''Cydia servillana'' is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the family Tortricidae which forms

gall Galls (from the Latin , 'oak-apple') or ''cecidia'' (from the Greek , anything gushing out) are a kind of swelling growth on the external tissues of plants, fungi, or animals. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues, similar to be ...

s on the young shoots of

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...

(''Salix'' species). It was first described by Philogène Auguste Joseph Duponchel in 1836.

Description

A single egg is laid on the buds of the food plant in May and June. The newly hatched larva enters the twig near the apex of the bud. At first the

frass Frass refers loosely to the more or less solid excreta of insects, and to certain other related matter. Definition and etymology ''Frass'' is an informal term and accordingly it is variously used and variously defined. It is derived from the ...

is ejected but as the larva penetrates the twig the frass packs the tunnel. The gall is a spindle-shaped swelling, which can be difficult to find, on a one- or two-year-old willow shoot. Inside, the 3 cm tunnel-like chamber contains a larva or pupa. The larva overwinters fully fed in a cocoon, preparing an exit hole before it pupates in April or May. The exit hole is just above a bud and is covered by silk mixed with reddish frass. When the moth emerges the pupal exuviae is left in the exit hole making the gall easier to find. The gall has been recorded on eared willow (''

Salix aurita ''Salix aurita'', the eared willow, is a species of willow distributed over much of Europe, and occasionally cultivated. It is a shrub to 2.5 m in height, distinguished from the similar but slightly larger ''Salix cinerea'' by its reddish ...

''), goat willow ( ''S. caprea''), grey willow ( ''S. cinerea'') and creeping willow ''S. repens''.

Distribution

Has been recorded from Belgium, Germany, Great Britain (uncommon in southern England and Wales), Russia and Sweden.

References

Grapholitini Gall-inducing insects Moths described in 1836 Moths of Europe Taxa named by Philogène Auguste Joseph Duponchel {{Olethreutinae-stub