Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
553
554
553
Juniper shoot moth (
Argyresthia dilectella
).
554
Juniper shoot borer (
Argyresthia dilectella
).
555
Family
YPONOMEUTIDAE
A very large family of small moths with elongate,
relatively broad wings and well-developed, projecting
maxillary palps. The larvae are of variable form;
crotchets on the abdominal prolegs are often arranged
into several concentric circles.
Argyresthia dilectella
Zeller (
553-555
)
Juniper shoot moth
larva
juniper shoot borer
A locally common pest of juniper (
Juniperus
), and
sometimes troublesome in gardens and nurseries; also
reported on other members of the Cupressaceae.
Restricted to central Europe and to the more southerly
parts of northern Europe.
=
555
Juniper shoot borer (
Argyresthia dilectella
) damage to
shoot of
Juniperus
.
DESCRIPTION
Adult:
8-10 mm wingspan; fore wings white, suffused
and ornamented with golden brown; hind wings light
grey.
Larva:
up to 5 mm long: yellowish green,
sometimes reddish intersegmentally, with a brownish-
black head and blackish prothoracic and anal plates.
Eutromula pariana
(Clerck) (
551-552
)
Apple leaf skeletonizer moth
larva
apple leaf skeletonizer
Although associated mainly with apple, including
crab-apple (
Malus
), this species is occasionally
damaging to the foliage of other ornamental rosaceous
plants, including flowering cherry (
Prunus
), hawthorn
(
Crataegus
) and ornamental pear (
Pyrus calleryana
'Chanticleer'). The light green to yellowish, black-
spotted larvae (up to 14 mm long) cause extensive
damage to the leaves, typically removing tissue from the
upper surface but leaving the lower one intact. They
feed beneath silken webs from May onwards, and
individuals eventually pupate in white, boat-shaped
cocoons spun beneath a leaf or among plant debris. The
greyish-brown adults (11-13 mm wingspan) appear in
July and August. Larvae of a second generation
complete their development in the autumn. They then
pupate and adults, that then overwinter, appear shorty
afterwards.
=
LIFE HISTORY
Moths occur in July and deposit eggs on the shoots of
juniper. After egg hatch the larvae tunnel within the
shoots, feeding throughout the winter months and
completing their development by the end of May. They
then vacate their feeding galleries, to pupate externally
in white cocoons.
DAMAGE
Affected shoots turn purplish and then brown. This
spoils the appearance of infested plants and also affects
their development.
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