Tortricoidea: Tortricidae: Tortricinae: Sparganothini: Amorbia
avocado leafroller, Mexican leafroller
Hendecastema, Ptychamorbia
The majority of Amoriba interceptions originate from Mexico, Ecuador, or Guatemala. Common host associations are listed below:
| Origin | Host(s) |
|---|---|
| Mexico | Alstroemeria, Capsicum, Chenopodium, Coriandrum, Ocimum, Opuntia, Psidium, Punica, Rubus, Sechium |
| Ecuador | Hypericum |
| Guatemala | Rubus |
Amorbia are found from Canada to southern Brazil, although most species diversity occurs in the Neotropics. One species, A. emigratella, has been introduced to Hawaii (Zimmerman 1978Zimmerman 1978:
Zimmerman, E. C. 1978. Insects of Hawaii, Volume 9: Microlepidoptera, Part 1. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 881 pp.).
Positive identifications should originate from North, Central, or South America, the Caribbean, or Hawaii. The dark laterallateral:
to the side, or at the side of
line on the prothoracic shieldprothoracic shield:
the dorsal shieldlike covering of the first thoracic segment
and head is distinctive for this genus. However, some individuals lack the line on the prothoraxprothorax:
the first thoracic segment
(especially early instars) and these may appear similar to other genera such as Platynota. See the Detailed Information tab for other diagnostic characters.
Brown (2011)Brown (2011):
Brown, J. W. 2011. Tools for identifying the larvae of leafrollers (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) frequently intercepted at U.S. ports of entry. Systematic Entomology Laboratory, PSI, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture c/o National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. 19 pp. divided intercepted tortricid larvaelarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
into four "types." Larvaelarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
of Amorbia fall under the "Tortricinae type" with D1 and SD1 on A9 located on separate pinaculapinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
, and an anal combanal comb:
the mesal sclerotized prong ventrad of the anal plate and adjacent to the anus; used to eject frass
present. He used the following characters to identify larvaelarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
of Amorbia: L1 setaeseta:
a hairlike projection of the body wall that is articulated in a socket; compare to spine
of anal shieldanal shield:
the dorsal shieldlike covering of the last abdominal segment (= anal plate)
extremely long (tribal-level character); prothoracic shieldprothoracic shield:
the dorsal shieldlike covering of the first thoracic segment
pale with distinct narrow band along ventral edge, continuing anteradanterad:
toward the front
on head (genal band) towards stemmatal region; L and SV pinaculapinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
on T1 brownish, somewhat sclerotizedsclerotized:
hardened and tanned, so that it is yellow to black in color
; dorsal pinaculapinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
on A1-8 usually somewhat rounded; V setaeseta:
a hairlike projection of the body wall that is articulated in a socket; compare to spine
on A9 1.25-1.80 times as far apart as those on A8; frequently on Rubus, Crataegus, Limonium, cut flowers (mostly Central America).
MacKay (1962)MacKay (1962):
MacKay, M. R. 1962. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). The Canadian Entomologist Supplement 28: 1-182. defined lavae of Amorbia as "distinct" with the following characters: V1s on A9 about twice as far apart as those on A8; dorsaldorsal:
at the top or back or above
and subdorsal pinaculapinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
on the meso- and, to a lesser extent, on the meta-thorax elongated posteriorly and all pinaculapinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
large; spinules long and slender; anal shieldanal shield:
the dorsal shieldlike covering of the last abdominal segment (= anal plate)
strongly tapered; anal setaseta:
a hairlike projection of the body wall that is articulated in a socket; compare to spine
unusually long, L1s being more than twice as long as anal segment; D1s on anal shieldanal shield:
the dorsal shieldlike covering of the last abdominal segment (= anal plate)
closer to corresponding SD1s than to each other [MacKay's terminology for setaeseta:
a hairlike projection of the body wall that is articulated in a socket; compare to spine
on the anal shieldanal shield:
the dorsal shieldlike covering of the last abdominal segment (= anal plate)
is outdated - in this case, L1 = SD1 and SD1 = SD2 in Stehr (1987)]. She listed several other characters, including: P1 on the head closer to P2 than to Adf2 and at the apex of a right or obtuse angle formed with P2 and Adf2; spinneretspinneret:
a structure from which silk is spun, usually located on the labium of larvae
about four or five times as long as wide; D1 on meso- and meta-thorax dorsocaudal to D2, and SD2 anterodorsalanterodorsal:
in front of and toward the back or upper part
to SD1; spiracle on abdomen moderately large and SD1 less than twice its (spiracle) diameter from it; SD2 on segments 1-8 on the SD1 pinaculumpinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
; L1 and L2 anterioranterior:
front; in front of
to a vertical line through spiracle on segments 2-8; SV group on segments 1,2,7,8,9 usually 3:3:3:2:2; D2s on segment 8 usually slightly closer together than D1s; D1 on segment 9 always on its own pinaculumpinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
; crochets triordinaltriordinal:
crochets arranged so the tips are of three alternating lengths
; anal forkanal fork:
see Anal comb
[comb] present and well developed.
The laterallateral:
to the side, or at the side of
dark line on the prothoracic shieldprothoracic shield:
the dorsal shieldlike covering of the first thoracic segment
and head appears to be the best distinguishing character for Amorbia larvae. Typical Sparganothini larvaelarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
have an anal combanal comb:
the mesal sclerotized prong ventrad of the anal plate and adjacent to the anus; used to eject frass
, more than 25 crochetscrochets:
sclerotized, hooklike structures, usually arranged in rows or circles on the prolegs of Lepidoptera larvae
on the abdominal prolegsabdominal prolegs:
all prolegs on any abdominal segment except the last, which are Anal prolegs
, the SD2 pinaculumpinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
on A1-7 is tiny and fused with the larger SD1 pinaculumpinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
, and the SD1 [= L1 in MacKay (1959)] setaeseta:
a hairlike projection of the body wall that is articulated in a socket; compare to spine
of the anal shieldanal shield:
the dorsal shieldlike covering of the last abdominal segment (= anal plate)
are extremely long (Brown 2011Brown 2011:
Brown, J. W. 2011. Tools for identifying the larvae of leafrollers (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) frequently intercepted at U.S. ports of entry. Systematic Entomology Laboratory, PSI, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture c/o National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. 19 pp.). Larvaelarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
from the New World with a combination of these characters and the laterallateral:
to the side, or at the side of
lines on both the head and prothoracic shieldprothoracic shield:
the dorsal shieldlike covering of the first thoracic segment
can be safely identified as Amorbia. Interestingly, MacKay (1962)MacKay (1962):
MacKay, M. R. 1962. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). The Canadian Entomologist Supplement 28: 1-182. did not mention the laterallateral:
to the side, or at the side of
line on the head and shieldshield:
a sclerotized plate covering part of the dorsum of a segment
in her diagnosis of the genus, likely because it is absent in some individuals, especially early instars. Larvaelarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
with typical Sparagnothini characters that lack laterallateral:
to the side, or at the side of
lines on both the head and shieldshield:
a sclerotized plate covering part of the dorsum of a segment
are best left to tribe or subfamily.
Problems arise when the larvalarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
is a typical New World Sparganothini with a distinct laterallateral:
to the side, or at the side of
line on the head (genal band), but the laterallateral:
to the side, or at the side of
line on the prothoracic shieldprothoracic shield:
the dorsal shieldlike covering of the first thoracic segment
is faint or missing. Molecular diagnostics have shown that these larvaelarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
are usually Amorbia, Platynota, or sometimes Argyrotaenia montezumae. Brown (2011)Brown (2011):
Brown, J. W. 2011. Tools for identifying the larvae of leafrollers (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) frequently intercepted at U.S. ports of entry. Systematic Entomology Laboratory, PSI, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture c/o National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. 19 pp. diagnosed Platynota with the following characters: prothoracic shieldprothoracic shield:
the dorsal shieldlike covering of the first thoracic segment
usually uniform dark in color; L and SV pinaculapinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
on T1 dark brown or black, strongly sclerotizedsclerotized:
hardened and tanned, so that it is yellow to black in color
; dorsal pinaculapinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
on A1-8 usually somewhat elongate-oval; V setaeseta:
a hairlike projection of the body wall that is articulated in a socket; compare to spine
on A9 usually about 2 times as far apart as those on A8; on various hosts (Neotropics). Passoa and Hodges (1985) attempted to separate Platynota from Amorbia using the shape of the head capsule, which is rounded in Platynota and dorsally flattened in Amorbia, and body spinules, which appear as either rounded or pointed granules in Platynota, and are long, slender, and spinelike in Amorbia. They also listed the spacing of the D1 and SD1 setaeseta:
a hairlike projection of the body wall that is articulated in a socket; compare to spine
on the anal shieldanal shield:
the dorsal shieldlike covering of the last abdominal segment (= anal plate)
, but this character appears to vary enough to not be useful in separating the two genera. A combination of Brown's (2011) characters along with the head shape and form of the body spinules should be sufficient to distinguish larvaelarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
of the two genera in most instances. Phillips and Powell (2007) illustrated several Amorphia larvae showing variation in the head markings.
Origin, and, to a lesser extent, host are useful for identification of Amorbia larvae. Amorbia is a New World genus, thus any positive interceptions should originate from North, Central, or South America, the Caribbean, or Hawaii. Both Amorbia and Platynota may be found on the same hosts; however, larvaelarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
of Platynota are slightly more polyphagous and may be found on a wider variety of plants.
Key to larval Tortricidae intercepted, or potentially encountered, at U.S. ports of entry.
Amorbia have been intercepted from the following locations:
Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Hawaii, Mexico, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela
Origins from outside of the New World are likely misidentifications and are not included here. Platynota stultana larvae have been found on peppers (Capsicum annum) originating from Spain - it is possible that these interceptions could be mistaken for Amorbia.
Amorbia have been intercepted on the following hosts:
Agapanthus sp., Allium porrum, Allium sp., Aloe vera, Alstroemeria sp., Amaranthus sp., Ammi majus, Ananas comosus, Anigozanthos sp., Anigozanthus sp., Annona cherimola, Antirrhinum majus, Apium graveolens, Artemisia dracunculus, Artemisia sp., Asparagus plumosus, Asparagus sp., Aster ericoides, Aster sp., Astilbe sp., Balsaminceae, Borago officinalis, Brassica pekinensis, Brassica rapa, Buxus sp., Capsicum annuum, Capsicum pubescens, Capsicum sp., Carica papaya, Carthamus sp., Casimiroa edulis, Chamaedorea sp., Chenopodium album, Chenopodium ambrosioides, Chenopodium berlandieri ssp. nuttalliae, Chenopodium sp., Chrysanthemum sp., Cicer arietinum, Citrus limetta, Citrus limettioides, Citrus maxima, Citrus reticulata, Citrus sinensis, Citrus sp., Coriandrum sativum, Crataegus pubescens, Crataegus sp., Crotolaria sp., Cucumis melo, Cucumis sp., Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita sp., Cydonia oblonga, Cydonia sp., Cymbopogon sp., Delphinium sp., Dendranthema sp., Dianthus sp., Diospyros digyna, Diospyros sp., Diospyros texana, Eriobotrya japonica, Eryngium sp., Erythrina sp., Eucalyptus sp., Fernaldia pandurata, Fragaria ananassa, Fragaria sp., Gypsophila sp., Helianthus annuus, Helianthus sp., Hemerocallis sp., Hydrangea sp., Hypericum sp., Iris sp., Lactuca sativa, Laurus nobilis, Leucadendron sp., Liatris sp., Lilium sp., Limonium sp., Lippia graveolens, Malus domestica, Malus sp., Malus sylvestris, Malvaceae, Mentha sp., Momordica charantia, Moringa oleifera, Myrtus communis, Myrtus sp., Nephelium lappaceum, Ocimum basilicum, Ocimum sp., Opuntia sp., Origanum majorana, Origanum sp., Origanum vulgare, Pelargonium sp., Persea americana, Persea sp., Phaseolus lunatus, Phaseolus sp., Physalis pubescens, Physalis sp., Piper sanctum, Piper sp., Pisum sativum, Pisum sp., Pithecellobium dulce, Porophyllum ruderale, Porophyllum sp., Portulaca oleracea, Prunus persica, Psidium guajava, Psidium sp., Punica granatum, Punica sp., Pyrus communis, Rosa sp., Rosmarinus officinalis, Rosmarinus sp., Rubus fruticosus, Rubus idaeus, Rubus sp., Rubus ulmifolius, Rubus ursinus, Ruta graveolens, Salvia officinalis, Salvia sp., Sechium edule, Sechium sp., Solanum lycopersicum var lycopersicum, Solidago canadensis, Solidago sp., Solidaster sp., Strelitzia sp., Thymus sp., Thymus vulgaris, Vaccinium angustifolium, Vaccinium corymbosum, Vaccinium ovalifolium, Vaccinium sp., Zea mays
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