''Cydia succedana'', or Gorse Pod Moth is a species of

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 ...

of the family

Tortricidae The Tortricidae are a family of moths, commonly known as tortrix moths or leafroller moths, in the order Lepidoptera. This large family has over 11,000 species described, and is the sole member of the superfamily Tortricoidea, although the gen ...

. It is found in Europe and has been introduced to New Zealand. The wingspan is 11-16 mm.The forewings have an irregular white cross-band (usually not reaching the costal edge), otherwise some white costal spots and a pair of more or less blurry, silvery slashes at the apex. It is not possible to distinguish safely between this species and '' Cydia albipicta'' based on external appearance, one must examine the genitals where there are clear differences. The moth flies from April to September depending on the location. The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. Th ...

e feed on ''

Ulex europaeus ''Ulex europaeus'', the gorse, common gorse, furze or whin, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to the British Isles and Western Europe. Description Growing to tall, it is an evergreen shrub. The young stems are ...

'', ''

Genista Genista is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae, native to open habitats such as moorland and pasture in Europe and western Asia. They include species commonly called broom, though the term may also refer to other genera, ...

'', ''

Lotus Lotus may refer to: Plants *Lotus (plant), various botanical taxa commonly known as lotus, particularly: ** ''Lotus'' (genus), a genus of terrestrial plants in the family Fabaceae **Lotus flower, a symbolically important aquatic Asian plant also ...

'' and ''

Cytisus scoparius ''Cytisus scoparius'' (syn. ''Sarothamnus scoparius''), the common broom or Scotch broom, is a deciduous leguminous shrub native to western and central Europe. In Britain and Ireland, the standard name is broom; this name is also used for ot ...

''. The larva is used as an agent to biologically control

gorse ''Ulex'' (commonly known as gorse, furze, or whin) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The genus comprises about 20 species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. The species are ...

in New Zealand feeding on the seeds.Withers, T. M., Hill, R. L., Paynter, Q., Fowler, S. V., & Gourlay, A. H. (2008). Post-release investigations into the fi eld host range of the gorse pod moth Cydia succedana Denis & Schiffermüller (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in New Zealand. ''New Zealand Entomologist'', ''31''(1), 67-76.

References

External links

Lepidoptera of Belgium

Microlepidoptera.nl

ukmoths
Grapholitini Moths described in 1775 Tortricidae of Europe Moths of New Zealand Insects of Turkey Lepidoptera used as pest control agents {{Olethreutinae-stub