Native
Sparganothis sulfureana (Clemens) (Tortricidae: Tortricinae: Sparganothini)
Common names: Sparganothis fruitworm
Synonyms: belfrageana (var.), euphronopa (Sparganothis), fulvoroseana (Croesia?), gallivorana (Croesia?), gratana (Conchylis), virgineana (Croesia), virginiana (Croesia?)
FWL: 6.5-10.0 mm
Forewings are bright yellow with orange to purplish markings. Wing pattern is variable, but most individuals have two marks along the costacosta:
the anterior margin of each wing 
and a "V" shaped mark extending from the costacosta:
the anterior margin of each wing to dorsumdorsum:
the lower (usually posterior) or inner margin 
. This pattern creates the appearance of an "X" when the moth is resting with its wings folded. Other individuals may be nearly patternless or have extensive reticulationsreticulations:
covered with a network of lines or mesh; in reference to wing pattern, usually thin horizontal lines 
. Males lack a forewing costal foldforewing costal fold:
a flap or fold at the base of the forewing that contains specialized sex scales
. Hindwings are light gray to grayish brown.
Male genitalia are characterized by a long, slender uncusuncus:
a sclerotized process which is fused to the posterodorsal margin of tergum IX
; a mesally spined transtilla; and membranous, somewhat triangular valvaevalvae:
plural of "valva"
. Female genitalia are characterized by a quadrate sterigmasterigma:
the sclerotized region surrounding the female ostium bursae 
with elongate anterolateral margins; a twice-coiled ductus bursaeductus bursae:
a membranous tube connecting the ostium bursae to the corpus bursae
; and signumsignum:
a sclerotized projection or patch on the interior of the corpus bursae
present as a short, hollow thorn from a short, irregular sclerotizedsclerotized:
hardened; usually in reference to larval structures or adult genitalia 
band in the corpus bursaecorpus bursae:
a dilated membranous sac at the anterior end of the bursa copulatrix
.
The following account is summarized from MacKay (1962a) and Sandberg & Passoa (1989).
Mature larva approximately 13-17 mm in length; width of head 1.2-1.3 mm; head brownish yellow with darker pigment present laterally; prothoracic shieldprothoracic shield:
a sclerotized plate on the dorsal surface of the prothorax 
brownish yellow with black laterally banding; legs brown; body yellowish to grayish green with lighter, conspicuous pinaculapinacula:
flattened sclerotized plates on a caterpillar that bear the setae
; anal shieldanal shield:
a sclerotized plate on the dorsal surface of the last abdominal segment (in larvae) 
yellowish; anal fork present with 6-9 teeth; SV group on A1, 2, 7, 8, 9 numbering 3:3:3:2:2.
Detailed figures of larval chaetotaxychaetotaxy:
the arrangement of setae (in reference to Lepidoptera larvae), often depicted on a "setal map"
are available in MacKay (1962a).
Some adult forms are similar to other species of Sparganothis, including S. lycopodiana and S. unifasciana. Cenopis reticulatana is also superficially similar.
The following account is summarized from Beckwith (1938)Beckwith (1938):
Beckwith, C. S. 1938. Sparganothis sulfureana Clem., a cranberry pest in New Jersey. Journal of Economic Entomology. 31: 253-256. and Powell & Brown (2012).
Sparganothis sulfureana completes two generations per year. A third generation may occur in the southern portion of its range. Adults are present from mid-June to July and August to September.
Females lay eggs in masses that contain 20-50 individual eggs on the upper surface of leaves. Larvae of the first (spring) generation feed on flower buds and leaves; those of the second (summer) generation feed on leaves and fruit. Overwintering occurs as an early instar larva in leaf debris on the ground.
Larvae of S. sulfureana are polyphagous and have been recorded feeding on plants in nearly 20 families. This species is best known as a serious pest of cranberry, where it causes damage to both leaves and fruit.
| Host plant | Host plant family | Reference(s) |
| Apium graveolens | Apiaceae | Beckwith 1938Beckwith 1938: Beckwith, C. S. 1938. Sparganothis sulfureana Clem., a cranberry pest in New Jersey. Journal of Economic Entomology. 31: 253-256. |
| Hydrocotyle sp. | Apiaceae | MacKay 1962aMacKay 1962a: MacKay, M. R. 1962a. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 28: 1-182. |
| Arctium sp. | Asteraceae | Beckwith 1938Beckwith 1938: Beckwith, C. S. 1938. Sparganothis sulfureana Clem., a cranberry pest in New Jersey. Journal of Economic Entomology. 31: 253-256. |
| Aster sp. | Asteraceae | MacKay 1962aMacKay 1962a: MacKay, M. R. 1962a. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 28: 1-182. |
| Erigeron annuus | Asteraceae | LACM IndexLACM Index: LACM Index. Records from the card file at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Los Angeles, California; transcribed by Gaeden Robinson (BMNH). |
| Helianthus sp. | Asteraceae | Godfrey et al. 1987Godfrey et al. 1987: Godfrey, G. L., Cashatt, E. D., Glenn, M. O. 1987. Microlepidoptera from the Sandy Creek and Illinois River Region: A annotated checklist of the suborders Dacnonypha, Monotrysia, and Ditrysia (in part) (Insecta). Spec. Publ. 7. Illinois Natural History Survey. |
| Solidago sp. | Asteraceae | LACM IndexLACM Index: LACM Index. Records from the card file at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Los Angeles, California; transcribed by Gaeden Robinson (BMNH). |
| Symphyotrichum novae-angliae | Asteraceae | LACM IndexLACM Index: LACM Index. Records from the card file at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Los Angeles, California; transcribed by Gaeden Robinson (BMNH). |
| Hypericum perforatum | Clusiaceae | Sandberg & Passoa 1989 |
| Hypericum sp. | Clusiaceae | Godfrey et al. 1987Godfrey et al. 1987: Godfrey, G. L., Cashatt, E. D., Glenn, M. O. 1987. Microlepidoptera from the Sandy Creek and Illinois River Region: A annotated checklist of the suborders Dacnonypha, Monotrysia, and Ditrysia (in part) (Insecta). Spec. Publ. 7. Illinois Natural History Survey. |
| Thuja occidentalis | Cupressaceae | Ferguson 1975Ferguson 1975: Ferguson, D. C. 1975. Host records for Lepidoptera reared in eastern North America. United States Department of Agriculture Technical Bulletin 1521. 49 pp. |
| Vaccinium macrocarpon | Ericaceae | LACM IndexLACM Index: LACM Index. Records from the card file at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Los Angeles, California; transcribed by Gaeden Robinson (BMNH). |
| Vaccinium sp. | Ericaceae | LACM IndexLACM Index: LACM Index. Records from the card file at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Los Angeles, California; transcribed by Gaeden Robinson (BMNH).; Franklin 1907Franklin 1907: Franklin, H. J. 1907. Notes on certain cranberry bog insects. Entomological News. 18: 17.; Beckwith 1938Beckwith 1938: Beckwith, C. S. 1938. Sparganothis sulfureana Clem., a cranberry pest in New Jersey. Journal of Economic Entomology. 31: 253-256.; Marucci 1953Marucci 1953: Marucci, P. E. 1953. The Sparganothis fruitworm in New Jersey. American Cranberry Growers Association Proceedings. 83: 6-13., 1966; Tomlinson 1961Tomlinson 1961: Tomlinson, W. E. 1961. Control of Sparganothis sulfureana on cranberry. Journal of Economic Entomology. 54: 810-811.; Eck 1990Eck 1990: Eck, P. 1990. The American cranberry. Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, NJ.; Cockfield & Mahr 1993; Cockfield et al. 1994aCockfield et al. 1994a: Cockfield, S. D., Butkewich, S. L., Samoil, K. S., Mahr., D. L. 1994a. Forecasting flight activitiy of Sparganothis sulfureana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in cranberries. Journal of Economic Entomology. 87: 193-196., b |
| Gleditsia sp. | Fabaceae | MacKay 1962aMacKay 1962a: MacKay, M. R. 1962a. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 28: 1-182. |
| Medicago sativa | Fabaceae | LACM IndexLACM Index: LACM Index. Records from the card file at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Los Angeles, California; transcribed by Gaeden Robinson (BMNH).; MacKay 1962aMacKay 1962a: MacKay, M. R. 1962a. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 28: 1-182. |
| Phaseolus lunatus | Fabaceae | MacKay 1962aMacKay 1962a: MacKay, M. R. 1962a. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 28: 1-182. |
| Robinia sp. | Fabaceae | Meyrick MS 1938Meyrick MS 1938: Meyrick MS 1938. Unpublished manuscript by E. Meyrick at BMNH, data captured by Gaeden Robinson. |
| Trifolium pratense | Fabaceae | LACM IndexLACM Index: LACM Index. Records from the card file at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Los Angeles, California; transcribed by Gaeden Robinson (BMNH). |
| Trifolium sp. | Fabaceae | Beckwith 1938Beckwith 1938: Beckwith, C. S. 1938. Sparganothis sulfureana Clem., a cranberry pest in New Jersey. Journal of Economic Entomology. 31: 253-256.; Meyrick MS 1938Meyrick MS 1938: Meyrick MS 1938. Unpublished manuscript by E. Meyrick at BMNH, data captured by Gaeden Robinson. |
| Mentha sp. | Lamiaceae | Godfrey et al. 1987Godfrey et al. 1987: Godfrey, G. L., Cashatt, E. D., Glenn, M. O. 1987. Microlepidoptera from the Sandy Creek and Illinois River Region: A annotated checklist of the suborders Dacnonypha, Monotrysia, and Ditrysia (in part) (Insecta). Spec. Publ. 7. Illinois Natural History Survey. |
| Monarda fistulosa | Lamiaceae | LACM IndexLACM Index: LACM Index. Records from the card file at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Los Angeles, California; transcribed by Gaeden Robinson (BMNH). |
Host plant table (embedded)View full screen host table here DistributionSparganothis sulfureana occurs from Nova Scotia to Alberta, south to Florida, Utah, and Arizona. There is a single record from Washington. It has also been recorded from The Bahamas, Bermuda, Cuba, southern Mexico, and Belize (Ferguson et al. 1991Ferguson et al. 1991: LinksAdditional photos and a distribution map of this species in North America are available at Moth Photographers Group.
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