Distribution, Hosts, Abundance, and Seasonal Flight Activity of the Exotic Leafroller, <I>Archips fuscocupreanus</I> Walsingham (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), in the Northeastern United States

Abstract

Archips fuscocupreanus Walsingham (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) is an eastern Asian leafroller that recently was detected in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Based on males captured in pheromone traps between 1998 and 2000, A. fuscocupreanus inhabits five northeastern coastal states between Massachusetts and New Jersey. In Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York, larvae had a broad host range, feeding on 87 plants in 15 families. Fifty-nine hosts (67.8%) were in the Rosaceae, the plant family that includes economically important pome and stone fruits. In outdoor cages, adult females laid a similar number of egg masses on five different species of potted fruit trees that are grown widely. At The Arnold Arboretum in Massachusetts, larval abundance was highest on Ilex verticillata (L.) Gray (3.4 larvae per plant) although it was statistically similar to that on four rosaceous species (1.0–1.8 larvae per plant), and significantly higher than that on another 12 rosaceous trees (0–0.5 larvae per plant). In an insecticide-free apple orchard at Hamden, Connecticut, males flew for 4–5 wk between mid-June and mid-July 2000–2001. Based on its broad host range in the United States and on its development of insecticide resistance in Japan, A. fuscocupreanus poses a threat to the fruit and nursery industries in North America.