Seticosta rubicola

Type

Exotic

Taxonomy

Seticosta rubicola Brown & Nishida (Tortricidae: Tortricinae: Cochylini)

Adult Recognition

FWL: 5.0-8.5 mm

Adults are tan, brown, or reddish brown with white and yellow-green markings. Labial palpilabial palpi:
a pair of sensory appendages that project from the lower part of the head; usually covered in scales and three-segmented
are extremely elongate in both sexes. Males have long cilia on the antennae, a hairpencil on the foreleg, and lack a forewing costal foldforewing costal fold:
a flap or fold at the base of the forewing that contains specialized sex scales
. The hindwing is white with pale brown strigulae.

Male genitalia are characterized by the uncusuncus:
a sclerotized process which is fused to the posterodorsal margin of tergum IX
bearing a pair a subdistal pointed processes, giving it a trifurcate appearance; and valvaevalvae:
plural of "valva"
with a moderately developed sacculussacculus:
the ventral margin of the male valva
and long, spine-like setae on ventralventral:
lower, to the bottom, on the under side
margin. Female genitalia are characterized by ostiumostium:
see ostium bursae
simple, small; ductus bursaeductus bursae:
a membranous tube connecting the ostium bursae to the corpus bursae
short; signumsignum:
a sclerotized projection or patch on the interior of the corpus bursae
absent in the corpus bursaecorpus bursae:
a dilated membranous sac at the anterior end of the bursa copulatrix
.

Larval Morphology

The following account is summarized from Brown & Nishida (2003).

Mature larva approximately 12-13 mm in length; head black in early instars before becoming orange with black laterallateral:
to the side
markings in final instars; prothoracic shieldprothoracic shield:
a sclerotized plate on the dorsal surface of the prothorax
brownish yellow to reddish brown with pale-brown mottling; abdomen maroon (becoming lighter after each successive molt) with dark, large, conspicuous pinaculapinacula:
flattened sclerotized plates on a caterpillar that bear the setae
.

Detailed figures of larval chaetotaxychaetotaxy:
the arrangement of setae (in reference to Lepidoptera larvae), often depicted on a "setal map"
are available in Brown & Nishida (2003).

Similar Species

Seticosta rubicola is similar in forewing pattern to other species of Seti costacosta:
the anterior margin of each wing
, including S. aeolozona, S. arachnogramma, S. tridens, and S. tambomachaya. Male S. rubicola can be distinguished from these other species by a pair of laterallateral:
to the side
processes near the distaldistal:
farthest from body, distant from point of attachment
end of the uncusuncus:
a sclerotized process which is fused to the posterodorsal margin of tergum IX
and the lack of a dense patch of setae on the costacosta:
the anterior margin of each wing
of the valvavalva:
an appendage flanking the intromittent organ that is used to clasp the female during copulation
.

Larvae are distinguished by a combination of tortricine and olethreutine characters: SD1 and D1 on a shared pinaculumpinaculum:
singular of "pinacula"
on A9; bisetose SV-group on A7; SD2 and SD1 on separate pinaculapinacula:
flattened sclerotized plates on a caterpillar that bear the setae
on A1-8; V setae on A9 widely separated; meso- and metathoraxmetathorax:
the most posterior thoracic segment
with extra SD, L, SV, and V setae; A1-8 with extra D and V setae; D pinaculapinacula:
flattened sclerotized plates on a caterpillar that bear the setae
on A2-5 notched; and L pinaculumpinaculum:
singular of "pinacula"
on prothoraxprothorax:
the most anterior thoracic segment
ventrad of the spiracle

Biology

The following account is summarized from Brown & Nishida (2003).

Adults of Seticosta rubicola have been collected in nearly every month in central Costacosta:
the anterior margin of each wing
Rica, suggesting continuous generations throughout the year.

Larvae bore into stems and induce gall formation. Galls are fusiform, approximately 4-6 mm wide, 12-40 mm long, and are located between nodes on the terminal (young) portions of the stem. One gall contains a single larva. An opening at the base of the gall is often covered in frass and debris; this entrance hole can be detected before the stem begins to swell. Pupation most likely occurs outside of the gall.

Seticosta rubicola feeds on Rubus and is considered a serious pest of blackberry in parts of Costacosta:
the anterior margin of each wing
Rica. Larvae have been intercepted on Rubus arriving at U.S. ports-of-entry from Guatemala.

Host plant	Host plant family	Reference(s)
Rubus eriocarpus	Rosaceae	Brown & Nishida 2003
Rubus vulcanicola	Rosaceae	Brown & Nishida 2003
Rubus sp.	Rosaceae	Brown & Nishida 2003