Acleris forsskaleana

Status

ADVENTIVE

PORT INTERCEPT | DOMESTIC SURVEY

Taxonomy

Acleris forsskaleana (Linnaeus) (Tortricidae: Tortricinae: Tortricini)

Common names: maple leaftier moth, hairnet Acleris, maple button

Synonyms: agraphana (Tortrix), folskaleana (Tortrix), forcaleana (Tortrix), forscaeleana (Tortrix), forskaeleana (Tortrix), forskahleana (Pyralis), forskahliana (Pyralis), forskaleana (Phalaena), forskaleana (Rhacodia), forskaliana (Tortrix), forskoleana (Tortrix), forskoliana (Tortrix)

Adult Recognition

FWL: 6.0–8.0 mm

Head pale yellow; thorax pale yellow, occasionally with orange transverse line; forewing with ground color pale yellow with fine network of orange or red-orange reticulations, small brown or black scale tufts present near midpoint of inner margin, variably expressed gray or brown suffusion occupying much of middle of forewing; termen with conspicuous red-orange or brown line; male without forewing costal fold; hindwing yellow to pale brown.

Male genitalia are characterized by uncus absent; socii, broad, well-developed; valvae trapezoidal with a well-developed sacculus and weakly developed brachiola. The female genitalia are characterized by relatively large papillae anales; short apophyses; a well-sclerotized colliculum, and a single, stellate signa in the corpus bursae.

Larval Morphology

The following account is summarized from MacKay (1962a)MacKay (1962a):
MacKay, M. R. 1962a. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 28: 1-182..

Mature larva 12–13 mm in length; width of head approximately 0.9 mm. Entire larva pale except for dark ocellar area on head; pinacula moderate in size; anal shield usually slightly tapered posteriorly; SV group on A1, 2, 7, 8, 9 typically 3:3:2:2:2, rarely 3:3:2:2:1.

Similar Species

Acleris forrskaleana is among the most distinctive of the Acleris which occur in North America. The combination of the pale yellow ground color overlaid with a fine network of orange or red reticulations should easily separate it from all other species of Acleris in our area.

Distribution

In its native range, Acleris forsskaleana is broadly distributed in Europe, from the United Kingdom and Spain east to Russia. It has been recorded from Iran (Alipanah 2009Alipanah 2009:
Alipanah, H. 2009. A brief study on the tribes Tortricini and Archipini (Lepidoptera: Tortricinae) from Iran. Entomofauna. 30(10): 137–151.), but it is unclear whether this represents an extension of its known native range or a result of an introduction. It was introduced into North America, where the earliest record is from Long Island in 1932 (Powell and Burns 1971Powell and Burns 1971:
Powell, J. A., Burns, J. M. 1971. Colonization of the Northeastern United States by Two Palearctic Moths (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Psyche. 78: 38-48.) and has subsequently spread throughout the northeastern United States and neighboring provinces in Canada. A second introduction event later occurred in the Pacific Northwest.

Biology

The following account is summarized from Kennel (1910)Kennel (1910):
Kennel, J. von. 1910. Die Palaearktischen Tortriciden. Zoologica (Stuttgart) 21. 742 pp. and Ford (1949)Ford (1949):
Ford, L. T. 1949. A guide to the smaller British Lepidoptera. South London Entomological and Natural History Society, London, England. 230 pp..

In Europe, larvae occur from May to June, pupae from June to July, and adults from the end of June to mid August. The phenology in North America is similar (Powell and Burns 1971Powell and Burns 1971:
Powell, J. A., Burns, J. M. 1971. Colonization of the Northeastern United States by Two Palearctic Moths (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Psyche. 78: 38-48.). Overwintering likely occurs in the egg stage, but this requires confirmation. Little else is known about the life cycle for Acleris forsskaleana.

Maple (Acer spp.) appears to be the exclusive host plant for A.forsskaleana. Early instars are leaf-webbers; later instars are leaf-rollers. The record of Rosa centifolia by Kennel (1910)Kennel (1910):
Kennel, J. von. 1910. Die Palaearktischen Tortriciden. Zoologica (Stuttgart) 21. 742 pp. is almost definitely based on a misidentification of a similar species, A. bergmanniana. Ford (1949)Ford (1949):
Ford, L. T. 1949. A guide to the smaller British Lepidoptera. South London Entomological and Natural History Society, London, England. 230 pp. includes “sycamore”, but was likely referring to Acer pseudoplatanus, known in Europe as sycamore, but in the United States as sycamore maple.

Plant Associations

View full screen host table here

Links

Additional photos and distribution map in North America available at Moth Photographers Group.