Native
Cochylichroa hospes (Walsingham) (Tortricidae: Tortricinae: Cochylini)
Common name: banded sunflower moth
FWLFWL:
forewing length; the distance from the base of the forewing to the apex, including fringe
: 5.5-8.0 mm
Head, thorax pale yellow; thoracic tuft present; ground color of forewing pale yellow; with large black triangular marking along inner margininner margin:
see dorsum 
extending to costacosta:
the anterior margin of each wing 
, this marking overlaid with scattered brownish scale patches; distaldistal:
farthest from body, distant from point of attachment
third of forewing pale yellow with silver and brownish-red markings; male without forewing costal foldforewing costal fold:
a flap or fold at the base of the forewing that contains specialized sex scales
; hindwing of both sexes gray.
Male genitalia are characterized by uncusuncus:
a sclerotized process which is fused to the posterodorsal margin of tergum IX
small, reduced; valvaevalva:
an appendage flanking the intromittent organ that is used to clasp the female during copulation
short, broad, with slender dorsoterminal portion armed with two thorns; sacculussacculus:
the ventral margin of the male valva 
long, curved mesally, densely spined. Female genitalia are characterized by sterigmasterigma:
the sclerotized region surrounding the female ostium bursae 
large, rounded proximally, forming a shallow pocket, densely spined; ductus bursaeductus bursae:
a membranous tube connecting the ostium bursae to the corpus bursae
slender, somewhat sclerotizedsclerotized:
hardened; usually in reference to larval structures or adult genitalia 
medially; corpus bursaecorpus bursae:
a dilated membranous sac at the anterior end of the bursa copulatrix
without signumsignum:
a sclerotized projection or patch on the interior of the corpus bursae
.
The following account is summarized from Westdal (1949)Westdal (1949):
Westdal, P. H. 1949. A preliminary report on the biology of Phalonia hospes Wlshm (Lepidoptera: Phaloniidae), a new pest of sunflower in Manitoba. Report of the Entomological Society of Ontario. 80: 1-3. and Arthur & Powell (1990).
Newly hatched larva approximately 1.0 mm in length, white; head dark brown. There is a gradually change in body color through molts, from white initially to light pink or yellow, then reddish or purplish, and finally green as a mature larva.
Mature larva approximately 10.0 mm in length, thoracic shield yellow with orange bands near laterallateral:
to the side
and posteriorposterior:
after, to the rear, toward anal end 
margins; anal fork absent. A complete description of larval chaetotaxychaetotaxy:
the arrangement of setae (in reference to Lepidoptera larvae), often depicted on a "setal map"
is not available, but the chaetotaxychaetotaxy:
the arrangement of setae (in reference to Lepidoptera larvae), often depicted on a "setal map" of the closely related C. arthuri has been described and is likely very similar (Arthur & Powell 1990).
Pupa dark brown, approximately 6.0 mm in length.
As adults, C. hospes could be easily confused with several other species of Cochylini, such as Thyraylia bunteana, Eupoecilia ambiguella, or Gynnidomorpha romonana, just to name a few. Dissection of the male or female genitalia may be required for a positive identification of adults.
As larvae, C. hospes most closely resembles the closely related C. arthuri, which also feeds on the seeds of sunflowers. It can be separated by the characters described in Arthur & Powell (1990).
The following account is summarized from Westdal (1949)Westdal (1949):
Westdal, P. H. 1949. A preliminary report on the biology of Phalonia hospes Wlshm (Lepidoptera: Phaloniidae), a new pest of sunflower in Manitoba. Report of the Entomological Society of Ontario. 80: 1-3..
In Manitoba, there is a single generation per year. From mid-July to early August, single eggs are laid on the bracts of sunflower heads or on the upper surface of leaves near the head of the plant, most often on heads that are at the stage of growth just prior to flowering. Newly hatched larvae move from the bracts or leaves to the florets where they enter to feed on pollen. Larvae feed in this fashion until the third instar, when they tunnel through the base of the floret into the seed. A single larva may consume several seeds before completing development, which usually occurs in late August through September. Complete development of larvae takes approximately three weeks. Mature, fifth instar larvae overwinter in a constructed cocoon in the soil beneath the host plant. Pupation occurs the following spring, in late June. Adults eclose, on average, twelve days later in early July and are present through mid-August. Two generations per year may occur in Utah.
Cochylichroa hospes is a specialist on the seeds of sunflower (Helianthus spp.), especially common sunflower (Helianthus annuus). It can be a serious pest at times, destroying up to 40% of seeds in the most extreme cases of field infestations (Westdal 1949Westdal 1949:
Westdal, P. H. 1949. A preliminary report on the biology of Phalonia hospes Wlshm (Lepidoptera: Phaloniidae), a new pest of sunflower in Manitoba. Report of the Entomological Society of Ontario. 80: 1-3.).
| Host plant | Host plant family | Reference(s) |
| Helianthus annuus | Asteraceae | Westdal 1949Westdal 1949: Westdal, P. H. 1949. A preliminary report on the biology of Phalonia hospes Wlshm (Lepidoptera: Phaloniidae), a new pest of sunflower in Manitoba. Report of the Entomological Society of Ontario. 80: 1-3.; Arthus & Campbell 1979; Charlet & Gross 1990; Barker & Grugel 1996; Barker 1997Barker 1997: Barker, J.F. 1997. Oviposition by the banded sunflower moth (Lepidoptera: Cochylidae) in response to constituents of the bracts and leaves of Helianthus annuus. Journal of Economic Entomology. 90: 160-164. |
| Helianthus sp. | Asteraceae | Bergmann & Oseto 1990; Peng & Brewer 1995 |
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Cochylichroa hospes is broadly distributed in North America, from North Carolina north to New York, west to at least Saskatchewan, Utah, and northern Arizona. Much of the research on this species centers on the northern Great Plains and Canadian Prairies, where it can reach pest status.
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