Epiphyas postvittana

Epiphyas postvittana (Walker, 1863)
(one synonym: Dichelia vicariana)
Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM)
TORTRICINAE , TORTRICIDAE

Don Herbison-Evans ( donherbisonevans@yahoo.com )
&
Stella Crossley

(updated 22 October 2008)

(Photo: courtesy of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

This Caterpillar is pale green, with thin yellow bands between segments, and a pale brown head. It is a pest in monoculture situations, particularly attacking

Cultivated Grapes ( Vitis vinifera, VITACEAE ).

One of the worst aspects of an infestation by this Caterpillar is that other diseases such as the Mould Botrytis cinerea are transmitted by the Caterpillars to the crop.

The Caterpillar also attacks a wide variety of other agricultural plants and fruits, including:

Christmas Bells ( Blandfordia grandiflora, BLANDFORDIACEAE ),

Cabbage ( Brassica oleracea, BRASSICACEAE ),

Alfalfa ( Lucerne: Medicago sativa, FABACEAE ),

Sage ( Salvia officinalis, LAMIACEAE ),

Pine Trees ( Pinus species, PINACEAE ),

Apple ( Malus pumila, ROSACEAE ),

Citrus trees of various types: e.g. Lemon, Orange, ( RUTACEAE ), and

Pimiento ( Capsicum annuum, SOLANACEAE ),

as well as various Australian native plants including:

Wattles ( Acacia species, MIMOSACEAE ),

Gum Trees ( Eucalyptus species, MYRTACEAE ),

Blackthorn ( Bursaria species, PITTOSPORACEAE ),

Spider Flowers ( Grevillea species, PROTEACEAE ),

Boronias ( Boronia species, RUTACEAE ), and

Mat-Rush ( Lomandra species, XANTHORRHOEACEAE ).

It lives in a shelter created by joining together with silk the young leaves of a growing shoot of its foodplant. If disturbed, the Caterpillar wriggles backwards violently, and drops on a silk thread. The Caterpillar grows to a length of about 2 cms.

(Photo: courtesy of Hortnet, New Zealand)

The Caterpillar pupates, protected by leaves joined around it. Pupal duration can be as short as one week.


Photos :		courtesy of
CSIRO Entomology		David Painter of UK Moths

The adult moths have orange brown forewings with variable darker markings in the outer area. The males have a larger dark area than the females, and are also somewhat smaller. The hindwings are light brown.

The moths rest with the forewings covering the hindwings, so that their forewings make a shape like the outline of a bell. The moths have a wingspan of about 2 cms.

Female (left) and Male (right)
(Photo: courtesy of Greg Baker and Peter Bailey,
South Australian Research and Development Institute)

The males find the females by smell, as the females emit specific aromatic attractant substances (pheromones).

(Photo: courtesy of Hortnet, New Zealand)

The eggs are pale green and flat, and laid so that they overlap each other to form a smooth surface. This makes for a good camouflage. Each egg has a diameter of about 1 mm. The eggs are usually laid in groups of several dozen on the upper surface of host plant leaves.

A variety of techniques have been used in an attempt to control the species, including :

hot water,

using Pheromones,

using a Controlled Atmosphere,

the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis ( BACILLACEAE ),

using a Nucleopolyhedrovirus ( BACULOVIRIDAE ), and

the larvae of the wasp Trichogramma carverae ( TRICHOGRAMMATIDAE ).

The species originated in south-east Australia, but has now spread world-wide, and occuring for example in :

England,

Holland, and

New Zealand, as well as

Australia.