Exotic
Crocidosema aporema (Walsingham) (Tortricidae: Olethreutinae: Eucosmini)
Common names: bean shoot moth
Synonyms: opposita (Epinotia)
FWLFWL:
forewing length; the distance from the base of the forewing to the apex, including fringe
: 6.5-8.0 mm
Adults are sexually dimorphic. The male forewing is mostly brown to reddish brown with a pale dorsumdorsum:
the lower (usually posterior) or inner margin 
and large costal patch. The female forewing is mostly pale with a dark patch on the dorsumdorsum:
the lower (usually posterior) or inner margin . Males have several secondary sexual structures including a forewing costal foldforewing costal fold:
a flap or fold at the base of the forewing that contains specialized sex scales
and black scaling on the hindwing.
Male genitalia are characterized by a short triangular uncusuncus:
a sclerotized process which is fused to the posterodorsal margin of tergum IX
, large triangular sociisocii:
a pair of lightly sclerotized setose lobes
, and a parallel-sided cuculluscucullus:
the distal portion of the male valva
. Female genitalia are characterized by a pair of rounded pockets on sternum VII and a large rounded corpus bursaecorpus bursae:
a dilated membranous sac at the anterior end of the bursa copulatrix
with two signasignum:
a sclerotized projection or patch on the interior of the corpus bursae
.
The following account is summarized from MacKay (1959)MacKay (1959):
MacKay, M. R. 1959. Larvae of the North American Olethreutidae (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 10: 1-338. and Morey (1972)Morey (1972):
Morey, C. S. 1972. Biologiacute;a y morfologiacute;a larval de Epinotia aporema (Wals.) (Lepidoptera, Olethreutidae). Univ. Rep. Fae. Agron. Montevideo Bol. 123: 1-14..
Mature larva approximately 10-12 mm in length; width of head 0.9-1.0 mm; head yellow or yellowish brown with darker laterallateral:
to the side
pigmentation; prothoracic shieldprothoracic shield:
a sclerotized plate on the dorsal surface of the prothorax 
, legs yellowish; body yellowish green; anal fork present, moderately developed; SV group on A1, 2, 7, 8, 9 typically 3:3:2:2:2.
Detailed figures of larval chaetotaxychaetotaxy:
the arrangement of setae (in reference to Lepidoptera larvae), often depicted on a "setal map"
are available in MacKay (1959)MacKay (1959):
MacKay, M. R. 1959. Larvae of the North American Olethreutidae (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 10: 1-338.. See the species page on LepIntercept for more details.
Other species of Crocidosema, including the cosmopolitan species C. plebejana and C. lantana, may appear similar. Most individuals of Crocidosema plebejana have a distinctive white ocellusocellus:
forewing pattern element - an ovoid region anterior to the tornus; adult head - a simple insect "eye" located dorsal to the compound eye 
and white patch on the dorsumdorsum:
the lower (usually posterior) or inner margin of the forewing. The male cuculluscucullus:
the distal portion of the male valva is enlarged and subtriangular, and the pockets on the female sternum VII are developed into two lobes or "flaps" in C. plebejana. Crocidosema lantana is also very similar and may require a genital dissection for identification.
Larval damage on beans is similar to that caused by Cydia fabivora; however, larvae of C. aporema feed primarily on young leaflets while those of C. fabivora feed in the stems and pods. An anal combanal comb:
a toothed structure on the last abdominal segment used to eject frass away from the feeding larva; also termed "anal fork" 
is present in C. aporema but is absent in C. fabivora.
Other bean-feeding tortricids in South and Central America include Amorbia spp., Cydia torostoma, Lusterala phaseolana, and Platynota spp.
The following account is summarized from Bentancourt & Scatoni (2006).
Crocidosema aporema completes 4-6 generations per year, with at least two generations occuring on soybean. Adults can be present year-round and are most common between April and November in South America.
Females lay eggs on glabrous nodes of the soybean plant or other leguminous host. Early instar larvae feed primarily on terminal buds, folding or rolling the young leaflets. Later instars may tunnel into stems, floral buds, and pods. Pupation occurs in the soil or in rolled leaves.
Larval feeding leads to reduced plant height, drying of terminal shoots, a decrease in lower pod insertion, and damage to flowers, all of which can result in reduced yields in soybean and other crops.
Crocidosema aporema is a major pest of soybean (Glycine max) and cultivated beans (Phaseolus spp.) in Central and South America. While larvae feed primarily on Fabaceae, they have also been recorded on cotton and corn.
| Host plant | Host plant family | Reference(s) |
| Cicer arietinum | Fabaceae | Pastrana 2004Pastrana 2004: Pastrana, J. A. 2004. Los Lepidopteros Argentinos, sus hospedadoras y otros sustratos alimenticios. South American Biological Control Laboratory USDA - ARS and Sociedad Entomologia Argentina. |
| Erythrina crista-galli | Fabaceae | Pastrana 2004Pastrana 2004: Pastrana, J. A. 2004. Los Lepidopteros Argentinos, sus hospedadoras y otros sustratos alimenticios. South American Biological Control Laboratory USDA - ARS and Sociedad Entomologia Argentina. |
| Glycine max | Fabaceae | Calderon & Foerster 1979; Sanchez et al. 1997Sanchez et al. 1997: Sanchez, N. E., Pereyra, P. C., Gentile, M. V. 1997. Population parameters of Epinotia aporema (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) on soybean. Revista Sociedad Entomologia Argentina. 56: 151-153.; Liljestrom et al. 2001Liljestrom et al. 2001: Liljestrom, G. G., Rojas, G. C., Pereyra, P. C. 2001. Utilizacion de recursos y supervivencia larval del barrenador del brote, Crocidosema aporema (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), en soja (Glycine max). Ecologia Austal. 11: 87-94 [In Spanish].; Pastrana 2004Pastrana 2004: Pastrana, J. A. 2004. Los Lepidopteros Argentinos, sus hospedadoras y otros sustratos alimenticios. South American Biological Control Laboratory USDA - ARS and Sociedad Entomologia Argentina. |
| Glycyrrhiza glabra | Fabaceae | Pastrana 2004Pastrana 2004: Pastrana, J. A. 2004. Los Lepidopteros Argentinos, sus hospedadoras y otros sustratos alimenticios. South American Biological Control Laboratory USDA - ARS and Sociedad Entomologia Argentina. |
| Lens culinaris | Fabaceae | Pastrana 2004Pastrana 2004: Pastrana, J. A. 2004. Los Lepidopteros Argentinos, sus hospedadoras y otros sustratos alimenticios. South American Biological Control Laboratory USDA - ARS and Sociedad Entomologia Argentina. |
| Medicago sativa | Fabaceae | Heinrich 1931Heinrich 1931: Heinrich, C. 1931. Notes on and descriptions of some American moths. Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 79(13): 1-16.; MacKay 1959MacKay 1959: MacKay, M. R. 1959. Larvae of the North American Olethreutidae (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 10: 1-338.; Liceras & Castillo 1994; Pastrana 2004Pastrana 2004: Pastrana, J. A. 2004. Los Lepidopteros Argentinos, sus hospedadoras y otros sustratos alimenticios. South American Biological Control Laboratory USDA - ARS and Sociedad Entomologia Argentina. |
| Medicago sp. | Fabaceae | Heinrich 1931Heinrich 1931: Heinrich, C. 1931. Notes on and descriptions of some American moths. Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 79(13): 1-16. |
| Melilotus sp. | Fabaceae | Pastrana 2004Pastrana 2004: Pastrana, J. A. 2004. Los Lepidopteros Argentinos, sus hospedadoras y otros sustratos alimenticios. South American Biological Control Laboratory USDA - ARS and Sociedad Entomologia Argentina. |
| Phaseolus coccineus | Fabaceae | Pastrana 2004Pastrana 2004: Pastrana, J. A. 2004. Los Lepidopteros Argentinos, sus hospedadoras y otros sustratos alimenticios. South American Biological Control Laboratory USDA - ARS and Sociedad Entomologia Argentina. |
| Phaseolus vulgaris | Fabaceae | MacKay 1959MacKay 1959: MacKay, M. R. 1959. Larvae of the North American Olethreutidae (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 10: 1-338.; Pastrana 2004Pastrana 2004: Pastrana, J. A. 2004. Los Lepidopteros Argentinos, sus hospedadoras y otros sustratos alimenticios. South American Biological Control Laboratory USDA - ARS and Sociedad Entomologia Argentina. |
| Vigna luteola | Fabaceae | Pastrana 2004Pastrana 2004: Pastrana, J. A. 2004. Los Lepidopteros Argentinos, sus hospedadoras y otros sustratos alimenticios. South American Biological Control Laboratory USDA - ARS and Sociedad Entomologia Argentina. |
| Vigna sp. | Fabaceae | Heinrich 1931Heinrich 1931: Heinrich, C. 1931. Notes on and descriptions of some American moths. Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 79(13): 1-16. |
| Vigna unguiculata | Fabaceae | MacKay 1959MacKay 1959: MacKay, M. R. 1959. Larvae of the North American Olethreutidae (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 10: 1-338.; Pastrana 2004Pastrana 2004: Pastrana, J. A. 2004. Los Lepidopteros Argentinos, sus hospedadoras y otros sustratos alimenticios. South American Biological Control Laboratory USDA - ARS and Sociedad Entomologia Argentina. |
| Gossypium hirsutum | Malvaceae | Pastrana 2004Pastrana 2004: Pastrana, J. A. 2004. Los Lepidopteros Argentinos, sus hospedadoras y otros sustratos alimenticios. South American Biological Control Laboratory USDA - ARS and Sociedad Entomologia Argentina. |
| Zea mays | Poaceae | Pastrana 2004Pastrana 2004: Pastrana, J. A. 2004. Los Lepidopteros Argentinos, sus hospedadoras y otros sustratos alimenticios. South American Biological Control Laboratory USDA - ARS and Sociedad Entomologia Argentina. |
View full screen host table here
Crocidosema aporema is distributed from Central and South America south to Argentina and Chile. It was reported from south Texas in the 1940s but has not been reported causing economic damage in the U.S.
Figs. 1-3: Joaquin Baixeras Almela, Universitat de Valencia
