Description

Adult

Wingspan of 20-25 mm. Forewings brown edged with transparent patches. Hindwings almost entirely transparent. Males have 4 equally spaced orange-yellow bands on the abdomen and females have 3 such bands. Both have an orange-brown tail that fans out during flight

Larvae

Up to 20 mm long. Body creamy white with a dark dorsal longitudinal stripe (which is actually the central blood vessel). Head reddish-brown and prothoracic plate pale brown

Eggs

Brown eggs are laid in soil close to a host plant.

Distribution

Europe and parts of Asia

Economic Host(s)

Rubus species, in particular, raspberry and blackberry.

Symptoms/Signs

After hatching larvae bore into the tap root systems of their host to feed and hibernate. In the following spring larvae bore upwards to feed on the pith of the cane.

Generations:

1