of minor variation. Light-coloured specimens which usually have reduced plumbeous strigulation occur, as well as dark, heavily marked specimens or even almost unicolorous blackish ones. Bradley et al., 1979, also mention dwarf forms, which in the UK appear to be most common in the northern hill and mountain districts.
Biology:
In Western Europe, moths occur from May until August. There are two to three generations yearly. Eggs are deposited in batches of two to three on the upper surface of the leaves along the veins. They hatch after about 10 days. Larvae feed between spun leaves or in the young shoots and in flowers of (often herbaceous) plants. The last generation of larvae, which are found in September and October, hibernate. Pupation occurs spun up amongst leaf litter on the ground (Bradley et al., 1979).
Host plants:
Anthriscus, Artemisia vulgaris, Artiplex, Betula, Caltha, Chenopodium, Chrysanthemum, Cirsium, Comarium, Epilobium, Fagus, Filipendula ulmaria, Fragaria (strawberry), Hibiscus syriacus, Humulus, Inula, Lamium, Larix, Ligustrum, Lysimachia, Malus, Martricaria, Mentha (mint), Ononis, Picea sitchensis, Pteridium aquilinum, Ranunculus, Rubus caesius (dewberry), Rubus idaeus (raspberry), Salix, Sanguisorba, Spiraea, Urtica, Vicia (vetch).
Damage:
damage to strawberry leaves
Larvae feed between spun leaves or in the young shoots and in flowers of (often herbaceous) plants and can be an important pest of strawberry crops. On this host, larvae are especially attracted to the flowers. They are also noted on garden ornamentals (Alford, 1995).
Distribution:
Iceland and Europe to Kashmir, China, Eastern Russia, Korea (single record) and Japan.
Pheromone:
Pheromone unknown.
Parasitoids:
Colpoclypeus florus (Walker) (Eulophidae)
Trichogramma semblidis (Auriv.) (Trichogrammatidae)