''Cydia fagiglandana'', the beech moth, is a

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

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 genu ...

Distribution and habitat

This species is present in most of Europe. These moths mainly occur in beech woodland.

Description

''Cydia fagiglandana'' can reach a

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...

of 12–16 mm.UK Moths
/ref> The forewings are brown-black irrorated with whitish, crossed by pairs of fine dark brown stripes. The basal patch is slightly darker, the edge sharply angulated. There are two leaden-metallic streaks from costa posteriorly and a large darker coppery-tinged terminal patch hardly reaching costa. The ocellus within this patch is edged with leaden-metallic, enclosing some blackish marks. The hindwings are fuscous. The larvae are light yellowish or whitish, longitudinally clouded with orange; spots orange; head pale brownish; plate of 2 pale ochreous. This species is rather similar to '' Cydia splendana''.

Biology

The moth flies from April to September depending on the location. They are active in the evening. The larvae feed sometimes on

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

(''

Quercus ilex ''Quercus ilex'', the holly oak, also (ambiguously, as many oaks are evergreen) evergreen oak, is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the section (botany), section ''List of Quercus species#Section Ilex, Il ...

'', ''

Quercus robur ''Quercus robur'', the pedunculate oak, is a species of flowering plant in the beech and oak family, Fagaceae. It is a large tree, native plant, native to most of Europe and western Asia, and is widely cultivated in other temperate regions. It ...

''), but usually on beech nuts (''

Fagus sylvatica ''Fagus sylvatica'', the European beech or common beech, is a large, graceful deciduous tree in the Fagaceae, beech family with smooth silvery-gray bark, large leaf area, and a short trunk with low branches. Description ''Fagus sylvatica'' i ...

''). The larval stage may last for two years. Pupation usually occurs in a cocoon spun in the soil or in rotten wood.Catalogue of the Lepidoptera of Belgium
The first adults emerge in late spring.

References

External links

Funet

Lepiforum
Grapholitini Moths of Japan Moths of Europe {{Olethreutinae-stub