''Acrobasis indigenella'', the leaf crumpler, is a species of
snout moth in the genus ''
Acrobasis
''Acrobasis'' is a genus of moths of the family Pyralidae. ''. It was described by
Philipp Christoph Zeller
Philipp Christoph Zeller (8 April 1808 – 27 March 1883) was a German entomologist.
Zeller was born at Steinheim an der Murr, Württemberg, two miles from Marbach, the birthplace of Schiller. The family moved to Frankfurt (Oder) where Philip ...
in 1848, and is known from eastern North America.
The
wingspan
The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan ...
is 15–20 mm.
There are two generations per year in the south-eastern United States.
The larvae feed on ''
Malus pumila
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...
'', ''
Cydonia oblonga
The quince (; ''Cydonia oblonga'') is the sole member of the genus ''Cydonia'' in the Malinae subtribe (which also contains apples and pears, among other fruits) of the Rosaceae family. It is a deciduous tree that bears hard, aromatic bri ...
'', ''
Prunus
''Prunus'' is a genus of trees and shrubs, which includes (among many others) the fruits plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and almonds.
Native to the North American temperate regions, the neotropics of South America, and the p ...
'', ''
Cotoneaster
''Cotoneaster'' is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, native to the Palaearctic region (temperate Asia, Europe, north Africa), with a strong concentration of diversity in the genus in the mountains of southwestern China a ...
'', ''
Pyracantha
''Pyracantha'' (from Greek "fire" and "thorn", hence firethorn) is a genus of large, thorny evergreen shrubs in the family Rosaceae, with common names firethorn or pyracantha. They are native to an area extending from Southwest Europe east to ...
'', ''
Crataegus'' and ''
Eriobotrya japonica
The loquat (''Eriobotrya japonica'') is a large evergreen shrub or tree, grown commercially for its orange fruit and for its leaves, which are used to make herbal tea. It is also cultivated as an ornamental plant.
The loquat is in the fam ...
''. The larvae construct tubes that are attached to twigs of their host plant. These tubes are expanded with silk and leaf fragments while the larvae grow. The larvae first feed on developing leaves near the tube, but leave their shelters when all of these leaves are eaten. Pupation takes place within the tube. They are greyish green with purplish markings above and pale greyish green on the underside. The head is pale reddish brown. The reach a length of 14.5-17.5 mm. The species overwinters in the larval stage.
References
Moths described in 1848
Acrobasis
Moths of North America
{{Acrobasis-stub