Proteoteras moffatiana Fernald (Tortricidae: Olethreutinae: Eucosmini)
Common names: maple bud borer moth, gray-flanked Proteoteras
FWL: 7.0–9.5 mm
Head, thorax pale green to dark green, often with intermixed black scaling; forewing with ground color dark brown to black, but heavily suffused with mint green scaling in a somewhat blotchy fashion; raised patch of slightly paler green scales present; the crescent-shaped marking from the mid-costa to the apex is obscured in most specimens; male forewing without costal fold, but with costal hair-pencil on dorsal surface of hindwing faintly margined with pale green scales on costal edge; hindwing of both sexes pale brown.
Male genitalia are characterized by an obsolete uncus; lobe-like socii present; valvae narrow with well-developed cucullus with acute anal angle; sacculus with four long, curved, flattened setae on distal edge. Female genitalia are characterized by a narrowly grooved lamella postvaginalis and the corpus bursae with two signa.
No published descriptions of the larvae of Proteoteras moffatiana exist, but they presumably are very similar to other species of Proteoteras such as P. aesculana and P. crescentana.
In fresh specimens, the mint green forewing color of both sexes and similar color along the dorsal surface of the hindwing costa in males should identify Proteoteras moffatiana from all other Proteoteras. Worn individuals may need to be dissected for a positive identification.
Proteoteras moffatiana is broadly distributed in eastern North America, from Nova Scotia to Minnesota, south to North Carolina, Alabama, and Missouri.
The following account is summarized from Solomon (1995)Solomon (1995):
Solomon, J. D. 1995. Guide to insect borers in North American broadleaf trees and shrubs. Forest Service Agriculture Handbook AH-706, USDA, Washington, D.C. 735 pp..
Ovipositional behavior has not been observed, but presumably oviposition occurs on stems near developing buds. Larvae enter terminal buds at the junction of leaf petioles and hollow them out through feeding. Overwintering occurs in the larval stage of one of these buds before feeding resumes in the spring. A single larva will mine several buds in such a fashion before completing development. This causes abortion, stunting, or deformity of growing shoots and stems. Pupation site is unknown, but likely either occurs in the hollowed out buds or on the ground below. Adults are active from late June to early September; there is a single generation per year.
The preferred larval host is maple (Acer spp.). Rearings from rose (Rosa spp.) and elderberry (Sambucus spp.) are questionable and require confirmation.
View full screen host table here
Authors: KA Austin, TM Gilligan, ME Epstein
Content last updated May 2025
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