Hendecaneura shawiana (Kearfott) (Tortricidae: Olethreutinae: Eucosmini)
Common name: blueberry tip borer moth
FWL: 4.5–5.5 mm
Head and thorax brown to dark brown; labial palpi white; forewing dark with faint silver-blue strigulae, orange towards apex; ocellus faint but present; white spot present halfway along inner margin; male with narrow forewing costal fold; hindwing brown, lighter basally.
Male genitalia are characterized by a poorly-developed uncus and long, slender valvae. Female genitalia have not been figured in the literature.
The following account is summarized from Schaefers (1962)Schaefers (1962):
Schaefers, G. A. 1962. Life history of the blueberry tip borer, Hendecaneura shawiana (Kearfott) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), a new pest. Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 55: 119-123..
First instar larva 1.5–2.0 mm in length; mature larva approximately 10 mm in length. Early instars pink, becoming whiter with age. Head uniformly light brown to dark brown. No published descriptions of larval chaetotaxy exist.
Hendecaneura shawiana is similar to several other species of North American Olethreutinae, but it can be separated by its small size, forewing pattern, and unusual venation (Sc absent; Heinrich 1923).
Hendecaneura shawiana appears to be a relatively uncommon species except when it becomes a pest. Scattered records exist throughout northeastern North America with additional records from Michigan and North Carolina.
The following account is summarized from Schaefers (1962)Schaefers (1962):
Schaefers, G. A. 1962. Life history of the blueberry tip borer, Hendecaneura shawiana (Kearfott) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), a new pest. Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 55: 119-123..
In New York, there is a single generation per year. Females lay several eggs on the lower surface of leaves of the host plant in June. Eggs hatch within about a week and bore into the stem of a leaf, typically boring in the direction of the base. By the third instar, only a single larva can feed in a single shoot. Feeding continues into late September by which time the larva has reached the fifth and final instar. After overwintering as a mature larva, pupation occurs in the spring, usually in May with adults eclosing shortly thereafter in early June.
The only known host plant is blueberry (Vaccinium spp.), for which they can be a minor pest.
View full screen host table here
Authors: KA Austin, TM Gilligan, ME Epstein
Content last updated May 2025
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