Crocidosema plebejana

Type

Native

Taxonomy

Crocidosema plebejana Zeller (Tortricidae: Olethreutinae: Eucosmini)

Common names: cotton tipworm

Synonyms: altheana (Penthina), bostrychodes (Crocidosema), charmera (Eucosma), excitana (Grapholitha), insulana (Crocidosema), iris (Crocidosema), lavaterana (Paedisca), obscura (Steganoptycha), peregrinana (Grapholitha), plebeiana (Crocidosema) ptiladelpha (Crocidosema), synneurota (Crocidosema), tornocycla (Eucosma)

Note: Crocidosema plebejana may represent a global species complex of several closely related species identifiable only subtle differences in the genitalia and/or DNA, but for the purposes of this site, we treat this entire putative complex as a single species.

Adult Recognition

FWLFWL:
forewing length; the distance from the base of the forewing to the apex, including fringe
: 5.0-8.0 mm

Males are dark brown to black with a conspicuous 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 dorsaldorsal:
upper, to the top, on the back
patch. Females are pale brown to tan with a dark basal patch that does not extend to the costacosta:
the anterior margin of each wing
. Males lack 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 valvaevalva:
an appendage flanking the intromittent organ that is used to clasp the female during copulation
with an enlarged, subtriangular cuculluscucullus:
the distal portion of the male valva
. Female genitalia are characterized by a pair of lobes or "flaps" projecting from sternum VII and two signasignum:
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
.

Larval Morphology

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..

Mature larva approximately 8-10 mm in length; width of head 0.7-0.9 mm; head yellowish brown to dark brown with darker laterallateral:
to the side
pigmentation; prothoracic shield dark yellowish brown; body varies in color from whitish to yellowish brown to dark reddish brown; anal fork present with 4-6 teeth; 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..

Similar Species

In the Nearctic, C. plebejana may appear similar to other Eucosmini, including other species of Crocidosema or Epinotia. A genitalic dissection can be used to confirm identity. The bean shoot moth, Crocidosema aporema, can be separated from C. plebejana by a parallel-sided cuculluscucullus:
the distal portion of the male valva
in the male and a pair of shallow, rounded pockets on sternum VII in the female.

Larvae feeding on cotton can cause damage similar to that caused by the pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Gelechiidae). Pink bollworm larvae can be separated from C. plebejana larvae by their pink coloration.

Biology

The following account is summarized from Bishop & Blood (1978) and Bradley et al. (1979).

Crocidosema plebejana is not known to diapause although only 1-2 generations occur per year in southern England. In temperate regions, continuous generations occur and adults are present year-round.

Larvae are reported as a pest of cotton in Australia, but this species has not reached pest status in the cotton-growing regions of North America. In areas where cotton is a preferred host, other malvaceous plants are utilized during times of the year when cotton is unsuitable or unavailable. The life history information provided here is applicable to cotton as the larval host.

Females lay eggs singly on the upper and lower surfaces of leaves in or close to the terminals and laterallateral:
to the side
buds. Early instars feed on leaves under loose silk webbing. Later instars move to the terminals and tunnel into stems; they may also feed on leaf petioles and young bolls. Pupation occurs in terminal regions in webbed or tied leaves.

Although members of the Malvaceae are preferred hosts, larvae have also been recorded feeding on plants in the Anacardiaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Fabaceae, Myrtaceae, Poaceae, Rosaceae, Salicaceae, and Turneraceae.

Host plant

Host plant family

Reference(s)

Rhus pyroides

Anacardiaceae

Kroon 1999Kroon 1999:
Kroon, D. M. 1999. Lepidoptera of southern Africa host-plants and other associations. Lepidopteristsrsquo; Society of Africa, Jukskei Park, South Africa.

Atriplex limbata

Chenopodiaceae

Common rearing filesCommon rearing files:
Common rearing files. Card catalogue of Lepidoptera reared by Ian F. B. Common, maintained at CSIRO, Canberra, Australia.

Phaseolus lunatus

Fabaceae

Kimbal 1965

Senna occidentalis

Fabaceae

Horak 2006Horak 2006:
Horak, M. 2006. Olethreutine moths of Australia (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera, Vol. 10. 522 pp.

[unspecified]

Malvaceae

Heinrich 1923bHeinrich 1923b:
Heinrich, C. 1923b. Revision of the North American moths of the subfamily Eucosminae of the family Olethreutidae. Bulletin of the United States National Museum. 123: 1-298.; MacKay 1959MacKay 1959:
MacKay, M. R. 1959. Larvae of the North American Olethreutidae (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 10: 1-338.

Abelmoschus esculentus

Malvaceae

Heinrich 1921Heinrich 1921:
Heinrich, C. 1921. Some Lepidoptera likely to be confused with the pink bollworm. Journal of Agricultural Research. 20: 807-836.; Fletcher 1932Fletcher 1932:
Fletcher, T. B. 1932. Life histories of Indian insects, Microlepidoptera, second series. The Imperial Council of Agricultural Research, Sci. Monogr. 2. 58 pp.; Diakonoff 1982Diakonoff 1982:
Diakonoff, A. 1982. On a collection of some families of Mircolepidoptera from Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Zooloigische Verhandelingen, Leiden 193. 124 pp. + figs.; Nasu & Yasuda 1993

Abutilon indicum

Malvaceae

Fletcher 1932Fletcher 1932:
Fletcher, T. B. 1932. Life histories of Indian insects, Microlepidoptera, second series. The Imperial Council of Agricultural Research, Sci. Monogr. 2. 58 pp.; Diakonoff 1982Diakonoff 1982:
Diakonoff, A. 1982. On a collection of some families of Mircolepidoptera from Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Zooloigische Verhandelingen, Leiden 193. 124 pp. + figs.

Abutilon longicuspe

Malvaceae

Brown et al. 2014

Abutilon sp.

Malvaceae

Bradley et al. 1979Bradley et al. 1979:
Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1979. British Tortricoid Moths, Tortricidae: Olethreutinae. The Ray Society, London. 336 pp.; Diakonoff 1983Diakonoff 1983:
Diakonoff, A. 1983. Insects of Saudi Arabia, Lepidoptera: Fam. Tortricidae, Choreutidae, Brachodidae and Carposinidae, pp. 240-287. In : Wittmer, W., Buuml;ttiker, W. (eds.), Fauna of Saudi Arabia 5. 663 pp.; Common 1990Common 1990:
Common, I. F. B. 1990. Moths of Australia. Melbourne University Publishing. 535 pp.; McQuillan 1992McQuillan 1992:
McQuillan, P. B. 1992. A checklist of the Tasmanian tortricid moths (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) and their host-plant relationships. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania. 126: 77-89.

Alcea rosea

Malvaceae

Althaea sp.

Malvaceae

Ghesquiere 1940Ghesquiere 1940:
Ghesquiere, J. 1940. Catalogues raisonneacute;s de la Faune Entomologique du Congo Belge. Leacute;pidoptegrave;res, Microleacute;pidoptegrave;res (I). Ann. Mus. Congo Belge. C, Zool. Ser. 3(2): 1-120.; Bradley et al. 1979Bradley et al. 1979:
Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1979. British Tortricoid Moths, Tortricidae: Olethreutinae. The Ray Society, London. 336 pp.; Diakonoff 1983Diakonoff 1983:
Diakonoff, A. 1983. Insects of Saudi Arabia, Lepidoptera: Fam. Tortricidae, Choreutidae, Brachodidae and Carposinidae, pp. 240-287. In : Wittmer, W., Buuml;ttiker, W. (eds.), Fauna of Saudi Arabia 5. 663 pp.

Anoda cristata

Malvaceae

Hamilton & Zalucki 1993a, b

Gossypium hirsutum

Malvaceae

Bishop & Blood 1978; Hamilton & Zalucki 1993a, b

Gossypium sp.

Malvaceae

Heinrich 1921Heinrich 1921:
Heinrich, C. 1921. Some Lepidoptera likely to be confused with the pink bollworm. Journal of Agricultural Research. 20: 807-836.; Farahbakhsh 1961Farahbakhsh 1961:
Farahbakhsh, G. 1961. Checklist of economically important insects and other enemies of plants and agricultural products in Iran. Department of Plant Protection, Ministry of Agriculture, Publication No. 1. 153 pp.; Bradley et al. 1979Bradley et al. 1979:
Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1979. British Tortricoid Moths, Tortricidae: Olethreutinae. The Ray Society, London. 336 pp.; Diakonoff 1983Diakonoff 1983:
Diakonoff, A. 1983. Insects of Saudi Arabia, Lepidoptera: Fam. Tortricidae, Choreutidae, Brachodidae and Carposinidae, pp. 240-287. In : Wittmer, W., Buuml;ttiker, W. (eds.), Fauna of Saudi Arabia 5. 663 pp.

Hibiscus laevis

Malvaceae

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis

Malvaceae

Hibiscus sp.

Malvaceae

Bradley et al. 1979Bradley et al. 1979:
Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1979. British Tortricoid Moths, Tortricidae: Olethreutinae. The Ray Society, London. 336 pp.; Common 1990Common 1990:
Common, I. F. B. 1990. Moths of Australia. Melbourne University Publishing. 535 pp.; McQuillan 1992McQuillan 1992:
McQuillan, P. B. 1992. A checklist of the Tasmanian tortricid moths (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) and their host-plant relationships. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania. 126: 77-89.

Kosteletzkya sp.

Malvaceae

Heinrich 1921Heinrich 1921:
Heinrich, C. 1921. Some Lepidoptera likely to be confused with the pink bollworm. Journal of Agricultural Research. 20: 807-836.; Fletcher 1932Fletcher 1932:
Fletcher, T. B. 1932. Life histories of Indian insects, Microlepidoptera, second series. The Imperial Council of Agricultural Research, Sci. Monogr. 2. 58 pp.; Ghesquiere 1940Ghesquiere 1940:
Ghesquiere, J. 1940. Catalogues raisonneacute;s de la Faune Entomologique du Congo Belge. Leacute;pidoptegrave;res, Microleacute;pidoptegrave;res (I). Ann. Mus. Congo Belge. C, Zool. Ser. 3(2): 1-120.; Diakonoff 1982Diakonoff 1982:
Diakonoff, A. 1982. On a collection of some families of Mircolepidoptera from Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Zooloigische Verhandelingen, Leiden 193. 124 pp. + figs.

Lavatera arborea

Malvaceae

Disque 1908Disque 1908:
Disque, H. 1908. Versuch einer microlepidopterologischen Botanik. Deutsch Entomologische Zeitschrift Iris. 21: 34-147.; Bradley et al. 1979Bradley et al. 1979:
Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1979. British Tortricoid Moths, Tortricidae: Olethreutinae. The Ray Society, London. 336 pp.; Diakonoff 1982Diakonoff 1982:
Diakonoff, A. 1982. On a collection of some families of Mircolepidoptera from Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Zooloigische Verhandelingen, Leiden 193. 124 pp. + figs., 1983; Fletcher 1932Fletcher 1932:
Fletcher, T. B. 1932. Life histories of Indian insects, Microlepidoptera, second series. The Imperial Council of Agricultural Research, Sci. Monogr. 2. 58 pp.

Lavatera sp.

Malvaceae

Ghesquiere 1940Ghesquiere 1940:
Ghesquiere, J. 1940. Catalogues raisonneacute;s de la Faune Entomologique du Congo Belge. Leacute;pidoptegrave;res, Microleacute;pidoptegrave;res (I). Ann. Mus. Congo Belge. C, Zool. Ser. 3(2): 1-120.; Diakonoff 1982Diakonoff 1982:
Diakonoff, A. 1982. On a collection of some families of Mircolepidoptera from Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Zooloigische Verhandelingen, Leiden 193. 124 pp. + figs.; Common 1990Common 1990:
Common, I. F. B. 1990. Moths of Australia. Melbourne University Publishing. 535 pp.; McQuillan 1992McQuillan 1992:
McQuillan, P. B. 1992. A checklist of the Tasmanian tortricid moths (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) and their host-plant relationships. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania. 126: 77-89.; Dugdale et al. 2005Dugdale et al. 2005:
Dugdale, J. S., Gleeson, D., Clunie, L. H., Holder, P. W. 2005. A diagnostic guide to Tortricidae encountered in field surveys and quarantine inspections in New Zealand: Morphological and molecular characters. National Plant Pest Reference Laboratory. 161 pp.

Malacothamnus clementinus

Malvaceae

Powell 2006Powell 2006:
Powell, J. A. 2006. Database of Lepidoptera rearing lots, 1960-2005. University of California Berkeley, CA.

Malva moschata

Host plant table (embedded)

View full screen host table here

Distribution

Crocidosema plebejana is a cosmopolitan species that is distributed across southern Europe, northern Africa, Asia, Australia, North America, Central America, and South America. In the United States, it is found primarily in the Southeast, Texas, New Mexico, and California.