Argyrotaenia pinatubana

Status

NATIVE

DOMESTIC SURVEY

Taxonomy

Argyrotaenia pinatubana (Kearfott) (Tortricidae: Tortricinae: Archipini)

Common name: pine tube moth

Synonym: pinitubana (Eulia)

Adult Recognition

FWL: 5.0–7.0 mm

Head and palpi yellow to orange; thorax similarly colored, sometimes with patches of gray scales. Forewing with fasciae red to orange, usually blurred, but sometimes strongly contrasting (similar to A. kimballi); interfasciae heavily suffused with dusty gray scaling; costal fold absent; hindwing gray.

Male genitalia are characterized by a finger-like uncus; reduced socii; and rounded, membranous valvae. Female genitalia have not been illustrated in the scientific literature but likely resemble other species of Argyrotaenia.

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. and Maier et al. (2004)Maier et al. (2004):
Maier, C. T., Lemmon, C. R., Fengler, J. M., Schweitzer, D. F., Reardon, R. C. 2004. Caterpillars on the Foliage of Conifers in the Northeastern United States. Morgantown, WV. USDA Forest Service. Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. 151 pp..

Mature larva up to 15 mm in length; width of head approximately 1.0–1.1 mm; head brownish yellow with darker pigmentation in ocellar area, prothoracic shield and legs light brown, brownish yellow, or dark brown, unmarked; body pale green; pinacula large, conspicuous; anal fork well-developed, with 6–8 teeth; SV group on A1, 2, 7, 8, 9 numbering 3:3:3:2:2.

A more detailed description of larval chaetotaxy is available in MacKay (1962a)MacKay (1962a):
MacKay, M. R. 1962a. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 28: 1-182..

Similar Species

Adults are similar to several other species of Argyrotaenia, such as A. kimballi and A. velutinana. Larvae could be confused with A. tabulana, which also feeds in silken tubes of pines, but A. tabulana feeds on hard pines such as jack pine (Pinus banksiana) and pitch pine (P. rigida) and never eastern white pine (P. strobus).

Distribution

Argyrotaenia pinatubana shares an almost identical range to that of its host plant, distributed across much of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. It also occurs throughout the central and southern Appalachians. Scattered records throughout the southeastern United States exist, but these are almost always in the vicinity of ornamental white pine.

Biology

The following account is summarized from Maier et al. (2004)Maier et al. (2004):
Maier, C. T., Lemmon, C. R., Fengler, J. M., Schweitzer, D. F., Reardon, R. C. 2004. Caterpillars on the Foliage of Conifers in the Northeastern United States. Morgantown, WV. USDA Forest Service. Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. 151 pp..

Argyrotaenia pinatubana may be a specialist on eastern white pine (Pinus strobus). The additional host records in Prentice (1966)Prentice (1966):
Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840. are dubious. As its name suggests, A. pinatubana ties needles from one or more pine fascicle together to construct a tube in which the larva lives and feeds. Feeding occurs at the ends of the tubes. In New England, there are two generations per year. Larvae active from June to July and again from September to October. Overwintering occurs in the pupal stage in constructed pine tubes.

Plant Associations

View full screen host table here

Links

Additional photos and a distribution map of this species in North America are available at Moth Photographers Group.