Gypsonoma haimbachiana
Encyclopedia
The Cottonwood Twig Borer (Gypsonoma haimbachiana) is a moth
of the Tortricidae
family. It is found in eastern North America
, from Canada
to the Gulf states and west to Missouri
.
The wingspan
is 13–17 mm. Adults are ash grey. There are four or more generations per year in the southern part of their range.
The larvae feed on Populus sect. Aigeiros and other Populus species. Young larvae cover themselves with silk mixed with trash and then bore into the midrib of their host plant. After some days, they leave the midrib gallery and tunnel into a young shoot to complete their larval development. Full-grown larvae move down the trunk to spin a cocoon in a sheltered bark crevice, in litter or between leaf folds. It is one of the most destructive insects of young cottonwood. Full-grown larvae are pale, with a brown-yellow head. They reach a length of 10-13 mm.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Tortricidae
Tortricidae
Tortricidae is a family of moths, commonly known as tortrix moths, in the order Lepidoptera. Tortricidae is a large family with over 9,400 species described, and is the sole member of the superfamily Tortricoidea. Many of these are economically important pests. Olethreutidae is a junior synonym...
family. It is found in eastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to the Gulf states and west to Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 13–17 mm. Adults are ash grey. There are four or more generations per year in the southern part of their range.
The larvae feed on Populus sect. Aigeiros and other Populus species. Young larvae cover themselves with silk mixed with trash and then bore into the midrib of their host plant. After some days, they leave the midrib gallery and tunnel into a young shoot to complete their larval development. Full-grown larvae move down the trunk to spin a cocoon in a sheltered bark crevice, in litter or between leaf folds. It is one of the most destructive insects of young cottonwood. Full-grown larvae are pale, with a brown-yellow head. They reach a length of 10-13 mm.