Lobesia botrana ([Denis & Schiffermüller]) (Tortricidae: Olethreutinae: Olethreutini)
Common names: European grape vine moth (EGVM) (preferred), grapevine moth, grape berry moth
Synonyms: flavosquamella (form), rosmarinana (Olindia), vitisana (Phalaena)
FWL: 4.5–8.0 mm
Adults are not sexually dimorphic, although females are generally larger than males. Forewing ground color is cream; the basal one-half of the wing, which is well differentiated by the inner edge of the median fascia, is overlaid with leaden gray, gray-brown, and pale-brown scales forming irregular patches and incomplete fasciae. The dark-brown median fascia is well defined basally, but irregular distally; the distal one-fourth of the wing is paler. The hindwing is whitish with a brown periphery in the male; it is almost complete brown in the female. Males lack a forewing costal fold.
Male genitalia are characterized by the following characters: socii short, lateral, with small tufts of setae; uncus, gnathos, and transtilla absent; valvae long and narrow with row of spines on the ventral margin; cucullus densely setose, separated from sacculus with a distinct gap in the marginal spines; sacculus weakly concave postmedially; aedeagus small; cornuti absent. Female genitalia are characterized by a long, slender ductus bursae that is undifferentiated from the corpus bursae and an elongate signum.
The following account is summarized from Gilligan et al. (2011a)Gilligan et al. (2011a):
Gilligan, T. M., Epstein, M. E., Passoa, S. C., Powell, J. A., Sage, O. C., Brown, J. W. 2011a. Discovery of Lobesia botrana ([Denis & Schiffermuller]) in California: an invasive species new to North America (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 113(1): 14-30..
First instar larvae are yellowish green and approximately 1.0 mm in length. The head is black to dark brown, and the paler prothoracic shield is concolorous with the rest of the body. Last instar larvae are 10–15 mm long and vary in color from light yellowish green to pale brown. The head is brown to light yellowish brown to honey colored, the antennae and thoracic legs are brown to black, and the prothoracic shield is variably shaded with dark brown to black on the posterior and lateral margins. All instars have a dark stemmatal area and small genal streak.
Other diagnostic larval characters include: L-pinaculum on T1 horizontal, not extending beneath spiracle; SV groups on A1, 2, 7, 8, 9 with 3:3:3:2:2 setae; SD2 on A1-8 absent; distance between V setae on A9 approximately 1.5–2.03 the distance between V setae on A8; distance between D1 setae on anal shield equal to the distance between D1 and SD1; anal comb with 5–8 teeth; mandibles without inner teeth or a retinaculum.
Detailed figures of larval chaetotaxy are available in Gilligan et al. (2011a)Gilligan et al. (2011a):
Gilligan, T. M., Epstein, M. E., Passoa, S. C., Powell, J. A., Sage, O. C., Brown, J. W. 2011a. Discovery of Lobesia botrana ([Denis & Schiffermuller]) in California: an invasive species new to North America (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 113(1): 14-30..
Lobesia botrana is similar in size and wing pattern to many Nearctic Paralobesia, specifically P. viteana, which is a pest of grapes (Vitis spp.) in eastern North America. Adults of P. viteana and L. botrana cannot be separated by wing pattern; however, the two species are easily separated by genitalia. Paralobesia viteana has a sclerotized lobe projecting from the base of the male cucullus that is absent in all other Nearctic olethreutines, and the female lacks a signum in the corpus bursae. Paralobesia viteana is not present in California, but two species of Paralobesia have been recorded from the West Coast (Royals et al. 2019Royals et al. 2019:
Royals, H. R., J-F. Landry, T. M. Gilligan. 2019. Paralobesia (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), a systematic revision. Memoirs of the Lepidopterists#39; Society, No. 6. Washington, D.C. 149 pp.).
Other grape pests in California include: Platynota stultana (Tortricidae), Argyrotaenia franciscana (Tortricidae), Epiphyas postvittana (Tortricidae), Desmia funeralis (Crambidae), and Harrisina brillians (Zygaenidae). All of these species are easily distinguished from L. botrana based on wing pattern and genitalic structure. In addition, larvae of D. funeralis and H. brillians feed primarily on foliage and are unlikely to be found in fruit.
No morphological characters have been identified to reliably separate the larvae of Paralobesia and Lobesia (but see comments under "Larval Morphology" of P. viteana). Should P. viteana be introduced to the West Coast, or L. botrana expand out of California, molecular diagnostics may be required to identify larvae of Paralobesia or Lobesia found on grape (Vitis spp.).
Lobesia botrana is widely distributed in Europe, Central Asia, and parts of Africa. It has been introduced to Argentina and Chile, where it is a serious pest.
It was discovered in Napa Valley, California in 2008 feeding on grape clusters (Vitis spp.; Gilligan et al. 2011aGilligan et al. 2011a:
Gilligan, T. M., Epstein, M. E., Passoa, S. C., Powell, J. A., Sage, O. C., Brown, J. W. 2011a. Discovery of Lobesia botrana ([Denis & Schiffermuller]) in California: an invasive species new to North America (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 113(1): 14-30.). This prompted an extensive survey and control program in the wine-growing regions of California. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the California Department of Agriculture (CDFA) announced the successful eradication of L. botrana in 2016, two years after the adults of the species were last captured.
The following account is summarized from Gilligan et al. (2011a)Gilligan et al. (2011a):
Gilligan, T. M., Epstein, M. E., Passoa, S. C., Powell, J. A., Sage, O. C., Brown, J. W. 2011a. Discovery of Lobesia botrana ([Denis & Schiffermuller]) in California: an invasive species new to North America (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 113(1): 14-30..
Lobesia botrana typically completes three generations in southern Europe, although the number can vary from a single generation in northern Europe to up to five generations in Central Asia.
Females lay approximately 35 eggs per day, either in groups of 2 or 3 on the buds, pedicels, and flowers, or singly on berries later in the season. Eggs hatch in 3–10 days; egg development is dependent on temperature and humidity. Larvae complete five instars, with first generation larvae feeding on flowers and buds, second generation larvae feeding within single grape berries, and third and subsequent generation larvae feeding on several grape berries. Non-diapausing moths (usually first and second generations) pupate in rolled leaves or inflorescences tied with silk. Diapausing individuals pupate under bark, in the soil, or under leaf litter, and emerge the following spring.
Damage is caused by larvae feeding on reproductive structures, resulting in yield loss, or by direct injury to grape berries. Secondary infection of larval feeding sites on grapes by fungus (Botrytis cinerea) causes the most significant damage.
The preferred host is Vitis vinifera (wine grape). However, larvae are polyphagous and have been recorded feeding on more than 40 species of plants in approximately 20 families. The following is a partial host list.
View full screen host table here
Authors: KA Austin, TM Gilligan, ME Epstein
Content last updated May 2025
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