Adult Recognition
FWL: 6.0-10.5 mm
Forewing color varies from dark brown to white. Most individuals have a well-defined median fascia and costal spot, although some may be nearly unmarked. Hindwing color is primarily white. Males lack a forewing costal fold. Males have a small membranous lobe on the apex of the valva. Females lack a signum in the corpus bursae.
Clepsis fucana, C. penetralis, C. peritana, and C. virescana are all similar in appearance. Clepsis fucana is generally larger than the other three species and is found only on the West Coast. Clepsis penetralis has only been recorded from Colorado, Utah, and Vermont, although it may be misidentified in collections making its true distribution unknown. Clepsis peritana is the most commonly collected Clepsis, and it can be found throughout the United States and southern Canada. Clepsis virescana is larger and more boreal than C. peritana and it is not present in the Southeast. The following table lists diagnostic features that can be used to separate these four Clepsis species:
Clepsis species | FWL | Male forewing costal fold | Male valva membranous lobe | Female ductus bursae | Female signum | Distribution |
fucana | 6.5-10.5 mm | absent | present as small lobe | straight | absent | West Coast |
penetralis | 6.0-7.5 mm | absent | present as moderate lobe | weakly twisted | absent | Unknown; recorded from Colorado, Utah, and Vermont |
peritana | 4.5-7.5 mm | absent | absent; entire apex is membranous | tightly coiled | absent | United States and southern Canada |
virescana | 6.0-9.0 mm | present | present as small lobe | straight | present | United States and southern Canada; not present in the Southeast |
Larval Morphology
According to MacKay (1962; as C. busckana), late instar larvae are approximately 13 mm long and are pale with large pinacula and long setae. The head is yellow. An anal comb is present.
Biology
This species completes two generations per year. Adults are most common in April to June and again in September and October.
Larvae hollow out terminals of the host and feed on leaves that are webbed to the larval shelter.
Host plants
Larvae of Clepsis fucana have been recorded feeding on plants in a variety of families.
Family | Genus/species | Common name |
Asteraceae | Anaphalis margaritacea (L.) Benth. | western pearly everlasting |
Asteraceae | Anaphalis DC. | pearly everlasting |
Asteraceae | Gnaphalium L. | cudweed |
Asteraceae | Senecio jacobaea L. | stinking willie |
Boraginaceae | [unspecified] | |
Cucurbitaceae | Marah oreganus (Torr. ex S. Watson) Howell | coastal manroot |
Fagaceae | Quercus agrifolia Nee | California live oak |
Hydrophyllaceae | Phacelia californica Cham. | California phacelia |
Lamiaceae | Stachys bullata Benth. | California hedgenettle |
Lamiaceae | Stachys L. | hedgenettle |
Primulaceae | Cyclamen L. | cyclamen |
Rhamnaceae | Frangula californica (Eschsch.) A. Gray | California buckthorn |
Rosaceae | Fragaria chiloensis (L.) Mill. | beach strawberry |
Rosaceae | Horkelia californica Cham. & Schltdl. | California horkelia |
Rosaceae | Rubus parviflorus Nutt. | thimbleberry |
Rosaceae | Rubus L. | blackberry |
Scrophulariaceae | Scrophularia californica Cham. & Schltdl. | California figwort |
Scrophulariaceae | Scrophularia L. | figwort |
Urticaceae | Urtica dioica L. ssp. holosericea (Nutt.) Thorne | stinging nettle |
Distribution
Clepsis fucana occurs along the west coast of North America from British Columbia south to Monterey County, California
References
Freeman, T. N. 1958. The Archipinae of North America (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). The Canadian Entomologist Supplement 7 (Vol. 90): 1-89.
MacKay, M. R. 1962. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). The Canadian Entomologist Supplement 28: 1-182.
Powell, J. A. 1964. Biological and taxonomic studies on tortricine moths, with reference to the species in California. University of California Publications in Entomology. Vol. 32. 317 pp.
Powell, J. A. and P. A. Opler. 2009. Moths of western North America. University of California Press, Berkeley. 369 pp.
Razwoski, J. 1979. Revision of the genus Clepsis Guenee (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae). Part I. Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia. 23: 101-198.