Type

Native

Taxonomy

Rudenia leguminana (Busck) (Tortricidae: Tortricinae: Cochylini)

Common name: black-tipped Rudenia moth

Note: There are several undescribed species of Rudenia which have only recently been recognized as distinct from true Rudenia legiminana. For the purposes of this site, we treat this entire species complex as a single entity.

Adult Recognition

FWL: 6.0-7.0 mm

Head, thorax gray with intermixed white and black scales; ground color of forewing dark gray to black; conspicuous wide, white, L-shaped marking present from base of inner margininner margin:
see dorsum
to one-third length of costacosta:
the anterior margin of each wing
and then to two-thirds length of costacosta:
the anterior margin of each wing
; terminal portion of forewing black or dark brown with patches of orange-pink scales sometimes present along fringe; male without forewing costal foldforewing costal fold:
a flap or fold at the base of the forewing that contains specialized sex scales
; hindwing pale brown.

Male and female genitalia have not been figured in the published literature, but brief descriptions of related species of Rudenia are available in Razowski (1994). 

Larval Morphology

Larval morphology and chaetotaxychaetotaxy:
the arrangement of setae (in reference to Lepidoptera larvae), often depicted on a "setal map"
has not been described in the published literature for Rudenia leguminana. 

Similar Species

Rudenia leguminana is a fairly distinct species and no Nearctic tortricids are likely to be confused with it beyond other members of the Rudenia leguminana complex. Preliminary studies have shown few differences in forewing maculationmaculation:
markings, pattern of spots, bands, blotches, streaks, etc.
and genitalia between members of this complex; positive identification may require molecular diagnostic tools.

Biology

The following account is summarized from Brown et al. (2011).

Eggs are laid on the leaves and tips of other vegetative parts of the host plant. First instar larvae feed inside the rachis before moving on to tunnel in the axil. Larvae live in the tunnel during the days and emerge from it at night to feed externally on the pinnules and rachis of the leaves. Pupation usually occurs in the tunnel shelters, but also in stems, flowers, and pods. Adults can be found from April to September in the eastern and northern United States, and virtually year-round in Texas, Florida, and Central America.

Members of the Rudenia leguminana complex are specialists on the Fabaceae. A USDA/APHIS interceptionsUSDA/APHIS interceptions:
USDA/APHIS interceptions. Based on larvae intercepted by USDA-APHIS personnel at U.S. ports-of-entry and identified by Systematic Entomology Laboratory personnel. report lists it from Psidium guajava (Myrtaceae), but this is questionable and requires confirmation.

Host plant	Host plant family	Reference(s)
Acacia farnesiana	Fabaceae	USNM collectionUSNM collection: USNM collection. Based on identified reared specimens in the collection of the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.
Acacia glauca	Fabaceae	USNM collectionUSNM collection: USNM collection. Based on identified reared specimens in the collection of the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.
Acacia neovernicosa	Fabaceae	USNM collectionUSNM collection: USNM collection. Based on identified reared specimens in the collection of the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.
Gleditsia japonica	Fabaceae	Busck 1907aBusck 1907a: Busck, A. 1907a. A review of the tortricid subfamily Phaloniinae with descriptions of new American species. Journal of the New York Entomological Society. 15: 19-36.
Leucaena pulverulenta	Fabaceae	USNM collectionUSNM collection: USNM collection. Based on identified reared specimens in the collection of the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.
Mimosa aculeaticarpa var. biuncifera	Fabaceae	USNM collectionUSNM collection: USNM collection. Based on identified reared specimens in the collection of the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.
Parkinsonia aculeata	Fabaceae	USNM collectionUSNM collection: USNM collection. Based on identified reared specimens in the collection of the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.; Brown et al. 2011Brown et al. 2011: Brown, J. W., Segura, R., Santiago-Jimenez, Q., Rota, J., Heard, T. A. 2011. Tortricid moths (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) reared from the invasive weed Parkinsonia aculeata (Fabaceae), with comments on their host specificity, biology, and geographic distribution. Journal of Insect Science. 11(7): 1-17.
Pithecellobium dulce	Fabaceae	APHIS interceptions (barcode)
Prosopis glandulosa	Fabaceae	USNM collectionUSNM collection: USNM collection. Based on identified reared specimens in the collection of the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.
Prosopis sp.	Fabaceae	USNM collectionUSNM collection: USNM collection. Based on identified reared specimens in the collection of the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.
Senna lindheimeriana	Fabaceae	USNM collectionUSNM collection: USNM collection. Based on identified reared specimens in the collection of the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.
Psidium guajava	Myrtaceae	APHIS intereception (barcode)

Host plant table (embedded)

View full screen host table here

Distribution

The Rudenia leguminana complex is widespread in North America, with records from Massachusetts and southern Ontario to Florida, and from the midwestern US to California. It is especially abundant in xeric areas of the southwestern United States. It has additional records from Venezuela, Costacosta:
the anterior margin of each wing
Rica, Guatemala, and throughout Mexico. Based on molecular data, the range of true R. leguminana (type locality: Washington, D.C.) is likely restricted to the eastern United States as far west as Kansas, Oklahoma, and eastern Texas.

Links

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