Type

Native

Taxonomy

Eumarozia malachitana (Zeller) (Tortricidae: Olethreutinae: Olethreutini)

Common names: sculptured moth, malachite moth

Adult Recognition

FWL: 6.0-7.0 mm

Fronsfrons:
the upper anterior portion of the head (in adults)
white, vertex white to pale yellow or violet; thoracic tuft present; basal portion of forewing violet to dark purple; median patch large, nearly circular, olive green (faded to pale orange-brown in some individuals); distaldistal:
farthest from body, distant from point of attachment
portion of forewing brilliant pink-purple with an elongate green or pale orange brown semicircle present medially; male without forewing costal foldforewing costal fold:
a flap or fold at the base of the forewing that contains specialized sex scales
; hindwing pale gray to pale brown.

Male genitalia are characterized by a poorly-developed uncusuncus:
a sclerotized process which is fused to the posterodorsal margin of tergum IX
; sociisocii:
a pair of lightly sclerotized setose lobes
present; valvaevalvae:
plural of "valva"
with a single long, slender spine-like seta present near the base of the cuculluscucullus:
the distal portion of the male valva
. Female genitalia are characterized by a ring-like sterigmasterigma:
the sclerotized region surrounding the female ostium bursae
; a long, singly-looped, sclerotizedsclerotized:
hardened; usually in reference to larval structures or adult genitalia
ductus bursaeductus bursae:
a membranous tube connecting the ostium bursae to the corpus bursae
; and two, large triangular signasigna:
plural of "signum"
.

Larval Morphology

The following account is summarized from MacKay (1959)MacKay (1959):
MacKay, M. R. 1959. Larvae of the North American Olethreutidae (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 10: 1-338..          

Mature larva approximately 14 mm in length; width of head approximately 0.9 mm; head pale (yellowish in preserved specimens), black pigmentation present laterally; prothoracic shieldprothoracic shield:
a sclerotized plate on the dorsal surface of the prothorax
, legs, and anal shieldanal shield:
a sclerotized plate on the dorsal surface of the last abdominal segment (in larvae)
yellow; body green; anal fork moderately developed; SV group on A1, 2, 7, 8, 9 typically 3:3:3:2:2.

Detailed figured of larval chaetotaxychaetotaxy:
the arrangement of setae (in reference to Lepidoptera larvae), often depicted on a "setal map"
are available in MacKay (1959)MacKay (1959):
MacKay, M. R. 1959. Larvae of the North American Olethreutidae (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 10: 1-338..

Similar Species

Eumarozia malachitiana is unlikely to be confused with any North American species of tortricid. Its distinctive forewing coloration should serve to separate it from all other species. There are several species of Eumarozia described from the Neotropics that do somewhat resemble E. malachitiana, but range and genitalia should be sufficient to differentiate them.

Biology

Larvae feed inside rolled leaves of the host plant. The flight period of adults depends on latitude, with adults active year-round in Florida and Texas, but restricted to May to September in the northern portions of its range. There are at least two generations per year in the north, but more further south.

The preferred larval host is common persimmon (Diospyros virginiana). Other hosts are recorded as well, and these may be what larvae use in areas such as New Brunswick and Colorado, which are outside of the native range of persimmon.

Host plant	Host plant family	Reference(s)
Blutaparon sp.	Amaranthaceae	Clarke 1973Clarke 1973: Clarke, J.F.G. 1973. The genus Eumarozia Heinrich (Olethreutidae). Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society. 27(4): 268-273.
Ostrya virginiana	Betulaceae	Marshall & Musgrave 1937; Clarke 1972Clarke 1972: Clarke, J. F. G. 1972. Two pests of beans from tropical America (Lepidoptera: Olethreutidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 74: 467-471.
Cornus drummondii	Cornaceae	Powell 2006Powell 2006: Powell, J. A. 2006. Database of Lepidoptera rearing lots, 1960-2005. University of California Berkeley, CA.
Diospyros kaki	Ebenaceae	USNM collectionUSNM collection: USNM collection. Based on identified reared specimens in the collection of the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.
Diospyros virginiana	Ebenaceae	Fernald 1882aFernald 1882a: Fernald, C. H. 1882a. A synonymical catalogue of the described Tortricidae of North America, north of Mexico. Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 10: 1-64.; Heinrich 1926Heinrich 1926: Heinrich, C. 1926. Revision of the North American moths of the subfamilies Laspeyresiinae and Olethreutinae. Bulletin of the United States National Museum. 132: 1-216.; Marshall & Musgrave 1937; MacKay 1959MacKay 1959: MacKay, M. R. 1959. Larvae of the North American Olethreutidae (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 10: 1-338.; Kimball 1965Kimball 1965: Kimball, C. P. 1965. The Lepidoptera of Florida: an annotated checklist. In : Arthropods of Florida and neighboring land areas, vol. 1. Florida Department of Agriculture, Division of Plant Industry, Gainesville. 363 pp.; Clarke 1973Clarke 1973: Clarke, J.F.G. 1973. The genus Eumarozia Heinrich (Olethreutidae). Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society. 27(4): 268-273.; Brown & Allen 1974; 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.
Cassia sp.	Fabaceae	Kimball 1965Kimball 1965: Kimball, C. P. 1965. The Lepidoptera of Florida: an annotated checklist. In : Arthropods of Florida and neighboring land areas, vol. 1. Florida Department of Agriculture, Division of Plant Industry, Gainesville. 363 pp.
Senna sp.	Fabaceae	Clarke 1973Clarke 1973: Clarke, J.F.G. 1973. The genus Eumarozia Heinrich (Olethreutidae). Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society. 27(4): 268-273.
Pyrus communis	Rosaceae	Clarke 1973Clarke 1973: Clarke, J.F.G. 1973. The genus Eumarozia Heinrich (Olethreutidae). Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society. 27(4): 268-273.

Host plant table (embedded)

View full screen host table here

Distribution

Eumarozia malachitiana is broadly distributed in eastern North America, from Minnesota to New Brunswick, south to Florida and eastern Texas. It has also been recorded in Colorado and northern Mexico. Records from Central and South America (Heinrich 1926Heinrich 1926:
Heinrich, C. 1926. Revision of the North American moths of the subfamilies Laspeyresiinae and Olethreutinae. Bulletin of the United States National Museum. 132: 1-216.) are likely based on misidentifications of other Eumarozia species.

Links

Additional photos and a distribution map of this species in North America are available at Moth Photographers Group.