Description

Adult

Wingspan of 18-20 mm. Forewings are reddish orange with silvery transverse lines. Hindwings are brownish-grey with a paler stripe along the edges. Body length is ca. 10 mm. Abdomens of females are usually swollen while males have a uniformly grey abdomen terminating in claspers.

Larvae

First instars are ca. 2mm in length, reaching ca. 20 mm in length when fully developed. Initially larvae are pale yellow-brown with a darker head. During the 2nd to the 5th instar development stages the body colour darkens, becoming paler in the sixth and final instar.

Eggs

Between 1.0-1.3 mm in diameter and laid individually or in groups of 2 to 4. Initially yellowish-white, becoming orange-brown with time.

Distribution

Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, North Africa and northern Asia

Economic Host(s)

Pine species.

Symptoms/Signs

Larvae produce holes and galleries in developing shoots and buds causing them to die. Partially mined shoots grow twisted or crooked. Small white resin masses and dead needles are signs of infestation. Infestations reduce growth rates and cause stem deformations.

Generations:

1