KEYS    About TortAI    Fact Sheets    Glossary    ID Thumbnails    DNA Search    Dissection Guides Crocidosema plebejana << Previous Next >> CAPS Non-target - Adult Crocidosema plebejana Zeller (Tortricidae: Olethreutinae: Eucosmini) Common names: cotton tipworm Synonyms: altheana (Penthina), blackburnii (Proteopteryx), bostrychodes (Crocidosema), charmera (Eucosma), excitana (Grapholitha), insulana (Crocidosema), iris (Crocidosema), lavaterana (Paedisca), obscura (Steganoptycha), peregrinana (Grapholitha), ptiladelpha (Crocidosema), synneurota (Crocidosema), tornocycla (Eucosma) Fig. 1: Male Fig. 1: Male Fig. 2: Male Fig. 2: Male Fig. 3: Female Fig. 3: Female Fig. 4: Female Fig. 4: Female Fig. 5: Male genitalia Fig. 5: Male genitalia Fig. 6: Female genitalia Fig. 6: Female genitalia Adult Recognition FWL: 5.0-8.0 mm Males are dark brown to black with a conspicuous white ocellus and dorsal patch. Females are pale brown to tan with a dark basal patch that does not extend to the costa. Males lack a forewing costal fold. Male genitalia are characterized by valvae with an enlarged, subtriangular cucullus. Female genitalia are characterized by a pair of lobes or "flaps" projecting from sternum VII and two signa in the corpus bursae. In the Nearctic, C. plebejana may appear similar to other Eucosmini, including other species of Crocidosema or Epinotia. A genitalic dissection can be used to confirm identity. The bean shoot moth, Crocidosema aporema, can be separated from C. plebejana by a parallel-sided cucullus in the male and a pair of shallow, rounded pockets on sternum VII in the female. Larval Morphology Late instar larvae are approximately 8-10 mm in length with an abdomen that varies in color from whitish to yellowish brown to dark reddish brown. The head is yellowish brown to dark brown with black posterolateral margins. The prothoracic shield is dark yellowish brown. Pinacula are small and body colored. An anal comb is present with 4-6 teeth. Larvae feeding on cotton can cause damage similar to that caused by the pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Gelechiidae). Pink bollworm larvae can be separated from C. plebejana larvae by their pink coloration. For more information on the larva of Crocidosema plebejana, please consult the C. aporema fact sheet and keys on LepIntercept - An identification resource for intercepted Lepidoptera larvae. Biology Crocidosema plebejana is not known to diapause; although Bradley et al. (1979) report only 1-2 generations per year in southern England. In temperate regions, continuous generations occur and adults are present year-round. Larvae are reported as a pest of cotton in Australia, but this species has not reached pest status in the cotton-growing regions of North America. In areas where cotton is a preferred host, other malvaceous plants are utilized during times of the year when cotton is unsuitable or unavailable. The life history information provided here is applicable to cotton as the larval host. Females lay eggs singly on the upper and lower surfaces of leaves in or close to the terminals and lateral buds. Early instars feed on leaves under loose silk webbing. Later instars move to the terminals and tunnel into stems; they may also feed on leaf petioles and young bolls. Pupation occurs in terminal regions in webbed or tied leaves. Host plants Although members of the Malvaceae are preferred hosts, larvae have also been recorded feeding on plants in the Anacardiaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Fabaceae, Myrtaceae, Poaceae, Rosaceae, Salicaceae, and Turneraceae. Family Genus/species Common name Anacardiaceae Rhus pyroides Burch. Chenopodiaceae Atriplex limbata Benth. Fabaceae Phaseolus lunatus L. sieva bean Fabaceae Senna occidentalis (L.) Link septicweed Malvaceae [unspecified] Malvaceae Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench okra Malvaceae Abutilon eremitopetalum Caum hiddenpetal Indian mallow Malvaceae Abutilon grandifolium (Willd.) Sweet hairy Indian mallow Malvaceae Abutilon indicum (L.) Sweet monkeybush Malvaceae Abutilon menziesii Seem. ko'oloa 'ula Malvaceae Abutilon Mill. Indian mallow Malvaceae Abutilon sandwicense (O. Deg.) Christoph. greenflower Indian mallow Malvaceae Alcea rosea L. hollyhock Malvaceae Althaea L. marshmallow Malvaceae Anoda cristata (L.) Schltdl. crested anoda Malvaceae Gossypium hirsutum L. upland cotton Malvaceae Gossypium L. cotton Malvaceae Hibiscus L. rosemallow Malvaceae Hibiscus laevis All. halberdleaf rosemallow Malvaceae Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. shoeblackplant Malvaceae Kosteletzkya C. Presl kosteletzkya Malvaceae Lavatera arborea L. tree mallow Malvaceae Lavatera L. tree mallow Malvaceae Malacothamnus clementinus (Munz & I.M. Johnst.) Kearney San Clemente Island bushmallow Malvaceae Malva L. mallow Malvaceae Malva moschata L. musk mallow Malvaceae Malva parviflora L. cheeseweed mallow Malvaceae Malva sylvestris L. high mallow Malvaceae Malvastrum americanum (L.) Torr. Indian Valley false mallow Malvaceae Malvaviscus arboreus Dill. ex Cav. var. drummondii (Torr. & A. Gray) Schery wax mallow Malvaceae Malvaviscus Fabr. wax mallow Malvaceae Sida fallax Walp. yellow 'ilima Malvaceae Sida L. fanpetals Malvaceae Sida rhombifolia L. Cuban jute Myrtaceae Eucalyptus L'Her. gum Poaceae Triticum aestivum L. common wheat Poaceae Zea mays L. corn Rosaceae Crataegus L. hawthorn Salicaceae Salix subserrata Willd. Turneraceae Turnera ulmifolia L. ramgoat dashalong Distribution Crocidosema plebejana is a cosmopolitan species that is distributed across southern Europe, northern Africa, Asia, Australia, North America, Central America, and South America. In the U.S., it is found primarily in the Southeast, Texas, New Mexico, and California.  References Bishop, A. L. and P. R. B. Blood. 1978. Temporal distribution, biology and life history of the cotton tipworm, Crocidosema plebiana [sic] Zeller, on cotton in the south-eastern Queensland region. Australian Journal of Zoology. 26: 147-152. Bradley, J. D., W. G. Tremewan and A. Smith. 1979. British Tortricoid Moths - Tortricidae: Olethreutinae. The Ray Society, London, England. 336 pp. Heinrich, C. 1923. Revision of the North American moths of the subfamily Eucosminae of the family Olethreutidae. U.S. National Museum Bulletin. 123: 1-298. Horak, M. 2006. Olethreutine moths of Australia (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera, Vol. 10. 522 pp. 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. Razowski, J. 2003. Tortricidae of Europe, Vol. 2, Olethreutinae. Frantisek Slamka, Slovakia. 301 pp. Tortricids of Agricultural Importance by Todd M. Gilligan and Marc E. Epstein Interactive Keys developed in Lucid 3.5. Last updated August 2014.