White-spotted Leafroller – Argyrotaenia alisellana


White-spotted Leafroller – Argyrotaenia alisellana
Family: Tortricidae. The white-spotted leafroller feeds on trees in the family Fagaceae.
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Live adult moths photographed at McKee Marsh Forest Preserve, DuPage County, Illinois.
White-spotted Leafroller
The white-spotted leafroller feeds on trees in the family Fagaceae, primarily white oak (Quercus alba) and Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa). 

Moths in the family Tortricidae are commonly called Tortricid, tortrix, or leafrollers, after their caterpillar's habit of shelter-building by folding or rolling the leaves of its host plant. Tortrix caterpillars employ a wide variety of feeding techniques, all damaging to the victim: root boring, fruit boring, seed predation and flower-feeding.

While tortricids are known primarily as agricultural pests, a few have been used as biological control agents of invasive plant species. [1]

White-spotted Leafroller

References

  1. Brown, J. W., G. Robinson & J. A. Powell. 2008. Food plant database of the leafrollers of the world (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) (Version 1.0.0). http://www.tortricidae.com/foodplants.asp.  
  2. tortricid.net, Argyrotaenia alisellana
  3. Bugguide.net, Species Argyrotaenia alisellana – White-spotted Leafroller – Hodges#3624
Order Lepidoptera: Moths. Unlike the butterflies, moths are usually nocturnal. Many moths and their caterpillars are major agricultural pests in large parts of the world. Moths in the family Tineidae are commonly regarded as pests because their larvae eat fabrics, clothes and blankets made from natural fibers such as wool or silk. Moths in the genus Farinalis feed on stored grain, flour, corn meal and other milled grain products.
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