Cnephasia longana (Haworth) (Tortricidae: Tortricinae: Cnephasiini)
Common names: omnivorous leaf-tier, strawberry fruitworm
Synonyms: cadizensis (form), capillana (Sphaleroptera), egenana (Tortrix), expallidana (Tortrix), gratana (Sciaphila), ictericana (Tortrix), insolatana (Tortrix), loeviana (Sciaphila), luridalbana (Tortrix), lutosana (Tortrix), minor (form), ongana (Cnephasia), stratana (Sciaphila)
FWL: 7.5–10.8 mm
Cnephasia longana is sexually dimorphic: males are a uniform white to yellowish brown while females are variably marked with light to dark brown. Some females have a strong fasciate pattern. Males lack a forewing costal fold.
Male genitalia are characterized by an elongate, triangular, minutely spined uncus; narrow, setose socii; and elongate valvae with a well-developed sacculus. Female genitalia are characterized by unusual, modified papillae anales; a short ductus bursae; and a narrow row of minute spine-like scobinations in the corpus bursae.
The following account is summarized from Swatschek (1958)Swatschek (1958):
Swatschek, B. 1958. Die larval systematik der wickler (Tortricidae und Carposinidae) aus dem zoologischen Institut der Universitat Erlangen. Akademie-Verlag, Berlin. 269 pp. [Abhandlungen zur larvalsystematik Insekten 3.].
Late instar larvae are greenish brown or yellowish green with pale lateral lines and are approximately 14–18 mm in length. The head is pale brown with dark brown margins, and the prothoracic shield is concolorous with the rest of the body.
The yellowish, narrow, elongate forewings separate this species from most of the other Tortricidae covered on this site. Other Palearctic Cnephasia, such as C. gueneeana, are similar; a genitalic dissection can be used to confirm identity.
Cnephasia longana is native to the Palearctic where it is widely distributed across Europe, northwestern Africa, and Asia. It was first collected in western North America in Oregon in the late 1920s (Edwards and Mote 1936Edwards and Mote 1936:
Edwards, W. D., Mote, D. C. 1936. Omnivorous Leaf Tier, Cnephasia longana Haw.: A Relatively New Pest of Strawberries, Iris and Other Crops in Oregon. Journal of Economic Entomology. 29(6): 1118-1123.) and is currently present from southern British Columbia south to California.
The following account is summarized from Edwards and Mote (1936)Edwards and Mote (1936):
Edwards, W. D., Mote, D. C. 1936. Omnivorous Leaf Tier, Cnephasia longana Haw.: A Relatively New Pest of Strawberries, Iris and Other Crops in Oregon. Journal of Economic Entomology. 29(6): 1118-1123. and Cram and Tonks (1959)Cram and Tonks (1959):
Cram, W. T., Tonks, N. V. 1959. Note on the occurrence in British Columbia of the omnivorous leaf tier, Cnephasia longana (Haw.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), as a pest of strawberry. Canadian Entomologist. 91: 155-156..
Adults are present from late March to early July in North America. Females lay eggs singly or in small batches in depressions or cracks in the bark of trees and cover them with bits of debris. After hatching, first instar larvae search out suitable cracks or crevices in bark, construct a silk hibernaculum, and hibernate for the remainder of the summer and following winter. Larvae leave the hibernaculum in the spring and disperse to nearby herbaceous plants by ballooning with the aid of silk threads. After encountering a suitable host, larvae mine within leaves close to the ground. Later instars web terminal parts of the plant, including the shoots, buds, and/or flowers. In some instances, larvae may bore into fruit (such as strawberries, Fragaria spp.) causing economic damage.
Cnephasia longana larvae have been recorded feeding on many herbaceous plants. In Europe, the larvae can be a pest of cereal crops. In Oregon and Washington, C. longana larvae have been reported as a pest of strawberries. The following host list contains plants in more than 20 families.
View full screen host table here
Authors: KA Austin, TM Gilligan, ME Epstein
Content last updated May 2025
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