Native
Clepsis peritana (Clemens) (Tortricidae: Tortricinae: Archipini)
Common names: garden tortrix, strawberry garden tortrix
Synonyms: inconclusana (Dichelia), pinaria (Clepsis)
FWLFWL:
forewing length; the distance from the base of the forewing to the apex, including fringe
: 4.5-7.5 mm
Forewing color is tan to brown. Males have a brown to dark-brown well-defined median fasciafascia:
a dark transverse band on the forewing
that is continuous from costacosta:
the anterior margin of each wing 
to dorsumdorsum:
the lower (usually posterior) or inner margin 
and a dark brown costal spotcostal spot:
a patch of contrasting scales on the costa, usually a remnant of the postmedian or preterminal fascia 
. Females have similar markings but the median fasciafascia:
a dark transverse band on the forewing and costal spotcostal spot:
a patch of contrasting scales on the costa, usually a remnant of the postmedian or preterminal fascia are usually less distinct. 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 a well-developed, parallel-sided uncusuncus:
a sclerotized process which is fused to the posterodorsal margin of tergum IX
; an incomplete, spined transtilla; a single short, thin cornutuscornutus:
spines used to anchor the male vesica in the female bursa during copulation
in the aedeagusaedeagus:
the male intromittent organ (penis); see "phallus" 
; and a membranous apexapex:
the point furthest removed from the base or at the end of the costal area 
on the valvavalva:
an appendage flanking the intromittent organ that is used to clasp the female during copulation
. Female genitalia are characterized by a ductus bursaeductus bursae:
a membranous tube connecting the ostium bursae to the corpus bursae
that is spiraled or tightly coiled and the absence of a signumsignum:
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
.
The following account is summarized from MacKay (1962a).
Mature larvae approximately 13-14 mm in length; width of head 0.9-1.1 mm; head, prothoracic shieldprothoracic shield:
a sclerotized plate on the dorsal surface of the prothorax 
yellowish brown; body, anal shieldanal shield:
a sclerotized plate on the dorsal surface of the last abdominal segment (in larvae) 
light green, but color can vary depending on the host plant; anal fork well-developed; 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).
Clepsis fucana, C. penetralis, C. peritana, and C. virescana are all similar in appearance. Clepsis fucana is generally larger than the other three species and is found only on the West Coast. Clepsis penetralis has only been recorded from Colorado, Utah, and Vermont, although it may be misidentified in collections making its true distribution unknown. Clepsis peritana is the most commonly collected Clepsis, and it can be found throughout the United States and southern Canada. Clepsis virescana is generally larger than C. peritana and males possess a forewing costal foldforewing costal fold:
a flap or fold at the base of the forewing that contains specialized sex scales. The following table lists diagnostic features that can be used to separate these four Clepsis species:
| Clepsis species | FWLFWL: forewing length; the distance from the base of the forewing to the apex, including fringe |
Male forewing costal foldforewing costal fold: a flap or fold at the base of the forewing that contains specialized sex scales |
Male valvavalva: an appendage flanking the intromittent organ that is used to clasp the female during copulation membranous lobe |
Female ductus bursaeductus bursae: a membranous tube connecting the ostium bursae to the corpus bursae |
Female signumsignum: a sclerotized projection or patch on the interior of the corpus bursae |
Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| fucana | 6.5-10.5 mm | absent | present as small lobe | straight | absent | West Coast |
| penetralis | 6.0-7.5 mm | absent | present as moderate lobe | weakly twisted | absent | Unknown; recorded from Colorado, Utah, and Vermont |
| peritana | 4.5-7.5 mm | absent | absent; entire apexapex: the point furthest removed from the base or at the end of the costal area is membranous |
tightly coiled | absent | United States and southern Canada |
| virescana | 6.0-9.0 mm | present | present as small lobe | straight | present | United States and southern Canada |
The following account is summarized from Powell (1964b).
Clepsis peritana completes several generations per year. The exact number of generations varies from 2-4 in the North to 6-7 in the South, and in some locations adults are present most of the year.
Eggs are deposited in small masses of approximately 10-20 individual eggs. Larvae live in silk tubes built on the surface of leaves and feed on dead or decaying leaf litter. Larvae will occasionally feed in the buds or fruits of living plants. On strawberry, larvae may cause damage to fruit in contact with the ground by webbing leaves to the fruit and chewing holes in the berries. In citrus groves, larvae feed on decaying leaves until population levels are high, at which point they may switch to feeding on fruit. Significant damage to citrus is caused only when fruit is close to the ground or has dropped from the tree.
Clepsis peritana is known in the economic literature as a pest of strawberry (Fragaria sp.) and Citrus. Larvae prefer to feed on dead or decaying leaves and have also been reared from fungus. As its wide distribution would suggest, this species is probably a generalist feeder on a large number of plants. The following is a list of confirmed hosts.
| Host plant | Host plant family | Reference(s) |
| dead leaves | [unspecified] | Powell 1964bPowell 1964b: Powell, J. A. 1964b. Biological and taxonomic studies on tortricine moths, with reference to the species in California. University of California Publications in Entomology. Vol. 32. 317 pp. |
| Chrysanthemum sp. | Asteraceae | Powell 1964bPowell 1964b: Powell, J. A. 1964b. Biological and taxonomic studies on tortricine moths, with reference to the species in California. University of California Publications in Entomology. Vol. 32. 317 pp. |
| Cynara cardunculus | Asteraceae | Powell 1964bPowell 1964b: Powell, J. A. 1964b. Biological and taxonomic studies on tortricine moths, with reference to the species in California. University of California Publications in Entomology. Vol. 32. 317 pp. |
| Senecio jacobaea | Asteraceae | Frick & Hawkes 1970 |
| Stachys sp. | Lamiaceae | Powell 1964bPowell 1964b: Powell, J. A. 1964b. Biological and taxonomic studies on tortricine moths, with reference to the species in California. University of California Publications in Entomology. Vol. 32. 317 pp. |
| Polyporus sp. | Polyporaceae | Powell 2006Powell 2006: Powell, J. A. 2006. Database of Lepidoptera rearing lots, 1960-2005. University of California Berkeley, CA. |
| Fragaria sp. | Rosaceae | Freeman 1958Freeman 1958: Freeman, T. N. 1958. The Archipinae of North America (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 7 (Vol. 90): 1-89.; Atkins 1958Atkins 1958: Atkins, E. L. 1958. The garden tortrix, Clepsis peritana (Clemens): a new economic pest in southern California. J. Econ. Entomol. 51: 596-598.; Allen 1959Allen 1959: Allen, W. W. 1959. Strawberry pests in California. California Agricultural Experiment Station Extension Service Circular 484. 40 pp.; Powell 1964bPowell 1964b: Powell, J. A. 1964b. Biological and taxonomic studies on tortricine moths, with reference to the species in California. University of California Publications in Entomology. Vol. 32. 317 pp. |
| Citrus sp. | Rutaceae | Powell 1964bPowell 1964b: Powell, J. A. 1964b. Biological and taxonomic studies on tortricine moths, with reference to the species in California. University of California Publications in Entomology. Vol. 32. 317 pp. |
| Scrophularia californica | Scrophulariaceae | Powell 1964bPowell 1964b: Powell, J. A. 1964b. Biological and taxonomic studies on tortricine moths, with reference to the species in California. University of California Publications in Entomology. Vol. 32. 317 pp. |
| Solanum torvum | Solanaceae | Bruner et al. 1975Bruner et al. 1975: Bruner, S. C., Scaramuza, L. C., Otero, A. R. 1975. Catalogo de los insectos que atacan a las plantas economicas de Cuba: segunda edicion revisada y aumentada. Academeia de Ciencisa de Cuba, Instituto Zoologica, La Habana. 399 pp. |
View full screen host table here
Clepsis peritana is widely distributed in southern Canada and the continental United States. It is one of the most common and widespread tortricid species in North America. It is also known from The Bahamas, Cuba, and possibly extends into Central America (Austin et al. 2019Austin et al. 2019:
Austin, K. A., Dombroskie, J. J., Matthews, D. L., Miller, J. Y. 2019. A review of the Archipini of The Bahamas with the description of a new species of Argyrotaenia Stephens (Tortricidae). Journal of the Lepidopteristsrsquo; Society. 73(1): 5-17.). It has been introduced into Europe, where it is reported to be established in Denmark, Spain, and Italy (Razowski 2002Razowski 2002:
Razowski, J. 2002. Tortricidae of Europe, Vol. 1, Tortricinae and Chlidanotinae. Frantisek Slamka, Slovakia. 247 pp.).
Figs. 6-7: University of California Statewide IPM Program (UC IPM Web Site)
