Adult Recognition
FWL: 6.0-9.5 mm
Adult forewing color is extremely variable and ranges from pale tan to orange red to dark brown. Most individuals are marked with two metallic transverse bands that run from costa to dorsum.
Male genitalia are equally variable. Heinrich (1926) designated seven different forms (type A-G) based on variation in the dorsally projecting extensions of the tegumen and lateral projection off the aedeagus. The different forms are somewhat geographically isolated, and are assumed to constitute a species complex, although there have been no conclusive studies that demonstrate this to be the case.
Larval Morphology
Last instar larvae are approximately 12-15 mm in length with a whitish-gray abdomen. The head is yellowish brown. The prothoracic shield is pale brown with faint dark mottling. An anal comb is absent.
Biology
Cydia latiferreana completes multiple generations over most of its range. Adults may be present March to November in southern locations with reduced flight periods in the North.
Larvae feed within the acorns, nuts, and burrs of Quercus (oak), Fagus (beech), Corylus (hazelnut and filbert), and Castanea (chestnut). Overwintering occurs in the soil or leaf litter, and pupation occurs the following spring. Larvae have also been reported to infest oak galls produced by cynipid wasps.
Host plants
Commonly known as the filbertworm, Cydia latiferreana is a pest of cultivated filberts and hazelnuts.
| Family | Genus/species | Common name |
| Betulaceae | Corylus avellana L. | common filbert |
| Betulaceae | Corylus L. | hazelnut |
| Fagaceae | Castanea Mill. | chestnut |
| Fagaceae | Fagus L. | beech |
| Fagaceae | Quercus agrifolia Nee | California live oak |
| Fagaceae | Quercus alba L. | white oak |
| Fagaceae | Quercus chrysolepis Liebm. | canyon live oak |
| Fagaceae | Quercus douglasii Hook. & Arn. | blue oak |
| Fagaceae | Quercus falcata Michx. | southern red oak |
| Fagaceae | Quercus kelloggii Newb. | California black oak |
| Fagaceae | Quercus L. | oak |
| Fagaceae | Quercus lobata Nee | valley oak |
| Fagaceae | Quercus macrocarpa Michx. | bur oak |
| Fagaceae | Quercus nigra L. | water oak |
| Fagaceae | Quercus rubra L. | red oak |
| Fagaceae | Quercus velutina Lam. | black oak |
| Fagaceae | Quercus wislizeni A. DC. | interior live oak |
| Juglandaceae | Juglans regia L. | English walnut |
| Proteaceae | Macadamia F. Muell. | macadamia |
| Punicaceae | Punica granatum L. | pomegranate |
| Rosaceae | Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D. A. Webb | sweet almond |
| Rosaceae | Prunus ilicifolia (Nutt. ex Hook. & Arn.) D. Dietr. ssp. lyonii (Eastw.) P. H. Raven | hollyleaf cherry |
| Rosaceae | Prunus L. | |
Distribution
Cydia latiferreana is widely distributed across North America and northern Mexico.
References
Brown, R. L. 1983. Taxonomic and morphological investigations of Olethreutinae: Rhopobota, Griselda, Melissopus, and Cydia (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Entomography 2: 97-120.
Gilligan, T. M., D. J. Wright and L. D. Gibson. 2008. Olethreutine moths of the midwestern United States, an identification guide. Ohio Biological Survey, Columbus, Ohio. 334 pp.
Heinrich, C. 1926. Revision of the North American moths of the subfamilies Laspeyresiinae and Olethreutinae. Bulletin of the U.S. National Museum. 132: 1-216.
MacKay, M. R. 1959. Larvae of the North American Olethreutidae (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist Supplement 10: 1-338.
Powell, J. A. and P. A. Opler. 2009. Moths of western North America. University of California Press, Berkeley. 369 pp.
Photo Credits
Fig. 4: Steven C. Passoa, USDA-APHIS-PPQ
Fig. 5: Larry R. Barber, USDA Forest Service, United States
