Using this tool

Fact sheet content

Detailed fact sheets for each species and several higher groups are provided under the Fact Sheets tab at the top of the website. Species-level fact sheets contain information on taxonomy, adult recognition, larval morphology, distribution, and biology (including host plants). Genus and tribal-level fact sheets contain information on taxonomy, a general overview of the group, a list of taxa covered in TortID, selected links, and references. Hover your mouse over a reference for a full citation. 

Status

Taxa are listed in one of three categories on each fact sheet: "exotic," "exotic, but established," and "native." Fact sheets for higher-level taxa (tribes, genera) may list more than one category (e.g., Acleris has species that fit all three categories in the Unites States).

  • "Exotic" species refer to species not native to the Unites States and not known to be currently present anywhere in the Unites States. Included species all have the potential to be major pests of Unites States agriculture, and they are the highest priority to prevent establishment. 
  • "Exotic, but established" species refer to species that are not native to the Unites States but are present and considered beyond eradication at this point. Some are significant pests, while others are not. 
  • "Native" species refer to species that are native to the Unites States (i.e., species that were naturally present in the Unites States before the arrival of humans). Some are significant pests, but the vast majority are not. 

Taxonomy

Under the "taxonomy" header, we list the current accepted scientific name, its author(s), and its current higher taxonomy (Family: Subfamily: Tribe), as well as common name(s), and synonyms that it may be listed under in earlier publications. 

Adult Recognition

Under the "adult recognition" header, we list the size of species in terms of forewingforewing:
the anterior wing
length (FWLFWL:
forewing length; the distance from the base of the forewing to the apex, including fringe
), and a general description of the adult moth, useful diagnostic features, and simplified descriptions of male and female genitalia. 

Larval Morphology

Under the "larval morphology" header, we include generalized descriptions of the larva, including size, color, and remarks on the chaetotaxychaetotaxy:
the arrangement of setae (in reference to Lepidoptera larvae), often depicted on a "setal map"
, which is useful in making many larval identifications. 

Similar Species

Here we list other species that could be easily confused with the treated species, either because of similar adult morphology or larval feeding biology. Links are included to other species with TortID fact sheets. 

Distribution

The full range of the species is described, including both its native range and introduced range for exotic species. 

Biology

The life cycle of the species is described, including phenology, ovipositional preferences, known host plants, and mating behavior (when known). A fully searchable and sortable host plant table is provided for each species.

Identification Thumbnail Gallery

A series of thumbnail photos are provided under the Gallery tab. Thumbnail photos can be sorted by subfamily, tribe, and genus, as well as sex, life stage, and view/structure (dorsal/ventral, genitalia, pest status, etc.). Several photos of each species are provided (when available) to account for wing pattern variation. Clicking on an image will enlarge it. Clicking on the species name beneath the image will take you to the fact sheet for that species.  

PLEASE NOTE: The identification thumbnail gallery contain photos of adults for EVERY species listed in the fact sheets on TortID. This includes both adult targets, non-targets, and larval targets. The purpose of the thumbnail ID gallery is to provide the user with a broad overview of the variation within each particular subfamily, tribe, and genus, and to provide a quick pictorial overview of the taxa covered in TortID. The ID thumbnails can also be used for quick species identification if the user is aware that many of the species displayed in the thumbnail gallery are not present in the United States. 

If you are attempting to identify tortricid non-targets collected in the United States, better resources are the Moth Photographers Group, iNaturalist, or BugGuide.

Materials & Methods

Figures on the fact sheets were photographed by the authors of TortID unless otherwise credited.

Information in the text as well as host plant information was obtained from the references provided on each fact sheet (hover or click on reference for full citation).

Taxonomic information was retrieved from the Online World Catalogue of the Tortricidae:

Gilligan, T. M., J. Baixeras, & J. W. Brown. 2018. T@RTS: Online World Catalogue of the Tortricidae (Version 4.0). http://www.tortricidae.com/catalogue.asp.

The bulk of host plant information was obtained from the Food plant database of the leafrollers of the world:

Brown, J. W., G. Robinson & J. A. Powell. 2008. Food plant database of the leafrollers of the world (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) (Version 1.0.0). http://www.tortricidae.com/foodplants.asp.

In many cases, additional host plant information was obtained from the references provided for each taxon. All plant family assignments were cross-checked against the Plants of the World Online database (https://powo.science.kew.org/). Common names for each species (when available) were also generally assigned using the USDA Plants database (https://plants.usda.gov) with a few select exceptions.

      POWO. 2024. Plants of the World Online (https://powo.science.kew.org/). Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

USDA, NRCS. 2024. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA.