Archips oporana (Linnaeus, 1758)

pine tortrix, spruce tortricid

on conifers

mine

Young larvae make a number of tiny fleck mines, working from a round opening that usually is situated near the base of a needle. Mined needles are surrounded by spinning. The frass is ejected, part of it is trapped in the spinning. Older larvae live free in a silken tube among the leaves.

host plants

Cupressaceae, Pinaceae; narrowly polyphagous

Abies alba; Juniperus commnis; Larix decidua; Picea; Pinus sylvestris; Thuja occidentalis.

phenology

Mining larvae in May – July (Hering, 1957a).

BENELUX

BE recorded (Phegea, 2009).

NE recorded (Kuchlein & de Vos, 1999a; Microlepidoptera.nl, 2009).

LUX recorded (Fauna Europaea, 2009).

distribution within Europe

All Europe, except Ireland and the Balkan Peninsula (Fauna Europaea, 2009).

larva

Body dirty yellow-green with brownish black pinacula; thoracic feet black; head dark brown or black; prothoracic plate with a brown black margin. Under strong magnification the integument appears to be covered by minute black spinules (Swatschek, 1958a; Patočka, 1960a; Bradley, Tremewan & Smith, 1973a).

pupa

See Patočka & Turčáni.

synonyms

Archips oporanus; Archips, Cacoecia, piceana (Linnaeus, 1758).

references

Askew (1968a), Bradley, Tremewan & Smith (1973a), Buhr (1935b), Hancock & Bland (2015b), Hering (1957a), Huber (1969a), Kuchlein & Donner (1993a), Kuchlein & de Vos (1999a), Lepiforum (2019), Meijerman & Ulenberg (2000a), Patočka (1960a)m Patočka & Turčáni (2005a), De Prins & Steeman (2011a), Sinev & Shapoval (2015a), Skala & Zavřel (1945a), Sønderup (1949a), Swatschek (1958a), Szőcs (1977a), Zoerner (1969a).