Recognition
Diagnostic features
Adults
Forewing color is tan to brown. Males have a brown to dark brown well defined median fascia that is continuous from costa to dorsum and a dark brown spot on the costa. Females have similar markings but the median fascia and costal spot are usually less distinct. Males lack a forewing costal fold.
Males have a single short and thin cornutus in the aedeagus and the entire apex of the valva is membranous. The spiral ductus bursae serves to separate female peritana from most other California Tortricidae. Females lack a signum in the corpus bursae.
Larvae
Larvae are usually light green, but body color can vary depending on the host plant.
Related or similar species
Clepsis virescana is similar; male virescana have a forewing costal fold, two long cornuti in the aedeagus, and a smaller membranous lobe on the apex of the valva. Female virescana have a signum in the corpus bursae and lack a spiraled ductus bursae. LBAM has a large membranous lobe on the apex of the male valva, but the lobe is not continuous along the base of the ventral margin and it forms a conspicuous notch that is not present in peritana (Fig. 11). The uncus of the two species is very similar but the LBAM uncus is generally broader.
Female peritana captured during LBAM surveys can be distinguished by brushing scales off the cleared abdomen to reveal the spiral ductus bursae.
Biology
Life history
Clepsis peritana completes several generations per year; the exact number varies according to location: 6 to 7 generations are common in the South, 4 to 5 generations are common in central California. In southern California adults are present during most of the year; in central California adults are present April through June and again in August through October.
Eggs are deposited in small masses of approximately 10-20 individual eggs. Larvae live in silk tubes built on the surface of leaves and feed on dead or decaying leaf litter. Larvae will occasionally feed in the buds or fruits of living plants. On strawberry larvae may cause damage to fruit in contact with the ground by webbing leaves to the fruit and chewing holes in the berries. In citrus groves larvae feed on decaying leaves until population levels are high, at which point they switch to feeding on citrus fruit. Significant damage to citrus is caused only when fruit is close to the ground or has dropped from the tree.
Host plants
This species is known in the economic literature as a pest of strawberry (Fragaria sp.) and Citrus.
As the common name suggests, peritana has also been recorded feeding on ornamental and garden plants, including: begonia (Begonia sp.), daisy (Chrysanthemum sp.), and numerous other hosts in the families Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, Polyporaceae, Rosaceae, Scrophulariaceae, and Solanaceae.
Area of origin
North America
Distribution
Southern Canada throughout the continental United States, south to Mexico; peritana is one of the most widespread tortricid species in North America
Taxonomy
Current valid name
Clepsis peritana (Clemens)
Common names
- Garden tortrix
- Strawberry garden tortrix
Synonyms
- Ptycholoma peritana
- Smicrotes peritana
- Tortrix peritana
- Dichelia inconclusana
Placement
Tortricinae: Archipini
Selected References
Freeman, T. N. 1958. The Archipinae of North America (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). The Canadian Entomologist. 90 (suppl. 7). 89 pp.
Powell, J. A. 1964. Biological and taxonomic studies on tortricine moths, with reference to the species in California. University of California Publications in Entomology. Vol. 32. 317 pp.
Photo Credits
Figures 4-5 used with permission from University of California Statewide IPM Program. Please visit the UC IPM Web Site for more information.
