Classification

Tortricoidea: Tortricidae: Olethreutinae: Grapholitini: Cydia pomonella (Linnaeus)

Common name

codling moth

Synonyms

Tortrix aeneana, C. splendana glaphyrana, Pyralis pomana, Tortrix pomonana, C. pomonella simpsonii

Cydia pomonella is often referred to as Carpocapsa pomonella or Laspeyresia pomonella in older literature. The correct generic name is Cydia; refer to Brown (2006)Brown (2006):
Brown, J. W. 2006. Scientific names of pest species in Tortricidae (Lepidoptera) frequently cited erroneously in the entomological literature. American Entomologist. 52: 182-189 for more information.

Larval diagnosis (Detailed)

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 C. pomonella are grouped under the "Cydia type" with D1 and SD1 on the same pinaculumpinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
on A9, the L group on T1 not extending beneath the spiracle, and an anal combanal comb:
the mesal sclerotized prong ventrad of the anal plate and adjacent to the anus; used to eject frass
absent. He used the following characters to identify larvaelarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
of C. pomonella: D2s on A9 always on same pinaculumpinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
; SV group counts usually 3:3:2:2:1; usually (but not always) with distinct pattern on anal and prothoracic shields; A9 with ventralmost L setaseta:
a hairlike projection of the body wall that is articulated in a socket; compare to spine
on a separate pinaculumpinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
; 30-35 crochetscrochets:
sclerotized, hooklike structures, usually arranged in rows or circles on the prolegs of Lepidoptera larvae
; mostly on Rosaceae.

MacKay (1959)MacKay (1959):
MacKay, M. R. 1959. Larvae of the North American Olethreutidae (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist Supplement 10: 1-338. included C. pomonella as the only member of her "Carpocapsa, Group 5." She listed the following characters as the most important: head with a rounded ocellar area and acute vertical angle; spinneretspinneret:
a structure from which silk is spun, usually located on the labium of larvae
slender and tapered; basal segment of labial palp stout; pinaculapinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
moderately large; SD1 on A8 anterioranterior:
front; in front of
or slightly anteroventralanteroventral:
in front of and toward the venter or lower part
to the spiracle; anal forkanal fork:
see Anal comb
[comb] absent.

Kolmakova (1958)Kolmakova (1958):
Kolmakova, V. D. 1958. On the biology of Siberian fruit moths of the genus Grapholitha (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae), injurious to fruit trees in Transbaikalia. Revue d'Entomolgie de l'URSS 37: 134-150. [English translation in Entomological Review, volume 37]. described the larvalarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
of C. pomonella as being whitish, cream or slightly pink. In addition, the codling moth does not have a very deep notch on the head compared to Grapholita. This is correlated with MacKay's (1959) comments on the vertical angle. Both Okumura (1965) and Weisman (1987)Weisman (1987):
Weisman, D. M. 1987 (1991). Larval moths (Lepidoptera). In: J. R. Gorham (ed.). Insect and mite pests in food. An illustrated key. Volume 1. U. S. Department of Agriculture Handbook 655. 767 pp. gave characters to separate C. pomonella from the very similar C. latiferreana that may be intercepted from Canada or Mexico. The mandible of C. pomonella tends to be more square than rectangular; the opposite is true for C. latiferreana. Spacing of the metathoracic coxae and V setaeseta:
a hairlike projection of the body wall that is articulated in a socket; compare to spine
are also different. The codling moth has the metathoracic coxa separated by about the diameter of each coxa and the V1 setaseta:
a hairlike projection of the body wall that is articulated in a socket; compare to spine
almost touches the coxal base. The separation of the coxae is approximately 1.5 times the diameter of each coxa for C. latiferreana and the V1 setaseta:
a hairlike projection of the body wall that is articulated in a socket; compare to spine
is well seperated from the coxal base. Weisman (1987: fig 33a, b) illustrated these characters.

Unfortunately, many of the characters traditionally used to diagnose larvaelarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
of C. pomonella are extremely variable. Internal feeders tend to have pinaculapinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
that are weakly sclerotizedsclerotized:
hardened and tanned, so that it is yellow to black in color
, thus it may be difficult to distinguish if the D2 setaeseta:
a hairlike projection of the body wall that is articulated in a socket; compare to spine
on A9 are on the same pinaculumpinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
. 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. handled this problem by including another couplet leading to C. pomonella that stated: "D2s on A9 on separate or same pinaculapinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
." SV group counts are also variable, with 3:3:2:2:1 being the usual state (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.), but the combinations 3:3:2(1):1:1, 2:3:2:2:1, or 3:3:2:2:2 have also been observed (Gilligan and Epstein 2012Gilligan and Epstein 2012:
Gilligan, T. M. and M. E. Epstein. 2012. TortAI, Tortricids of Agricultural Importance to the United States (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Identification Technology Program (ITP), USDA-APHIS-PPQ-S&T, Fort Collins, CO., MacKay 1959MacKay 1959:
MacKay, M. R. 1959. Larvae of the North American Olethreutidae (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist Supplement 10: 1-338.). Many "typical" larvaelarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
have a distinct mottled pattern on the anal and prothoracic shields, but some individuals have no markings on either shieldshield:
a sclerotized plate covering part of the dorsum of a segment
. The trisetosetrisetose:
three setae
L group on A9 is a useful character, especially when the ventralmost L setaseta:
a hairlike projection of the body wall that is articulated in a socket; compare to spine
is on a separate pinaculumpinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
; however, all three setaeseta:
a hairlike projection of the body wall that is articulated in a socket; compare to spine
can be routinely found on the same pinaculumpinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
. The most reliable larval character may be the 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
, which range in number from 25 to 35 (Wearing et al. 2001Wearing et al. 2001:
Wearing, C. H., J. D. Hansen, C. Whyte, C. E. Miller and J. Brown. 2001. The potential for spread of codling moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) via commercial sweet cherry fruit: a critical review and risk assessment. Crop Protection 20: 465-488.). Because of the morphological variation within C. pomonella, identification of larvaelarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
that do not exhibit a combination of the "typical" character states may be difficult or impossible to positively identify without other evidence (such as molecular diagnostics). A young larvalarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
with a dark head, dark prothoracic shieldprothoracic shield:
the dorsal shieldlike covering of the first thoracic segment
without a pattern, and pink body was illustrated by Passoa (2008)Passoa (2008):
Passoa, S. 2008. Part III: Immature Stages, pp. 295-314. In: T. M. Gilligan et al. (eds.), Olethreutine moths of the midwestern United States, an identification guide. Ohio Biological Survey, Columbus, Ohio..

Other similar tortricid species include Grapholita and Cydia splendana. Larvaelarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
of C. pomonella can be distinguished from most Grapholita by the absence of an anal combanal comb:
the mesal sclerotized prong ventrad of the anal plate and adjacent to the anus; used to eject frass
. Larvaelarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
of C. splendana have fewer 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
(15-20), lack the distinctive mottling on the anal and prothoracic shields, and are usually found on Fagaceae (especially Castanea) (Wearing et al. 2001Wearing et al. 2001:
Wearing, C. H., J. D. Hansen, C. Whyte, C. E. Miller and J. Brown. 2001. The potential for spread of codling moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) via commercial sweet cherry fruit: a critical review and risk assessment. Crop Protection 20: 465-488.).

Identification Authority (Detailed)

Because C. pomonella is a common cosmopolitan species, origin information is not useful for identification. Host is much more helpful, although individuals have been reported from non-traditional hosts such as Citrus (and others listed in Wearing et al. 2001Wearing et al. 2001:
Wearing, C. H., J. D. Hansen, C. Whyte, C. E. Miller and J. Brown. 2001. The potential for spread of codling moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) via commercial sweet cherry fruit: a critical review and risk assessment. Crop Protection 20: 465-488.). We can confirm Rutaceae as a potential larval host based on C. pomonella larvae found on imported Citrus in 2009 and identified using DNA barcoding.

Morphological variaton makes a species-level diagnosis difficult in some instances. It is safest to restrict positive identifications to larvaelarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
intercepted on Rosaceae or Juglandaceae that exhibit a combination of the "typical" C. pomonella characters (D2s on A9 on the same pinaculumpinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
; distinct pattern/mottling on the anal and prothoracic shields; A9 trisetosetrisetose:
three setae
, often with the ventralmost L setaseta:
a hairlike projection of the body wall that is articulated in a socket; compare to spine
on a separate pinaculumpinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
; abdominal prolegsabdominal prolegs:
all prolegs on any abdominal segment except the last, which are Anal prolegs
with 25-35 crochetscrochets:
sclerotized, hooklike structures, usually arranged in rows or circles on the prolegs of Lepidoptera larvae
; anal combanal comb:
the mesal sclerotized prong ventrad of the anal plate and adjacent to the anus; used to eject frass
absent). Individuals from Rosaceae that lack patterning on the anal and prothoracic shields but possess a combination of the other characters listed here are also likely C. pomonella. Individuals from non-traditional hosts or with non-typical morphology may need to be left at genus or confirmed using molecular methods. Cydia pomonella is an internal feeder, thus leaf rollers, other leaf feeders, or web makers can normally be eliminated as codling moth suspects.

Key to larval Tortricidae intercepted, or potentially encountered, at U.S. ports of entry

Origin records

Cydia pomonella has been intercepted from the following locations:

Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Azores, Belarus, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macedonia, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and N. Ireland, Uzbekistan, Yugoslavia

Host records

Cydia pomonella has been intercepted on the following hosts:

Ananas comosus, Annona cherimola, Capsicum sp., Carya sp., Castanea sativa, Castanea sp., Cattleya sp., Chilopsis linearis, Corylus avellana, Crataegus monogyna, Crataegus sp., Cydonia oblonga, Cydonia sp., Juglans nigra, Juglans regia, Juglans sp., Malus domestica, Malus sp., Malus sylvestris, Opuntia sp., Passiflora sp., Pinus sp., Prunus americana, Prunus armeniaca, Prunus avium, Prunus domestica, Prunus persica, Prunus persica var. nucipersica, Prunus sp., Punica granatum, Pyrus communis, Pyrus pyrifolia, Pyrus sp., Pyrus ussuriensis, Quercus sp., Rosaceae

Although not listed in PestID, larvaelarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
were intercepted on Citrus in 2009, confirming Rutaceae as a potential larval host.