Native
Aphelia alleniana (Fernald) (Tortricidae: Tortricinae: Archipini)
Common names: Allen’s tortrix moth, wide-striped leafroller
Synonyms: allenana (Tortrix), rindgeorum (Aphelia alleniana ssp.), trentonana (Tortrix)
FWLFWL:
forewing length; the distance from the base of the forewing to the apex, including fringe
: 10-13 mm
Head and thorax variable in color: red, golden brown or gray-olive. Male FW lacking costal fold. Ground color of FW golden brown to straw yellow with faint median and terminal fasciafascia:
a dark transverse band on the forewing
. Some specimens are almost unicolorous.
Male genitalia are characterized by a sinuatesinuate:
a curved or wavy margin
uncus apexapex:
the point furthest removed from the base or at the end of the costal area 
and a laterally scobinatescobinate:
rasplike
gnathosgnathos:
a narrow bandlike structure that joins the posterolateral edges of the tegumen and supports the anal tube
. Female genitalia are characterized a small, round signumsignum:
a sclerotized projection or patch on the interior of the corpus bursae
with two short, conical tips. Subspecies A. a. rindgeorum is characterized by a brighter FW color; broader, more complete fasciaefascia:
a dark transverse band on the forewing; and a proportionally smaller gnathosgnathos:
a narrow bandlike structure that joins the posterolateral edges of the tegumen and supports the anal tube.
The larva was first described by Venables (1924)Venables (1924):
Venables, E. P. 1924. Leaf-rollers attacking orchard trees in the Okanagan Valley. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of British Columbia. 21: 22-26.. The following account is summarized from MacKay (1962a).
Mature larvae 18-23 mm in length; width of head 1.4-1.6 mm. Head brownish yellow, prothoracic shieldprothoracic shield:
a sclerotized plate on the dorsal surface of the prothorax 
yellowish or concolorous with abdomen, with scattered darker pigmentation laterally; legs yellowish or concolorous with abdomen; abdomen pale yellowish. Larva entirely green or dark green in life. SV group on A1, 2, 7, 8, 9 usually 3:3:3:2:2; anal fork present and well-developed.
Detailed figures of larval chaetotaxychaetotaxy:
the arrangement of setae (in reference to Lepidoptera larvae), often depicted on a "setal map"
are available in MacKay (1962a).
The pupa is 12 to 15 mm long and dark brown (Martin 1958Martin 1958:
Martin, J. L. 1958. Observations on the biology of certain tortricids in young coniferous plantations in southern Ontario. Canadian Entomologist. 90: 44-53.).
Aphelia alleniana could be confused with some species of Choristoneura which lack a costal fold, such as C. parallela and C. obsoletana. They are most reliably separated by examination of the genitalia.
The following account is summarized from Martin (1958)Martin (1958):
Martin, J. L. 1958. Observations on the biology of certain tortricids in young coniferous plantations in southern Ontario. Canadian Entomologist. 90: 44-53..
Though highly polyphagous, Aphelia alleniana oviposition is primarily restricted to white sweetclover (Melilotus albus) and alflalfa (Medicago sativa). Beginning in early June in Ontario and continuing into early August, eggs are laid in masses of approximately 20 to 140 eggs on the upper surface of leaves of these two plants. Fresh masses are light greenish-yellow but become bright orange with age. Eggs hatch in approximately two weeks. Larvae will disperse primarily by ballooning, but will wander if wind conditions are not suitable. If they land in a suitable place, larvae tie two young leaves together of a plant and feed in this fashion until August or September, at which point they spin a hibernaculum to overwinter, usually as a third instar larva. Larva begin feeding again in the spring, usually in early May and will tie more and more leaves together as they grow. It is at this point that larvae can again begin to wander, looking for new host plants. Pupation occurs in late May to mid-June, with adults eclosing beginning approximately two weeks later and continuing to fly and mate into early August.
Aphelia alleniana is highly polyphagous, having been recorded feeding on at least 38 species of plants in 15 different families.
| Host plant | Host plant family | Reference(s) |
| Ligusticum scoticum | Apiaceae | Ferguson 1975Ferguson 1975: Ferguson, D. C. 1975. Host records for Lepidoptera reared in eastern North America. United States Department of Agriculture Technical Bulletin 1521. 49 pp. |
| Aralia nudi cauliscaulis: a rigid stem connecting the juxta and anellus  |
Araliaceae | Ferguson 1975Ferguson 1975: Ferguson, D. C. 1975. Host records for Lepidoptera reared in eastern North America. United States Department of Agriculture Technical Bulletin 1521. 49 pp. |
| Aster sp. | Asteraceae | MacKay 1962aMacKay 1962a: MacKay, M. R. 1962a. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 28: 1-182. |
| Doellingeria umbellata | Asteraceae | Ferguson 1975Ferguson 1975: Ferguson, D. C. 1975. Host records for Lepidoptera reared in eastern North America. United States Department of Agriculture Technical Bulletin 1521. 49 pp. |
| Eurybia macrophylla | Asteraceae | Martin 1958Martin 1958: Martin, J. L. 1958. Observations on the biology of certain tortricids in young coniferous plantations in southern Ontario. Canadian Entomologist. 90: 44-53. |
| Solidago sp. | Asteraceae | Martin 1958Martin 1958: Martin, J. L. 1958. Observations on the biology of certain tortricids in young coniferous plantations in southern Ontario. Canadian Entomologist. 90: 44-53.; MacKay 1962aMacKay 1962a: MacKay, M. R. 1962a. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 28: 1-182. |
| Taraxacum officinale | Asteraceae | Martin 1958Martin 1958: Martin, J. L. 1958. Observations on the biology of certain tortricids in young coniferous plantations in southern Ontario. Canadian Entomologist. 90: 44-53. |
| Tragopogon pratensis | Asteraceae | Martin 1958Martin 1958: Martin, J. L. 1958. Observations on the biology of certain tortricids in young coniferous plantations in southern Ontario. Canadian Entomologist. 90: 44-53. |
| Symphoricarpos sp. | Caprifoliaceae | Venables 1924Venables 1924: Venables, E. P. 1924. Leaf-rollers attacking orchard trees in the Okanagan Valley. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of British Columbia. 21: 22-26. |
| Viburnum sp. | Caprifoliaceae | MacKay 1962aMacKay 1962a: MacKay, M. R. 1962a. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 28: 1-182. |
| Silene vulgaris | Caryophyllaceae | Martin 1958Martin 1958: Martin, J. L. 1958. Observations on the biology of certain tortricids in young coniferous plantations in southern Ontario. Canadian Entomologist. 90: 44-53. |
| Cornus sericea | Cornaceae | Martin 1958Martin 1958: Martin, J. L. 1958. Observations on the biology of certain tortricids in young coniferous plantations in southern Ontario. Canadian Entomologist. 90: 44-53. |
| Medicago lupulina | Fabaceae | Martin 1958Martin 1958: Martin, J. L. 1958. Observations on the biology of certain tortricids in young coniferous plantations in southern Ontario. Canadian Entomologist. 90: 44-53. |
| Medicago sativa | Fabaceae | Venables 1924Venables 1924: Venables, E. P. 1924. Leaf-rollers attacking orchard trees in the Okanagan Valley. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of British Columbia. 21: 22-26.; Llewellyn-Jones 1935Llewellyn-Jones 1935: Llewellyn-Jones, J. R. J. 1935. Some food plants of lepidopterous larvae. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of British Columbia. 31: 28-32.; Martin 1958Martin 1958: Martin, J. L. 1958. Observations on the biology of certain tortricids in young coniferous plantations in southern Ontario. Canadian Entomologist. 90: 44-53. |
| Melilotus albus | Fabaceae | Martin 1958Martin 1958: Martin, J. L. 1958. Observations on the biology of certain tortricids in young coniferous plantations in southern Ontario. Canadian Entomologist. 90: 44-53. |
| Melilotus sp. | Fabaceae | Martin 1958Martin 1958: Martin, J. L. 1958. Observations on the biology of certain tortricids in young coniferous plantations in southern Ontario. Canadian Entomologist. 90: 44-53. |
| Trifolium pratense | Fabaceae | Martin 1958Martin 1958: Martin, J. L. 1958. Observations on the biology of certain tortricids in young coniferous plantations in southern Ontario. Canadian Entomologist. 90: 44-53. |
| Quercus sp. | Fagaceae | MacKay 1962aMacKay 1962a: MacKay, M. R. 1962a. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 28: 1-182. |
| Monarda sp. | Lamiaceae | McDunnough 1933aMcDunnough 1933a: McDunnough, J. 1933a. Notes on the biology of certain tortricid species with structural details of the larvae and pupae. Canadian Journal of Research. 9: 502-517.; MacKay 1962aMacKay 1962a: MacKay, M. R. 1962a. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 28: 1-182. |
| Stachys palustris | Lamiaceae | Martin 1958Martin 1958: Martin, J. L. 1958. Observations on the biology of certain tortricids in young coniferous plantations in southern Ontario. Canadian Entomologist. 90: 44-53. |
| Menyanthes trifoliata |
View full screen host table here
Aphelia alleniana is broadly distributed across much of the northern United States and southern Canada. Subspecies A. a. rindgeorum was described from Colorado.
