Aspila funebrana

Status

EXOTIC

PORT INTERCEPT

Taxonomy

Aspila funebrana (Treitschke) (Tortricidae: Olethreutinae: Grapholitini)

Common names: plum fruit moth, red plum maggot

Synonyms: cerasana (Laspeyresia)

Note: Aspila funebrana was formerly known as Grapholita funebrana until recently (Hu et al. 2023Hu et al. 2023:
Hu, G.-L., Brown, J.W., Heikkilä, M., Aarvik, L., Mutanen, M. 2023. Molecular phylogeny, divergence time, biogeography and trends in host plant usage in the agriculturally important tortricid tribe Grapholitini (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Olethreutinae). Cladistics. 39(5): 359-381.). It is often referred to as Cydia funebrana in older literature. Komai (1999)Komai (1999):
Komai, F. 1999. A taxonomic review of the genus Grapholita and allied genera (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in the Palaearctic region. Entomologica Scandinavica Supplement 55. 226 pp. provides a taxonomic history for the Grapholitini.

Adult Recognition

FWL: 4.0–7.5 mm

Forewings are grayish brown with indistinct silvery-gray markings on the dorsum and around the poorly-defined ocellus. Males lack a forewing costal fold. Hindwings are brown.

Male genitalia are characterized by the absence of an uncus, a rounded cucullus, and a thorn-like projection on the ventral margin of the valva. Female genitalia are characterized by a rounded sterigma, an irregular sclerite in the ductus bursae, and two long, curved, thorn-like signa in the corpus bursae.

Larval Morphology

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.] and Whittle (1984b)Whittle (1984b):
Whittle, K. 1984. Pests not known to occur in the United States or of limited distribution, no. 49: plum fruit moth. USDA pest detection guides..

Late instar larvae are approximately 9–12 mm in length with a bright reddish-pink abdomen. The head is dark brown and the prothoracic shield is yellowish brown. The anal shield is light brown with dark mottling. An anal comb is present with 4–10 small teeth. Early instars are whitish with a black head and prothoracic shield.

Similar Species

Adults are similar to other species of Aspila, including A. molesta and A. tenebrosana; a genitalic dissection may be necessary to confirm species identity, especially if individuals are recovered from sticky traps. A key is available here with photos of adults and male genitalia. In A. molesta, males lack the thorn-like projection off the ventral margin of the valva and the female sterigma is laterally elongate with small posterolateral projections. In A. tenebrosana, the male valva is more elongate with the anal angle sharply pronounced and the female sterigma is large with triangular lateral lobes. 

Pheromone traps using "Funemone" lures are commonly used to trap male A. funebrana . Alford (1978)Alford (1978):
Alford, D. V. 1978. Observations on the specificity of pheromone-baited traps for Cydia funebrana (Treitschke) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Bulletin of Entomological Research. 68: 97–103. provided trapping data for "Funemone" traps operating in England over the course of three years. Non-target tortricids attracted to the "Funemone" pheromone include: Cnephasia stephensiana, Cnephasia sp., Celypha rufana, Hedya nubiferana, Pammene argyrana, Pammene fasciana, and A. tenebrosana. As the lure is not species-specific, it will also attract other species of Aspila, including A. molesta and A. packardi.

Larvae may appear similar to those of many other species of Aspila, Grapholita, and Cydia. Cydia pomonella larvae can be separated from A. funebrana by the absence of an anal fork. Other species of Aspila cannot be reliably separated from A. funebrana based solely on larval morphology. Chen and Dorn (2009)Chen and Dorn (2009):
Chen, M. H., Dorn, S. 2009. Reliable and efficient discrimination of four internal fruit-feeding Cydia and Grapholita species (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Journal of Economic Entomology. 102: 2209-2216. provide a molecular assay to distinguish A. funebrana larvae from similar species using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis.

Distribution

A native of Europe, Aspila funebrana has spread to most other fruit-growing regions of the Palearctic. It is currently present from Europe and northern Africa across Asia Minor and Central Asia to China, Korea, and Japan.

Biology

The following account is summarized from Dickler (1991).

Aspila funebrana completes 1–3 generations per year; two generations are most common over most of its range. Adults are present from late May to September.

First generation females lay eggs singly on fruitlets. Second generation females lay eggs near the base of maturing fruit. Larvae tunnel into the fruit and feed inside. Last instar larvae bore out of the fruit and overwinter in a cocoon spun on tree bark or in the soil. Pupation occurs the following spring. Larvae of the second generation cause the most damage to fruits such as plum that mature in mid- to late summer.

Aspila funebrana is one of the most important lepidopteran pests of fruit in Europe. Larvae can cause significant damage to apricot, cherry, peach, plum, and other Prunus species.

Plant Associations

View full screen host table here