Introduction to Hawaiian Tortricidae

Cydia plicata (Walsingham, 1907) reared from Sophora chrysophylla (Fabaceae) seedpods on Mauna Kea, Hawaii.	Relationships of Tortricidae found in Hawaii (following Brown et al., 2005). Click on image to enlarge.

The family Tortricidae is considered a monophyletic group (i.e. all species share a common ancestor not shared with species in other families) of "microlepidoptera" (or small moths). Likewise, the three subfamilies of Tortricidae (Tortricinae, Olethreutinae, Chlidanotinae) are considered monophyletic by most workers, although the relationships among the subfamilies, tribes, and genera continue to be debated.

In many parts of the world, some species of Tortricidae are considered pests of agriculture (eg. Codling moth, Cydia pomonella, in apples & walnuts) and forestry (eg. Spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana). In 2007, the light brown apple moth, Epiphyas postivittana, was discovered in California where there is great concern over its potential impact on agriculture. This Australian native has been known from the Hawaiian Islands since 1896 (Zimmerman, 1978) and feeds on a very diverse range of host plants, but apparently causes negligible economic injury in Hawaii.

In Hawaii, at least 86 species of Tortricidae are known to occur. Of these, 74 are considered endemic and 11 are alien, including 5 species purposefully introduced to control pest plants (Nishida, 2004). Many more endemic species likely occur, while some species appear to have gone extinct. Some species appear to be endemic to a particular island while others can be found commonly throughout the island chain.

Superficially, tortricids may be confused with species of Carposinidae, which are often a similar size and shape. Tortricids, however, have chaetosemata whereas carposinids do not. Tortricids can also be distiguished from members of Gelechioidea (eg. Cosmopterigidae, Oecophoridae, etc.) by the strongly upturned labial palps and scaled proboscis of gelechioids, and from Pyraloidea (Pyralidae, Crambidae) which also have a scaled proboscis (which tortricids do not).

The two subfamilies of Tortricidae that are found in Hawaii have a somewhat different shape in their resting position. Tortricinae are more "bell-shaped" with wings held more-or-less flat over the back, while Olethreutinae have a more tapered appearance with wings held more "tent-like" over the back. Although many Tortricinae are "leaf-rollers," curling the edge of the leaf with silk to form a retreat, and many Olethreutinae are fruit/seed feeders, there are also many exceptions.