Phiaris siderana

Status

UNCLEAR IF NATIVE OR ADVENTIVE

PORT INTERCEPT | DOMESTIC SURVEY

Taxonomy

Phiaris siderana (Treitschke) (Tortricidae: Olethreutinae: Olethreutini)

Synonyms: chalybeana (Sericoris), notata (Argyroploce)

Subspecies: aurana (Argyroploce siderana ssp.)

Note: this species is occasionally placed in Celypha or Olethreutes.

Adult Recognition

FWL: 7.0–8.0 mm

The head and thorax is orange with scattered black scales. The forewing is orange overlaid with patches of black scales and scattered spots and lines of silvery blue. The fringe is black, except for a portion of light orange scales from just below the apex to the midpoint of the fringe. Males lack a costal fold and possess a hindleg hair-pencil. The abdomen and hindwing are dark brown.

Male genitalia are characterized by uncus moderate, wide at base; socii semicircular; valvae slender, curved, with row of spine-like setae on basal half of dorsal margin. Female genitalia are characterized by large, plate-like sterigma with distinct mesal slit, exposing a deeply notched well-sclerotized ostium; and corpus bursae with a signum present as a small scobinate patch.

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.].

The first instar larva is yellow, before turning dark brown after the first few molts. Final instar with head, prothoracic shield, legs, pinacula dark brown to black; anal comb with six spines.

Pupae black, except for dark red on ventral surface of abdominal segments.

Similar Species

Phiaris siderana is very similar to several species of Olethreutes, such as O. albiciliana. They are best identified through examination of the genitalia.

Distribution

Phiaris siderana is broadly distributed across the Palearctic region, occupying much of Europe and extending in range east to Kazakhstan, Siberia, Korea, and Japan. It also occurs in North America where it was described by Walsingham under the name chalybeana and has been treated as a subspecies of siderana (Gilligan et al. 2020bGilligan et al. 2020b:
Gilligan T. M., Brown, J. W., Baixeras, J. 2020b. Immigrant Tortricidae: Holarctic versus Introduced Species in North America. Insects. 11(9): 1-59.). In North America, it has been recorded from California, Montana, British Columbia, and Alberta. It is unclear whether it is native or not.

Biology

The following account is summarized from van Frankenhuyzen (1981)van Frankenhuyzen (1981):
van Frankenhuyzen, A. 1981. Olethreutes siderana Treitschke, 1835 (Lep.: Tortricidae). Entomologische Ber., Amsterdam. 41: 117-119 [In Dutch]..

In the Netherlands, a single generation occurs per year. Overwintering appears to occur in the larval stage. Pupation takes place from late May to early June with adults appearing by mid June and continuing into much of July. Eggs are laid singly, but sometimes in groups of up to five on the undersides of leaves. Eggs hatch in late July and feeding occurs into August. Larvae spin two leaves together and skeletonize them. Overwintering and subsequent pupation occurs between a pair of spun-together undamaged leaves. The exuviae can often be seen in the spring extruding from these leaves following eclosion.

Larvae have been reared from several different families of plants, though they appear to prefer Spiraea (Rosaceae).

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.