Cherry blossom moth
| Cherry blossom moth | ||||||||||||
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Cherry blossom moth ( Argyresthia pruniella ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Argyresthia pruniella | ||||||||||||
| ( Clerck , 1759) |
Cherry blossom moth ( Argyresthia pruniella ) is a butterfly ( small butterfly ) from the family of web and bud moths (Yponomeutidae).
features
The small moths reach a wingspan of 10 to 13 millimeters. The inner third of the forewings is colored white to near the edge. The front two thirds are russet with small white spots. Both stripes are interrupted by a brownish transverse band that extends from the trailing edge of the wing to the leading edge. The fringes are very long. The hind wings are brownish and very narrow. The outer half of the front edge and the entire inner edge are trimmed with long fringes.
The olive-green eggs are oval and have black dots, and they also have raised, irregular net markings. They are light brown at first and later turn gray. The caterpillar is light green, yellow green, or olive green with a light brown head. The pupa is light brown with a greenish tinge. The cremaster has four median and two lateral bristles.
Similar species
The apple blossom moth ( Argyresthia curvella ( Linnaeus , 1761)) is very similar to the cherry blossom moth in terms of drawing and color. However, in this species the transverse tie of the front wing does not reach the wing leading edge.
Occurrence
The cherry blossom moth occurs in almost all of Europe and Asia Minor. The species has now also been introduced to North America.
Phenology and way of life
The cherry blossom moth forms one generation per year. The egg caterpillars hatch in March or April, depending on the region and weather conditions, when the buds of the host plants appear. The adult caterpillars drop to the ground in May along with dead flowers and shoots. The moths are then found for most of the summer; the main occurrence is from late June to late July. The moths fly at dusk, during the day they sit upside down under the leaves and can be scared off easily. They often appear in large numbers and are occasionally observed using artificial light sources.
The females lay the eggs individually or in groups of two to three eggs hidden in cracks in the bark, in the axes of the buds, under the scales of the buds or under cracked bark, where they overwinter. In total, only about 30 eggs are formed per animal. The egg caterpillars hatch in spring. They first feed on the flower or leaf buds, which are completely hollowed out. Later flowers are eaten, and young shoots are also gnawed. Sour cherry ( Prunus cerasus ), sweet cherry ( Prunus avium ) and peach ( Prunus persica ) are preferred . But also pears ( Pyrus ), other Prunus species, hawthorns ( Crataegus ), whitebeams ( Sorbus ) and hazel ( Corylus ). Later, the caterpillars also feed on the developing fruits. The development of the caterpillars takes about 28 to 41 days. They pupate from May to June in a light web in the ground or, less often, in cracks in the bark. The resting stage lasts about 40 to 50 days, half of which is the pupal stage.
Harmful effect
The caterpillars eat around six flowers before pupation and also in the fruits themselves and cause considerable damage in orchards. Without appropriate control measures, yield losses of up to 80 percent are possible. The cherry blossom moth is therefore regarded and controlled as a pest.
Systematics
The species was first scientifically described in 1759 by Carl Alexander Clerck as Phalaena pruniella . In 1775 Johann Christian Fabricius described the species again under the name Tinea ephippella Fabricius , 1775; this name is therefore a more recent synonym.
swell
literature
- David James Carter: Plague Lepidoptera of Europe. 431 pp., Junk, Dordrecht 1984 ISBN 90-6193-504-0 and 90-6193-190-8
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Thomas Kaltenbach, Peter Victor Küppers: Kleinschmetterlinge. Verlag J. Neudamm-Neudamm, Melsungen 1987, ISBN 3-7888-0510-2
- ↑ Argyresthia (Argyresthia) pruniella (Clerck 1759). Fauna Europaea, Version 1.3, April 19, 2007 , accessed on September 13, 2007 .
Web links
- www.lepiforum.de
- Markku Savela: Lepidoptera and some other life forms (English)
- Collection of the Natural History Museum Stockholm (Swedish)
- Guide to the moths of Great Britain and Ireland (English)
- Effect of various insecticides against the cherry blossom moth ( Argyresthia pruniella ) (PDF file; 150 kB)
- Harald Rank: Effectiveness of Neemazal-T / S against the cherry blossom moth ( Argyresthia pruniella ) as part of the control of the frost moth ( Operophthera brumata ) in sour cherries (PDF file; 45 kB)
- Argyresthia pruniella at AgroAtlas (English)