Eupoecilia ambiguella, the vine moth
Description
Most sources state the
wingspan as 12–15 mm,
although Zhang and Houhun instead give it as 9–15 mm.
Distribution
The distribution range of
Eupoecilia ambiguella stretches from the
United Kingdom to
Japan, occurring north up into
Fennoscandia and south to the Mediterranean Basin.
Its range overlaps in part with that of
Lobesia botrana, but
E. ambiguella prefers colder, more humid environments than
L. botrana,
and in shared areas may be found at a higher altitude
or co-occurring in the same vineyard.
Host plants
The larvae are polyphagous, with more than thirty known host plants including
dogwood,
smooth bedstraw,
blackthorn,
Virginia creeper,
grape and
honeysuckle. According to some sources, its original host plant is common mugworth (
Artemisia vulgaris),
but according to Ioriatti, Lucchi and Varela, "grapevine is now accepted as its original host."
Economic impact
Eupoecilia ambiguella is a vineyard pest, and until the 1920s was the chief such pest in European vineyards.
Although it has since then largely been replaced by
Lobesia botrana in the southern European part of its range,
it remains a major pest in Northern European and South-German wineproducing regions.
Behaviour
Eupoecilia ambiguella generally occurs in two generations,
but up to three in the southern parts of its range.
Larvae of the initial generation are flower-feeders, while those of following generations feed on berries.
Adults are most active from dusk to early morning.
Notes
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