Author: (Nowicki, 1860)
Species Overview:
Adult: wingspan 13-14 mm; forewing pinkish or purplish ochreous, diffusely strigulated with dark brown; basal and sub-basal fasciae indicated by irregular strigulae; median fascia represented by a short outward-oblique streak from costa to near middle and a dark suffusion dorsally; ocellus poorly developed; a blackish line present from costa to termen. Hindwing dark fuscous-brown, cilia whitish.
Egg: deposited singly on the fruit.
Larva: head reddish or yellowish brown; prothoracic plate brown, translucent anteriorly; abdomen whitish yellow, tinged with pink dorsally, or pale greyish brown with greyish pinacula; anal plate dark brown or reddish-black; anal comb present.
Pupa: in a cocoon spun up under bark.
Taxonomic Description:
Male:
G. lobarzewskii adult 1
G. lobarzewskii adult 2
G. lobarzewskii adult 3
External characters: Wingspan 13-14 mm. Forewing ground colour white or ochreous-white, suffused with pinkish or purplish ochreous and diffusely strigulated with dark brown except interspaces between black-brown costal strigulae, the interspace nearest the apex being moderately distinct and linear, the postmedian interspace producing a moderately long, bluish plumbeous stria above which is an outward-oblique, blackish line reaching terminal margin and parallel with a bluish plumbeous pre-apical stria; an admixture of ferruginous or ochreous-yellow (tips of scales) in distal area; fasciate markings obsolescent, dark brown or black-brown; basal and sub-basal fasciae indicated by irregular strigulae; median fascia represented by a short outward-oblique streak from costa to near middle and a dark suffusion dorsally; an obscure, weakly strigulate blotch of ground colour mediodorsally; ocellus poorly developed, containing three or four black dashes situated close to termen and obscurely edged with bluish plumbeous laterally; cilia concolorous with wing basally, otherwise ochreous-white, apices suffused with grey, with a dark brown sub-basal line most distinct around apex and indented subapically. Hindwing dark fuscous-brown; cilia white, weakly suffused with ochreous around apex and along upper part of termen, with a fuscous sub-basal line (Bradley et al., 1979).
male gen. G. lobarzewskii
Genitalia: Tegumen blunt apically. Ventral margin of valva concave beyond sacculus, without dents or processes; some setae present on sacculus, neck of valva glabrous. Cucullus short and round. Aedeagus with long cornuti.
Female:
External characters: Similar to male.
female gen. G. lobarzewskii
Genitalia: Ostium not rounded; sterigma broad, short, rectangular, with almost straight margins. Ductus bursae with large cingulum. Signa large.
Biology:
superficial tunneling below the skin of apple
bore-hole & exit hole for frass
Eggs are deposited singly on young fruits. After hatching, the larva bores into the fruit, usually close to where the egg was deposited. The larva then makes an opening close to the original bore-hole to eject frass from. The larvae first feeds below the fruit skin before boring deeper into the fruit, without actually going into the core of the fruit; pips are usually not attacked. Full-grown larvae hibernate in a cocoon spun up under bark. Pupation occurs in the spring. The flight period of the moth lasts about 2 months (May and June in the UK; late May to late July in the Netherlands).
The species is univoltine in the UK and in Switzerland. In Hungary it appears to be bivoltine (Bovey, 1966; Bradley et al., 1979; Stigter, 1995; Sauter and Wildbolz, 1989; Kalman et al., 1994).
Host plants:
Malus sp, Prunus sp. (including Prunus cerasus and Prunus domestica).
Damage:
tunneling in apple (G. l.)
The species seems to prefer apple over plum. Records show that while the percentage of attacked apples may be up to 60 % (in Switzerland) or 10-20 % (in Austria), the percentage of plums attacked remained much lower (a few percent) in both countries.
This species is less important than Cydia pomonella. Damage to fruit by Grapholita lobarzewskii is different from that of Cydia pomonella : there is a small opening close to the bore-hole and there is no frass in the tunnels. Late in the season, the larva may make several superficial tunnels below the skin, in various directions starting from the bore-hole, leaving a characteristic star-shaped pattern.
Distribution:
Europe to the Ukraine.
Pheromone:
E 8-12Ac : 0.7 *
Z 8-12Ac : 0.02 *
12Ac : 0.4
14Ac : 0.6
Components marked with * are involved in attraction (Witzgall et al., 1989).
Attractantia:
E 8-12Ac : 90
Z 8-12Ac : 10
(Biwer and Descoins, 1978)