''Archips xylosteana'', the variegated golden tortrix or brown oak tortrix, is a
moth of the family
Tortricidae.
Distribution
This Palearctic moth is widespread in most of
Europe, in Asia (
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
,
Iran,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
,
Kazakhstan,
Korea,
Siberia,
Turkey), and in northern Africa (
Algeria).
[
]
Habitat
This moth species inhabit woodland and scrub in hilly and mountainous areas. [
]
Description
''Archips xylosteana'' is a medium-sized to large moth with a wingspan reaching .[UK Moths]
/ref> The females are usually slightly larger than the males. The basic color of the fore wings varies from yellow-brown or ocher to pinkish brown, mottled with dark reddish brown markings. Forewings are broad and roughly rectangular. Hind wings are light grayish brown.
/ref> The design of the wings may appear lightly asymmetric, because at rest one of the wing covers the other[ and hides part of it. The caterpillar varies from whitish gray to bluish with greenish reflections and have a black head. ][ Meyrick describes it - Forewings with termen sinuate, vertical, costal fold from base to 3/5, irregular ; ochreous more or less fuscous-tinged, paler towards costa ; a transverse dorsal spot near base, central fascia with anterior edge sinuate, costal patch broadly connected with it near costa, a blotch from above tornus sometimes connected with costal patch, and an apical spot dark ferruginous-brown. Hindwings grey, apex
sometimes yellowish-tinged. Larva whitish-grey or pale greenish ; head black ;plate of 2 black, anterior edge white. Julius von Kennel provides a full description.
]
Biology
These moths fly from June to August in one generation.[ They rest during the day in the foliage of trees and shrubs. Their activity begins at dusk. ][ They overwinter on tree trunks and thick boughs.
Caterpillars grow protected in a rolled leaf, perpendicularly to the midrib, from April to June. These larvae are polyphagous, feeding on various shrubs and deciduous trees, ][ mainly oak ('' Quercus''), elm ('' Ulmus''), linden ('']Tilia
''Tilia'' is a genus of about 30 species of trees or bushes, native throughout most of the temperateness, temperate Northern Hemisphere. The tree is known as linden for the European species, and basswood for North American species. In Britain a ...
''), hazel ('' Corylus''), maples ( ''Acer''), ash (''Fraxinus
''Fraxinus'' (), common name, commonly called ash, is a genus of flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45–65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous, though a number of Subtropics, subtropic ...
'', firs ('' Abies''), brambles ('' Rubus''), honeysuckle ('' Lonicera'') and St John's worts ('' Hypericum'')). [ They can also be found on various fruit trees ( apple, pear, etc.) Historische Lepidopteren-Literatur / Schütze (1931)]
and on some herbaceous plants.
Gallery
File:Archips_xylosteana_larva.jpg, Caterpillar
File:Archips xylosteana-02 (xndr).jpg, Moth, side view
File:Archips xylosteana w 080607.jpg, Moth, female
File:Archips xylosteana-M-Niederösterreich, Korneuburg, Bisamberg-E-MK-11377a.jpg, Mounted specimen. Male
Bibliography
*Linnaeus, C. (1758): Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. 1-824. Holmiae (Laurentius Salvius).
*Robinson, G. S. & E. Schmidt Nielsen (1983): The Microlepidoptera described by Linnaeus and Clerck. — Systematic Entomology 8: 191-242.
References
External links
Lepiforum e.V.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q135240
Archips
Moths of Africa
Moths of Asia
Tortricidae of Europe
Moths described in 1758
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus