Zeiraphera ratzeburgiana
Encyclopedia
The Spruce bud moth or Ratzeburg tortricid (Zeiraphera ratzeburgiana) is a moth
of the Tortricidae
family. It is found from northern and central Europe
to eastern Russia
.
The wingspan
is 12–15 mm. Adults are on wing in July and August.
The larvae mainly feed on Picea abies, but has also been recorded on Picea sitchensis, Picea smithiana, Pinus sylvestris, Pinus pinea and Abies cephalonica. The larvae penetrate into the buds of the host plant and feed on the needles and eventually on the growing point. Malformation of the bud causes the young shoot to bend which severely damages the growing point. Larvae can also attack the female blossom and damage the young cone.
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 from northern and central Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to eastern Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
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 12–15 mm. Adults are on wing in July and August.
The larvae mainly feed on Picea abies, but has also been recorded on Picea sitchensis, Picea smithiana, Pinus sylvestris, Pinus pinea and Abies cephalonica. The larvae penetrate into the buds of the host plant and feed on the needles and eventually on the growing point. Malformation of the bud causes the young shoot to bend which severely damages the growing point. Larvae can also attack the female blossom and damage the young cone.