Exotic, but established
Gypsonoma aceriana (Duponchel) (Tortricidae: Olethreutinae: Eucosmini)
Common names: european poplar shoot borer, poplar twig borer, rosy-cloaked shoot borer
Synonyms: belgiensis (Gypsonoma aceriana form)
FWL: 5.0-6.5 mm
Head, thorax brown, tinged with red-orange scales in some individuals; FW with basal third chalky blue-gray, dark brown, black, or some combination of the three; distaldistal:
farthest from body, distant from point of attachment
two-thirds of the forewing white to cream, occasionally suffused with chalky blue gray scales along costal portions of the strigulae and fasciaefasciae:
plural of "fascia"
; postmedian interfascia pale brown, often obsolete; ocellusocellus:
forewing pattern element - an ovoid region anterior to the tornus; adult head - a simple insect "eye" located dorsal to the compound eye 
faint; black semi-circle present near apexapex:
the point furthest removed from the base or at the end of the costal area 
; male without forewing costal foldforewing costal fold:
a flap or fold at the base of the forewing that contains specialized sex scales
; hindwing gray or brown.
Male genitalia characterized by uncusuncus:
a sclerotized process which is fused to the posterodorsal margin of tergum IX
and gnathosgnathos:
a narrow bandlike structure that joins the posterolateral edges of the tegumen and supports the anal tube
absent; sociisocii:
a pair of lightly sclerotized setose lobes
broad and large; valvavalva:
an appendage flanking the intromittent organ that is used to clasp the female during copulation 
broad and short; cuculluscucullus:
the distal portion of the male valva
with three to five short, heavily sclerotizedsclerotized:
hardened; usually in reference to larval structures or adult genitalia 
spines along distaldistal:
farthest from body, distant from point of attachment margin. Female genitalia characterized by lamella antevaginalis a narrow band; corpus bursaecorpus bursae:
a dilated membranous sac at the anterior end of the bursa copulatrix
with 2 thorn-like signasigna:
plural of "signum"
.
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.].
Head, prothoracic shieldprothoracic shield:
a sclerotized plate on the dorsal surface of the prothorax 
, legs, anal shieldanal shield:
a sclerotized plate on the dorsal surface of the last abdominal segment (in larvae) 
dark brown to black; body yellowish brown; SV group on A1, 2, 7, 8, 9 numbering 2:2:2:2:1. A detailed description of larval chaetotaxychaetotaxy:
the arrangement of setae (in reference to Lepidoptera larvae), often depicted on a "setal map"
is available in 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.].
Gypsonoma aceriana is very similar to G. haimbachiana, a native eastern North American species which also uses Populus. Adults of G. aceriana tend to have the distaldistal:
farthest from body, distant from point of attachment two-thirds of the FW lighter and not as gray, resulting in a more strongly contrasting FW pattern.
The genitalia of the two species is quite distinct as well. The male valvaevalvae:
plural of "valva"
of G. aceriana are broader and possess short spines along the distaldistal:
farthest from body, distant from point of attachment margin. Differences in the female genitalia are subtle and involve slight differences in the shape of the sterigmasterigma:
the sclerotized region surrounding the female ostium bursae 
and size of the signasigna:
plural of "signum".
Photographs of larvae and larval feeding damage in Europe are very similar to North American examples of G. haimbachiana in North America.
The following account is summarized from Miller & LaGasa (2001) and Humble et al. (2009).
There are two generations per year in southern Europe, North Africa, and Asia Minor and a single generation per year in northern Europe. It is unclear whether this species is univoltine or bivoltine in North America.
Eggs are laid in mid- to late summer on the undersides of leaves along veins (as opposed to the upper surface in G. haimbachiana). First instar larvae are leaf miners, creating distinctive hook-shaped mines. Young larvae then overwinter in bark crevices. Feeding resumes in the spring when terminal shoots being to emerge as the larvae bore into fresh buds and shoots. This creates conspicuous gall-like swellings along stems and twigs. Pupation occurs on the bark or ground and adults eclose one to two weeks later.
The specific epithet of this species may be a misnomer. All published host records for this species relate to poplar (Populus spp.) Maple (Acer spp.) and elm (Ulmus spp.) records (Bentinck & Diakonoff 1968Diakonoff 1968:
Diakonoff, A. 1968. Microlepidoptera of the Philippine Islands. U.S. National Museum Bulletin 257: 1-484.; Pinto Coelho Heitor & Maia Santos 1979) are dubious and require confirmation. This species has the potential to become a significant pest of Populus in western North America (Miller & LaGasa 2001).
| Host plant | Host plant family | Reference(s) |
| Populus alba | Salicaceae | 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. |
| Populus balsamifera | Salicaceae | 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. |
| Populus nigra | Salicaceae | 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. |
| Populus sp. | Salicaceae | Disque 1908Disque 1908: Disque, H. 1908. Versuch einer microlepidopterologischen Botanik. Deutsch Entomologische Zeitschrift Iris. 21: 34-147.; Ageno 1964Ageno 1964: Ageno, R. 1964. Lepidopteros Españoles perjudiciales a los viveros forestales y a las plantaciones jóvenes. Boletín del Servicio de Plagas Forestales. 7(13): 38-41.; 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.; Attard 1979Attard 1979: Attard, G. 1979. Principales insectos del chopo en el sureste de Francia. Boletin Serv. Def. Plagas Insp. Fitopatol. 5: 25-30.; Heymans et al. 1985; Cobb 1994Cobb 1994: Cobb, P. 1994. Some more Norfolk galls. Norfolk Natterjack 45: 3-4. |
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Gypsonoma aceriana is distributed broadly in the Palearctic region, occurring throughout Europe, North Africa, and Asia Minor. Records from Japan are dubious and are probably based on misidentification of other species of Gypsonoma. It has been introduced accidentally into North America, where the earliest records date from 1980 in British Columbia (Humble et al. 2009Humble et al. 2009:
Humble, L. M., DeWaard, J. R., Quinn, M. 2009. Delayed recognition of the European poplar shoot borer, Gypsonoma aceriana (Duponchel) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), in Canada. Journal of the Entomological Society of British Columbia. 106: 61-70.). It has subsequently spread to Washington. A photograph of an individual identified as G. aceriana in California requires verification.
