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