Exotic, but established
Cnephasia stephensiana (Doubleday) (Tortricidae: Tortricinae: Cnephasiini)
Common names: gray tortrix moth, tobacco leaf worm
Synonyms: Too many to list here. See Gilligan et al. (2018) for a full list.
FWLFWL:
forewing length; the distance from the base of the forewing to the apex, including fringe
: 8.0-9.5 mm
Head, thorax peppered with black and white scaling, thoracic tuft black; forewing with ground color pale gray to gray, crossed by two jagged, irregular gray-brown or black fasciaefascia:
a dark transverse band on the forewing
; male without forewing costal foldforewing costal fold:
a flap or fold at the base of the forewing that contains specialized sex scales
; hindwing gray.
Male genitalia are characterized by slender, horn-like signumsignum:
a sclerotized projection or patch on the interior of the corpus bursae
; small sociisocii:
a pair of lightly sclerotized setose lobes
; and long, slender valvaevalva:
an appendage flanking the intromittent organ that is used to clasp the female during copulation
with a simple, well-sclerotized sacculussacculus:
the ventral margin of the male valva 
to two-thirds length of valvavalva:
an appendage flanking the intromittent organ that is used to clasp the female during copulation. Female genitalia are characterized by large, irregularly-shaped papillae analespapillae anales:
the female ovipositor lobes 
; short, robust apophysesapophyses:
apodemal rods used to extend the ovipositor; divided into the apophyses anteriores and apophyses posteriores 
; and signumsignum:
a sclerotized projection or patch on the interior of the corpus bursae present as an elongate, scobinatescobinate:
rasplike
patch.
The following account is summarized from Meijerman & Ulenberg (2000).
Mature larva 15-18 mm in length; head variable, from light brown or amber to entirely black; prothoracic shieldprothoracic shield:
a sclerotized plate on the dorsal surface of the prothorax 
black, greenish-gray anteriorly; legs black; body pale bluish-green; pinaculapinaculum:
flattened sclerotized plates on a caterpillar that bear the setae
black; anal shieldanal shield:
a sclerotized plate on the dorsal surface of the last abdominal segment (in larvae) 
brownish black; anal fork absent.
Several other species of Cnephasiini are very similar to C. stephensiana, such as Cnephasia asseclana and Decodes basiplagana. Dissection may often be necessary to differentiate them. Males of C. asseclana have a longer sacculussacculus:
the ventral margin of the male valva and females have a shorter ductus bursaeductus bursae:
a membranous tube connecting the ostium bursae to the corpus bursae
compared to C. stephensiana. The valvaevalva:
an appendage flanking the intromittent organ that is used to clasp the female during copulation of D. basiplagana are much more slender than in C. stephensiana and do not have such a well-sclerotized sacculussacculus:
the ventral margin of the male valva . Females of D. basiplagana have a significantly smaller signumsignum:
a sclerotized projection or patch on the interior of the corpus bursae than in C. stephensiana.
The following account is summarized from Meijerman & Ulenberg (2000).
In Europe, eggs are laid singly or in small clusters in July and August on leaves of the host plant. Larvae hatch 18-21 days later and immediately spin a silken hibernaculum to overwinter. Feeding doe not begin until the following April, at first mining leaves before living and feeding in shelters of folded or tied leaves. Pupation occurs in June and July within the feeding shelter. Adults eclose about one month later. There is a single generation per year. Phenology appears to be identical in North America.
Larvae are extremely polyphagous and have been recorded feeding on a huge variety of plants. It can be an occasional pest. The table below is not comprehensive.
| Host plant | Host plant family | Reference(s) | ||
| Heracleum moellendorfii | Apiaceae | Yasuda 1975Yasuda 1975: Yasuda, T. 1975. The Tortricinae and Sparganothinae of Japan (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Part II. Bulletin of the University of Osaka Prefecture, Series B. 27: 79-251. |
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| Heracleum sp. | Apiaceae | Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp. |
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| Artemisia indica var. maximowiczii | Asteraceae | Yasuda 1975Yasuda 1975: Yasuda, T. 1975. The Tortricinae and Sparganothinae of Japan (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Part II. Bulletin of the University of Osaka Prefecture, Series B. 27: 79-251. |
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| Artemisia montana | Asteraceae | Yasuda 1975Yasuda 1975: Yasuda, T. 1975. The Tortricinae and Sparganothinae of Japan (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Part II. Bulletin of the University of Osaka Prefecture, Series B. 27: 79-251. |
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| Carduus pycnocephalus | Asteraceae | Bradley MS 1987Bradley MS 1987: Bradley, J. D. 1987. Card catalogue of identified reared material received by Bradley for identification from about 1955 to 1987; original in BMNH Microlepidoptera Section library. |
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| Carlina vulgaris | Asteraceae | Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp. |
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| Centaurea sp. | Asteraceae | Meyrick MS 1938Meyrick MS 1938: Meyrick MS 1938. Unpublished manuscript by E. Meyrick at BMNH, data captured by Gaeden Robinson.; Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp. |
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| Chrysanthemum sp. | Asteraceae | Meyrick MS 1938Meyrick MS 1938: Meyrick MS 1938. Unpublished manuscript by E. Meyrick at BMNH, data captured by Gaeden Robinson.; Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp. |
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| Cirsium palustre | Asteraceae | Jaros & Spitzer 2002 | ||
| Cirsium sp. | Asteraceae | Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp.; Yasuda 1975Yasuda 1975: Yasuda, T. 1975. The Tortricinae and Sparganothinae of Japan (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Part II. Bulletin of the University of Osaka Prefecture, Series B. 27: 79-251. |
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| Erigeron annuus | Asteraceae | Yasuda 1975Yasuda 1975: Yasuda, T. 1975. The Tortricinae and Sparganothinae of Japan (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Part II. Bulletin of the University of Osaka Prefecture, Series B. 27: 79-251. |
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| Hieracium sp. | Asteraceae | Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp. |
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| Inula sp. | Asteraceae | Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp. |
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| Leucanthemum vulgare | Asteraceae | Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp. |
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| Serratula sp. | Asteraceae | Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp. |
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| Solidago virgaurea | Asteraceae | Yasuda 1975Yasuda 1975: Yasuda, T. 1975. The Tortricinae and Sparganothinae of Japan (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Part II. Bulletin of the University of Osaka Prefecture, Series B. 27: 79-251. |
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| Sonchus sp. | Asteraceae | Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp. |
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| Taraxacum sp. | Asteraceae | Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp. |
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| Tussilago farfara | Asteraceae | Bradley et al. 1973Bradley et al. 1973: Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G., Smith, A. 1973. British Tortricoid Moths, Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society, London. 251 pp. |
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| Host plant table (embedded)
View full screen host table here DistributionCnephasia stephensiana is broadly distributed in the Palearctic region, from Great Britain south to Morocco, east to Russia, Tukey, Korea, and Japan. It was introduced to North America where it was first collected in Nova Scotia in 1954 (Mutuura 1982Mutuura 1982: LinksAdditional photos and a distribution map of this species in North America are available at Moth Photographers Group.
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