Exotic, but established
Clepsis spectrana (Treitschke) (Tortricidae: Tortricinae: Archipini)
Common names: cyclamen tortrix, straw-colored tortrix
Synonyms: fuliginosana (Cacoecia costana ab.), intermedia (Tortrix costana var.), larseni (Cacoecia costana ab.), latiorana (Tortrix), liverana (Tortrix costana var.), vinculana (Tortrix)
FWLFWL:
forewing length; the distance from the base of the forewing to the apex, including fringe
: 7.0-12.0 mm
Forewings are pale yellow to tan with brown to dark-brown markings. Most individuals have a costal spotcostal spot:
a patch of contrasting scales on the costa, usually a remnant of the postmedian or preterminal fascia 
, a median fasciafascia:
a dark transverse band on the forewing
that is well defined from the costacosta:
the anterior margin of each wing 
to 1/3 the distance to the dorsumdorsum:
the lower (usually posterior) or inner margin 
, and dark-brown to black irrorations. Forewing coloration and pattern can vary extensively, and immaculate and melanic forms have been described. 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 are parallel-sided uncusuncus:
a sclerotized process which is fused to the posterodorsal margin of tergum IX
; reduced sociisocii:
a pair of lightly sclerotized setose lobes
; an incomplete, spined transtilla; and membranous valvaevalva:
an appendage flanking the intromittent organ that is used to clasp the female during copulation
. Female genitalia are characterized by a long, thin ductus bursaeductus bursae:
a membranous tube connecting the ostium bursae to the corpus bursae
without a cestumcestum:
a long, bandlike sclerotization of the wall of the ductus bursae
; and a daggar-like signumsignum:
a sclerotized projection or patch on the interior of the corpus bursae
in the corpus bursaecorpus bursae:
a dilated membranous sac at the anterior end of the bursa copulatrix
.
The following account is summarized from Swatschek (1958)Swatschek (1958):
Swatschek, B. 1958. Die larval systematik der wickler (Tortricidae und Carposinidae) aus dem zoologischen Institut der Universitat Erlangen. Akademie-Verlag, Berlin. 269 pp. [Abhandlungen zur larvalsystematik Insekten 3.].
Mature larvae 18-25 mm in length; head, prothoracic shieldprothoracic shield:
a sclerotized plate on the dorsal surface of the prothorax 
dark brown to black; body brown to olive-green with conspicuous whitish pinaculapinaculum:
flattened sclerotized plates on a caterpillar that bear the setae
and a pale subspiracular laterallateral:
to the side
line; anal fork present with 6-8 long teeth.
In the Nearctic, C. spectrana is most likely to be confused with Clepsis fucana. Males of the two species are easily separated by the costal fold that is present in C. spectrana and absent in C. fucana. Females can be separated by the presence of a signumsignum:
a sclerotized projection or patch on the interior of the corpus bursae in the corpus bursaecorpus bursae:
a dilated membranous sac at the anterior end of the bursa copulatrix of C. spectrana; C. fucana females lack a signumsignum:
a sclerotized projection or patch on the interior of the corpus bursae.
Males have been captured in pheromone traps using pheromones from several other species, including Cacoecimorpha pronubana and Pandemis heparana.
The following account is summarized from Dang et al. (1996).
Clepsis spectrana completes 2-3 annual generations. Adults are present in May to July and again in August and September.
Females lay eggs in small masses on the host plant. Larvae feed in webbed leaves or flowers, and may cause considerable damage to foliage and developing fruits. Mid-instar larvae of the second or third generation overwinter until the following spring. Pupation occurs in the final larval shelter or in dead leaves.
Larvae are polyphagous and have been recorded feeding on plants in more than a dozen families. In Europe, Clepsis spectrana is an important pest of strawberry, blackberry, hops, and blackcurrant. It is also a serious pest of floriculture in greenhouses and has been recorded damaging a variety of flowering and ornamental plants.
| Host plant | Host plant family | Reference(s) |
| Ilex sp. | Aquifoliaceae | Mansbridge 1914Mansbridge 1914: Mansbridge, W. 1914. Tortrix costana F. vars. liverana and intermedia . Rep. Lancs. Chesh. Entomol. Soc. 1913: 18-19.; Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp. |
| Artemisia maritima | Asteraceae | Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp. |
| Tripolium pannonicum | Asteraceae | Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp. |
| Begonia sp. | Begoniaceae | Meijerman & Ulenberg 2000 |
| Humulus lupulus | Cannabaceae | Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp. |
| Dianthus sp. | Caryophyllaceae | Meijerman & Ulenberg 2000 |
| Scirpus sylvanticus | Cyperaceae | Jaros & Spitzer 2002 |
| Scirpus sp. | Cyperaceae | Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp. |
| Pelargonium sp. | Geraniaceae | Vernon 1971Vernon 1971: Vernon. 1971. Data incorporated from Gaeden Robinson Database (BMNH).; Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp. |
| Ribes sp. | Grossulariaceae | Meijerman & Ulenberg 2000 |
| Iris pseudacorus | Iridaceae | Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp. |
| Iris sp. | Iridaceae | Meyrick MS 1938Meyrick MS 1938: Meyrick MS 1938. Unpublished manuscript by E. Meyrick at BMNH, data captured by Gaeden Robinson. |
| Syringa sp. | Oleaceae | Meijerman & Ulenberg 2000 |
| Epilobium palustre | Onagraceae | Jaros & Spitzer 2002 |
| Epilobium sp. | Onagraceae | Meyrick MS 1938Meyrick MS 1938: Meyrick MS 1938. Unpublished manuscript by E. Meyrick at BMNH, data captured by Gaeden Robinson.; Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp. |
| Limonium vulgare | Plumbaginaceae | Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp. |
| Phragmites australis | Poaceae | Disque 1908Disque 1908: Disque, H. 1908. Versuch einer microlepidopterologischen Botanik. Deutsch Entomologische Zeitschrift Iris. 21: 34-147. |
| Cyclamen sp. | Primulaceae | Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp. |
| Filipendula ulmaria | Rosaceae | Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp. |
| Fragaria sp. | Rosaceae | Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp. |
| Malus sp. | Rosaceae |
View full screen host table here
Clepsis spectrana is widely distributed across Europe, ranging as far east as Turkey and Kazakhstan. The earliest record in North America is a single specimen collected in British Columbia in 1950. It was "rediscovered" feeding on raspberry, currant, spruce, and cedar in the early 1990s in British Columbia, and the first U.S. record was collected in Washington in 1997. It is currently present in British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, although it has not yet reached pest status. A second introduction subsequently established this species in Quebec and New Brunswick (Gilligan et al. 2020bGilligan et al. 2020b:
Gilligan T. M., Brown, J. W., Baixeras, J. 2020b. Immigrant Tortricidae: Holarctic versus Introduced Species in North America. Insects. 11(9): 1-59.) and it can be expected in the northeastern United States along the Canadian border.
Larvae of C. spectrana are commonly intercepted at U.S. ports of entry on peppers (Capsicum) and cut flowers arriving from the Netherlands.
