Native
Choristoneura parallela (Robinson) (Tortricidae: Tortricinae: Archipini)
Common names: parallel-banded leafroller moth, spotted fireworm
FWLFWL:
forewing length; the distance from the base of the forewing to the apex, including fringe
: 8.5-11.0 mm (males); 11.0-12.0 mm (females)
Head and thorax red-orange to brown; forewing with costacosta:
the anterior margin of each wing 
concave, ground color red-orange to pale brown; fasciaefascia:
a dark transverse band on the forewing
well-developed, distinct, brown, often with strong red or purple shading, especially in females; males without forewing costal foldforewing costal fold:
a flap or fold at the base of the forewing that contains specialized sex scales
; hindwing pale brown to orange.
Male genitalia are characterized by a large, broad angular process on the ventralventral:
lower, to the bottom, on the under side
margin of the sacculussacculus:
the ventral margin of the male valva 
at two-thirds length (Dang 1992Dang 1992:
Dang, P. T. 1992. Morphological study of male genitalia with phylogenetic inference of Choristoneura Lederer (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist. 124: 7-48.). Female genitalia are characterized by a long, thin ductus bursae and a large, hook-like signumsignum:
a sclerotized projection or patch on the interior of the corpus bursae
.
The following account is summarized from MacKay (1962a).
Mature larva 19-25 mm in length; width of head 1.6-1.8 mm; head orange; prothoracic shieldprothoracic shield:
a sclerotized plate on the dorsal surface of the prothorax 
orange, black on posteriorposterior:
after, to the rear, toward anal end 
, anteromedial, and anterolateral margins; legs black; body dark green, pinaculapinaculum:
flattened sclerotized plates on a caterpillar that bear the setae
creamy white; prolegs yellow; anal fork well-developed; SV group on A1, 2, 7, 8, 9 numbering 3:3:3:2:2.
Detailed figures of of larval chaetotaxychaetotaxy:
the arrangement of setae (in reference to Lepidoptera larvae), often depicted on a "setal map"
are available in MacKay (1962a).
Choristoneura parallela is very similar to several other species of Choristoneura, especially C. rosaceana and C. obsoletana. Males of C. parallela lack a forewing costal foldforewing costal fold:
a flap or fold at the base of the forewing that contains specialized sex scales and sinuous costal margincostal margin:
see costa 
, both of which are present in C. rosaceana. The fasciaefascia:
a dark transverse band on the forewing are much more well-defined in C. parallela than in C. obsoletana.
The following account is summarized from Stuart & Polavarapu (1998).
In New Jersey, two generations occur per year, with adults eclosing in early June and again in early August. Egg masses are laid in clusters of up to 350 eggs on the surface of leaves of the host plant. Larvae web leaves together and feed on both leaves and fruit of the plant. Overwintering occurs as second instar larvae. C. parallela is most well-known for being a pest of cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon). Females rarely oviposit on cranberry and only reach this host by ballooning. Eggs and/or larvae of this species have been recorded from 23 plant species in 19 different families.
| Host plant | Host plant family | Reference(s) |
| Acer rubrum | Aceraceae | Stuart & Polavarapu 1998 |
| Sagittaria latifolia | Alismataceae | Stuart & Polavarapu 1998 |
| Gerbera jamesonii | Asteraceae | Anonymous 1983Anonymous 1983: Anonymous 1983. Bureau of Entomology. Tri-ology. 22(10): 5-7. |
| Solidago sp. | Asteraceae | Freeman 1958Freeman 1958: Freeman, T. N. 1958. The Archipinae of North America (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 7 (Vol. 90): 1-89.; MacKay 1962aMacKay 1962a: MacKay, M. R. 1962a. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 28: 1-182. |
| Clethra alnifolia | Clethraceae | Stuart & Polavarapu 1998 |
| Hypericum perforatum | Clusiaceae | Sandberg & Passoa 1989 |
| Chamaedaphne calyculata | Ericaceae | Stuart & Polavarapu 1998 |
| Kalmia sp. | Ericaceae | Freeman 1958Freeman 1958: Freeman, T. N. 1958. The Archipinae of North America (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 7 (Vol. 90): 1-89.; MacKay 1962aMacKay 1962a: MacKay, M. R. 1962a. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 28: 1-182.; Stuart & Polavarapu 1998 |
| Vaccinium macrocarpon | Ericaceae | Stuart & Polavarapu 1998 |
| Vaccinium sp. | Ericaceae | Freeman 1958Freeman 1958: Freeman, T. N. 1958. The Archipinae of North America (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 7 (Vol. 90): 1-89.; MacKay 1962aMacKay 1962a: MacKay, M. R. 1962a. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 28: 1-182. |
| Phaseolus sp. | Fabaceae | MacKay 1962aMacKay 1962a: MacKay, M. R. 1962a. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 28: 1-182.; Freeman 1958Freeman 1958: Freeman, T. N. 1958. The Archipinae of North America (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 7 (Vol. 90): 1-89. |
| Hypericum virginicum | Hypericaceae | Stuart & Polavarapu 1998 |
| Myrica sp. | Myricaceae | McDunnough 1933aMcDunnough 1933a: McDunnough, J. 1933a. Notes on the biology of certain tortricid species with structural details of the larvae and pupae. Canadian Journal of Research. 9: 502-517.; MacKay 1962aMacKay 1962a: MacKay, M. R. 1962a. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 28: 1-182.; Freeman 1958Freeman 1958: Freeman, T. N. 1958. The Archipinae of North America (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 7 (Vol. 90): 1-89.; 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). |
| [unspecified] | Poaceae | Stuart & Polavarapu 1998 |
| [unspecified] | Polypodiaceae | Stuart & Polavarapu 1998 |
| Lysimachia terrestris | Primulaceae | Stuart & Polavarapu 1998 |
| Rosa sp. | Rosaceae | Freeman 1958Freeman 1958: Freeman, T. N. 1958. The Archipinae of North America (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 7 (Vol. 90): 1-89.; MacKay 1962aMacKay 1962a: MacKay, M. R. 1962a. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 28: 1-182. |
| Gardenia sp. | Rubiaceae | MacKay 1962aMacKay 1962a: MacKay, M. R. 1962a. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 28: 1-182.; Freeman 1958Freeman 1958: Freeman, T. N. 1958. The Archipinae of North America (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 7 (Vol. 90): 1-89. |
| Citrus sp. | Rutaceae | Freeman 1958Freeman 1958: Freeman, T. N. 1958. The Archipinae of North America (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 7 (Vol. 90): 1-89.; MacKay 1962aMacKay 1962a: MacKay, M. R. 1962a. Larvae of the North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 28: 1-182. |
| Salix humilis var. tristis | Host plant table (embedded)
View full screen host table here DistributionChoristoneura parallela is widespread in eastern North America, ranging as far north as Wisconsin, southern Ontario, and Vermont and as far south as Florida and eastern Texas. Records in the literature from California are dubious and require verification. LinksAdditional photos and a distribution map of this species in North America are available at Moth Photographers Group.
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