Native
Archips mortuana (Kearfott) (Tortricidae: Tortricinae: Archipini)
Common names: dusky-back leaf roller
FWLFWL:
forewing length; the distance from the base of the forewing to the apex, including fringe
: 7.0-9.0 mm
The male forewing pattern is similar to that of Archips argyrospila, with at least one, and usually two, semi-rectangular pale tan patches on the costacosta:
the anterior margin of each wing 
. These costal patches are greatly reduced in the female, with the remaining pattern resembling the male or reduced to a patternless rusty gray. Males have a forewing costal foldforewing costal fold:
a flap or fold at the base of the forewing that contains specialized sex scales
.
Male genitalia are characterized by a finger-like uncusuncus:
a sclerotized process which is fused to the posterodorsal margin of tergum IX
; sociisocii:
a pair of lightly sclerotized setose lobes
absent; and broad, membranous, nearly circular valvaevalva:
an appendage flanking the intromittent organ that is used to clasp the female during copulation
. Female genitalia are characterized by a long, narrow ductus bursaeductus bursae:
a membranous tube connecting the ostium bursae to the corpus bursae
with cestumcestum:
a long, bandlike sclerotization of the wall of the ductus bursae
present; and a short, daggar-like signumsignum:
a sclerotized projection or patch on the interior of the corpus bursae
present in the corpus bursaecorpus bursae:
a dilated membranous sac at the anterior end of the bursa copulatrix
.
The following account is summarized from MacKay (1962a) and Chapman & Lienk (1971).
Mature larvae are 14-22 mm in length. Early to mid-instars are dark green dorsally and lighter green laterally; this color difference is reduced in the last instar. Pinaculae are pale and contrast with the dark green dorsaldorsal:
upper, to the top, on the back 
coloration. The head is yellowish brown and may be unmarked or have dark-brown to black mottling. The prothoracic shieldprothoracic shield:
a sclerotized plate on the dorsal surface of the prothorax 
is greenish brown with variable degrees of posteriorposterior:
after, to the rear, toward anal end 
shading.
A more detailed account of larval chaetotaxychaetotaxy:
the arrangement of setae (in reference to Lepidoptera larvae), often depicted on a "setal map"
is available in MacKay (1962a).
Archips mortuana is part of the Archips argyrospila species complex, and it was once hypothesized to simply be a dark form of A. argyrospila (Powell 1964bPowell 1964b:
Powell, J. A. 1964b. Biological and taxonomic studies on tortricine moths, with reference to the species in California. University of California Publications in Entomology. Vol. 32. 317 pp.). Chapman and Lienk (1971) demonstrated that the sex pheromone for A. mortuana is different from A. argyrospila , providing evidence that the two are separate species.
The following account is summarized from Chapman & Lienk (1971).
Archips mortuana completes one generation per year. Adults are present in June and July. This species has the same basic life history information as Archips argyrospila.
Females lay eggs in masses of approximately 60-80 individual eggs. Eggs overwinter and first instar larvae hatch the following spring. Larvae feed primarily on leaves and pupation occurs within the final larval feeding site.
Host plants
Chapman & Lienk (1971) consider apple and hawthorn to be the primary larval hosts in the northeastern U.S. Other host plants are listed here.
| Host plant | Host plant family | Reference(s) |
| Cicuta sp. | Apiaceae | Freeman 1958Freeman 1958: Freeman, T. N. 1958. The Archipinae of North America (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 7 (Vol. 90): 1-89. |
| Alnus sp. | Betulaceae | Freeman 1958Freeman 1958: Freeman, T. N. 1958. The Archipinae of North America (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 7 (Vol. 90): 1-89.; MacKay 1962aMacKay 1962a: MacKay, M. R. 1962a. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 28: 1-182. |
| Crataegus sp. | Rosaceae | Freeman 1958Freeman 1958: Freeman, T. N. 1958. The Archipinae of North America (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 7 (Vol. 90): 1-89. |
| Malus sp. | Rosaceae | Chapman & Lienk 1971 |
| Prunus virginiana | Rosaceae | Chapman & Lienk 1971 |
| Spiraea sp. | Rosaceae | Freeman 1958Freeman 1958: Freeman, T. N. 1958. The Archipinae of North America (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 7 (Vol. 90): 1-89. |
| Populus balsamifera | Salicaceae | Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840. |
| Populus tremuloides | Salicaceae | Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840. |
| Salix bebbiana | Salicaceae | Freeman 1958Freeman 1958: Freeman, T. N. 1958. The Archipinae of North America (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 7 (Vol. 90): 1-89. |
| Salix sp. | Salicaceae | Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840. |
View full screen host table here
Archips mortuana is found in the eastern half North America. There are also individuals recorded from Utah and California, but Chapman & Lienk (1971) doubt the accuracy of these records.
