Exotic
Zeiraphera griseana (Hübner) (Tortricidae: Olethreutinae: Eucosmini)
Common name: larch tortrix
Synonyms: desertana (Steganoptycha diniana var.), diniana (Sphaleroptera), occultana (Poecilochroma), pinicolana (Grapholitha)
FWL: 7.5-10.5 mm
Head and thorax dark gray with scattered black and white scales. Labial palpilabial palpi:
a pair of sensory appendages that project from the lower part of the head; usually covered in scales and three-segmented
moderate, porrectporrect:
extending forward horizontally 
, dark brown or black laterally. Ground color of forewing dirty gray with large, black basal fasciabasal fascia:
the fascia (transverse band) at the base of the forewing 
angled at approximately 90 degrees medially, closely approaching median fasciafascia:
a dark transverse band on the forewing 
; black median fasciafascia:
a dark transverse band on the forewing running from midpoint of costacosta:
the anterior margin of each wing 
to just below termentermen:
the outer edge of the forewing 
, and black patch variously developed at apexapex:
the point furthest removed from the base or at the end of the costal area 
; scattered rusty orange or dusty gray scales may be present throughout forewing; a dirty gray triangular marking is often apparent along the inner margininner margin:
see dorsum 
; fringe gray. hindwing dark gray; fringe concolorous. Abdomen dark gray dorsally, off-white ventrally.
Male genitalia are characterized by the absence of an uncusuncus:
a sclerotized process which is fused to the posterodorsal margin of tergum IX
; socii thumb-like; valvaevalvae:
plural of "valva"
curved, cuculluscucullus:
the distal portion of the male valva
large, well-developed, with row of short, spine-like setae on distaldistal:
farthest from body, distant from point of attachment
margin. Female genitalia are characterized by a simple ring-like ostiumostium:
see ostium bursae 
; basal half of ductus bursa sclerotizedsclerotized:
hardened; usually in reference to larval structures or adult genitalia 
; moderate, tack-like signumsignum:
a sclerotized projection or patch on the interior of the corpus bursae
present in corpus bursaecorpus bursae:
a dilated membranous sac at the anterior end of the bursa copulatrix
.
Two distinct ecotypes or “forms” occur: the larch form has a black head capsule and is initially light yellow-green but later turns grey-black, whereas larvae of the pine and spruce form have an orange-yellow head capsule and yellowish-grey body.
Detailed descriptions of larval chaetotaxychaetotaxy:
the arrangement of setae (in reference to Lepidoptera larvae), often depicted on a "setal map"
are 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.], but closely match that of Z. canadensis.
Several species of Zeiraphera and even other genera of Eucosmini are superficially similar. Identification is best done through examination of the genitalia.
The following account is summarized from Wermelinger et al. (2018).
The biology of Z. griseana is well-known, as it is one of the most celebrated (albeit destructive) examples of periodical mass outbreaks. Eggs overwinter under lichen, bark, or cone scales. Eggs hatch in mid-May and larvae feed on short shoots inside fresh clusters of needles for the first two instars. The third and fourth instar larvae construct spun-together silken tubes made from clusters of needles, feeding at the tips, until the clusters dry out and they move on to construct more cases. During the fifth instar, the larva moves freely between clusters of needles in a silken web, often feeding on only the tips before the whole cluster dries out and dies.
A single larva needs between 10 and 20 clusters of needles to complete its development, but consumes just half their mass, contributing to massive canopy losses and reddish brown stands of trees. Fully mature larvae appear about a month of feeding, usually in mid-June. They then lower themselves to the ground to pupate. Adults begin to eclose about one month later, from the end of July to September to mate and lay eggs.
Two different ecotypes or “forms” occur, one on larch and one on pines and spruce. Outbreaks occur, on average, every 8-9 years, but are only predictable at higher elevations with a more continentally influenced climate. For a detailed review of the biology and population cycles of Z. griseana, see Wermelinger et al. (2018).
Zeiraphera griseana feeds exclusively on trees in the family Pinaceae, primarily spruce (Picea spp.), larch (Larix spp.), pine (Pinus spp.), fir (Abies spp.), hemlock (Tsuga spp.), and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga spp.).
| Host plant | Host plant family | Reference(s) | ||
| Abies alba | Pinaceae | 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.; Byun et al. 1998Byun et al. 1998: Byun, B., Bae, Y., Park, K. 1998. Illustrated catalogue of Tortricidae of Korea (Lepidoptera). In : Park, K.-T. (ed.), Insects of Korea [2]. Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology amp; Center for Insect Systematics. 317 pp. |
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| Abies amabilis | Pinaceae | Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840. |
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| Abies balsamea | Pinaceae | Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840. |
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| Abies lasiocarpa | Pinaceae | Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840. |
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| Abies sp. | Pinaceae | 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.; Suzuki & Komai 1984 |
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| Larix decidua | Pinaceae | 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.; Fischlin & Baltensweiler 1979; Roques & Goussard 1982; Madziara-Borusiewicz 1983Madziara-Borusiewicz 1983: Madziara-Borusiewicz, K. 1983. Zeiraphera diniana Gn. (Lep., Tortricidae) and the chemical composition of the needles of the larch (Larix decidua Mill.) from the Alps and from the Polish mountains. Zeitschrift Angew. Entomol. 95: 414-417.; Liska et al. 1990Liska et al. 1990: Liska, J., Hochmut , R., Jurik, J. 1990. Field trials with sexual attractants of Zeiraphera griseana (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae) in the High Tatras. Acta Entomol. Bohemoslov. 87: 81-86.; Baronio & Baldassari 1993 |
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| Larix laricina | Pinaceae | Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840. |
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| Larix lyallii | Pinaceae | Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840. |
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| Larix occidentalis | Pinaceae | Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840. |
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| Larix sp. | Pinaceae | 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.; Kalina & Skuhravy 1985; Rafes 1991Rafes 1991: Rafes, P. M. 1991. Does the plant defend itself against leaf-feeding insects? U.S. Forest Service Northeastern Experiment Station General Technical Report NE. 153: 215-216.; Baltensweiler 1993Baltensweiler 1993: Baltensweiler, W. 1993. A contribution to the explanation of larch bud moth cycle, the polymorphic fitness hypothesis. Oecologia 93: 251-255.; Benz 1991Benz 1991: Benz, G. 1991. Grey larch budmoth, biology and control. World Crop Pests 5: 643-671.; Xie et al. 1993Xie et al. 1993: Xie, G.-F. et al. 1993. Studies on the bionomics of two species of Zeiraphera Treit. that damage larch. Entomological Knowledge. 30(5): 280-282 [In Chinese].; Emelianov et al. 1995Emelianov et al. 1995: Emelianov, I., Mallet, J., Baltensweiler, W. 1995. Genetic differentiation in Zeiraphera diniana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae, the larch budmoth): polymorphism, host races or sibling species? Heredity. 75: 416-424. |
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| Picea abies | Pinaceae | Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840.; Baltensweiler 1987Baltensweiler 1987: Baltensweiler, W. 1987. Die Rolle des Forstschutzes in immissionsgeschadigten Waldern. In: G. Glatzel (ed.), Moglichkeiten und Grenzen der Sanierung immissions-geschadigter Waldokosysteme. Forschungs-hitiative Waldsterben Univ. Bodenkultur, Wien 135-148. |
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| Picea engelmanni | Pinaceae | Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840. |
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| Picea glauca | Pinaceae | Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840. |
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| Picea sitchensis | Pinaceae | Styles 1959Styles 1959: Styles, J. H. 1959. Notes on some Microlepidoptera. Entomological Gazette. 10: 43-44.; Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840.; 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. |
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| Picea sp. | Pinaceae | Kozlov 1981Kozlov 1981: Kozlov, M. V. 1981. [The larch tortrix moth Zeiraphera griseana - a pest of spruce.] Zashchita Rast. 1981: 45 [In Russian].; Kalina & Skuhravy 1985; Benz 1991Benz 1991: Benz, G. 1991. Grey larch budmoth, biology and control. World Crop Pests 5: 643-671. |
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| Pinus banksiana | Pinaceae | Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840. |
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| Pinus cembra | Pinaceae | 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. |
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| Pinus contorta | Pinaceae | Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840.; 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.; Koponen 1985Koponen 1985: Koponen, S. 1985. Zeiraphera diniana (Guenee) (Lep., Tortricidae) attacking Pinus contorta Douglas in plantations in the Faroe Islands. Fauna Norveg. (B). 32: 109-111.; Trewhella et al. 1997Trewhella et al. 1997: Trewhella, K. E., Leather, S. R., Day, K. R. 1997. The effect constitutive resistance in lodgepole pine ( Pinus contorta ) and Scots pine ( P. sylvestris ) on oviposition by three pine feeding herbivores. Bulletin of Entomological Research. 87: 81-88. |
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| Pinus pumila | Pinaceae | Khomentovsky et al. 1997Khomentovsky et al. 1997: Khomentovsky, P. A., Baltensweiler, W., Efremova, L. S., Pavlenko, T. V., Marycheva, E. M. 1997. The first record of an outbreak of the larch bud moth, Zeiraphera diniana Gn. (Lep., Tortricidae) on an evergreen conifer host ( Pinus pumila (Pall.) Regel) in north-eastern Asia. J. Appl. Entomol. 121: 1-7. |
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| Pinus sylvestris | Pinaceae | 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.; Trewhella et al. 1997Trewhella et al. 1997: Trewhella, K. E., Leather, S. R., Day, K. R. 1997. The effect constitutive resistance in lodgepole pine ( Pinus contorta ) and Scots pine ( P. sylvestris ) on oviposition by three pine feeding herbivores. Bulletin of Entomological Research. 87: 81-88. |
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Pinus sp.
Host plant table (embedded)View full screen host table here DistributionZeiraphera griseana is distributed across most of Central and Northern Europe, extending in range as far east as Siberia. It is not known from North America, but several closely related species, such as Zeiraphera canadensis, are known from the United States and Canada. 
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