Moths of North Carolina
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26 NC Records

Grapholita packardi Zeller, 1875 - Cherry Fruitworm Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Tortricoidea Family: TortricidaeSubfamily: OlethreutinaeTribe: GrapholitiniP3 Number: 621307.00 MONA Number: 3428.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Immature Stages: MacKay (1959)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The adults occur as both light and dark color forms. For the light forms, the head, palps, and antennae are medium brown. The forewing ground has a mixture of light brown and pale scales. The most prominent mark is a large dark brown fascia that extends from just beyond the middle of the inner margin inward to near the costa, where it meets a somewhat darker, narrower, and posteriorly oblique mid-costal streak. The fascia tends to narrow just before reaching the inner margin. The area between the fascia and the wing base usually has a series of alternating, irregular, silvery and dark striae, while the costal margin has pairs of whitish strigulae along much of its length. A curved line of eight or so black dashes is present in the preterminal region. These extend inward from below the inner margin in the pretornal area to just beyond the middle, then curve basally and terminate before reaching the costa at about four-fifths. The fringe is grayish-brown with a darker basal line, and the hindwing is grayish-brown with a paler fringe and darker basal line. The dark forms are similar but have most or all of the forewing patterning obscured by heavy dark dusting. The males of both forms have a large patch of blackish sex scaling on the upper surface of the hindwing and a similar patch on the undersurface of the forewing.

The dark form of Grapholita packardi is very similar to G. molesta, but is generally much smaller (3.5-5.0 mm versus 5.0-6.5 mm), and the curved line of black dots in the preterminal region of G. molesta is replaced by relatively long dashes. Examination of female genitalia may be required in some instances.
Wingspan: 8-10.5 mm (Heinrich, 1926)
Forewing Length: 3.5-5.0 mm (Gilligan et al. (2008)
Adult Structural Features: Gilligan et al. (2008) and Gilligan and Epstein (TortAI) have images of the male and female genitalia and note that the male genitalia are distinctive in having an unconstricted valval neck that is nearly as wide as the cucullus. Female genitalia are characterized by a triangular ostium.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae are polyphagous and feed on a variety of freshy fruits. When feeding on blueberries, the young larvae bore into a fruit and feed on the tissues. As they grow older they move to an adjacent berry and bore from one fruit into another at the point of contact, then line the junction with silk. This may be repeated with additional berries. When mature, the larvae leave the fruit and excavate small burrows a dead blueberry canes, pruning stubs, or the stems of nearby dead weeds (Burrack, 2015; Marucci, 1966). The larvae remain inactive in these burrows for the remainder of the growing season and throughout the winter. They pupate within their burrows following the spring warm-up and emerge about two weeks later as adults. The life cycle is similar when feeding on cherries except that a larva typically exploits only one fruit before exiting to find an overwintering site. When feeding on apples, the larvae often bore into the young terminal shoots, which may be the primary source of food. They also burrow into developing fruits in many cases and feed close to the surface of the fruit (Chapman and Lienk, 1971). The larvae overwinter in crevices on tree trunks or under rotting logs and debris on the ground. These authors also commonly found the larvae feeding in native hawthorn fruits, with some overwintering in the fruits. The late instars are around 8-9 mm in length and have a pale-reddish abdomen. The head is yellowish brown with darker mottling, and the prothoracic and anal shields are brown. The pinacular are moderately large, and an anal comb is present that has 4-6 teeth (Gilligan and Epstein; TortAI).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from close inspection of specimens or by DNA analysis.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Grapholita packardi is widely distributed in eastern North America in areas of southern Canada (Ontario; Quebec; New Brunswick; Nova Scotia) and in the US from Maine to central Florida, and westward to central Texas, eastern Oklahoma, Missouri, eastern Nebraska and Wisconsin. It is also present in Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alberta. As of 2022, we have records from all three physiographic provinces. Local populations are encountered more frequently in the Coastal Plain and eastern Piedmont and are rarely seen in the Blue Ridge.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
Flight Comments: The adults have been documented from March through November, with seasonal peaks typically from June through August in most areas. As of 2022, we have records that span from mid-April to mid-September.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: This species is often locally common in commercial fruit operations.
Larval Host Plants: The larvae feed on blueberries (Vaccineum; Ericaceae) as well as several members of the Rosaceae (Heinrich, 1926; MacKay, 1959; Chapman and Lienk 1971, Brown et al., 1983, 2008; Robinson et al., 2010). The known hosts include ornamental Pyracantha and roses (Rosa spp.), and commercially grown cherries, apples, pears, peaches, and blueberries. Native plants that are used include hawthorns (Crataegus spp.), Black Cherry (Prunus serotina), and presumably native blueberries. The larvae can be a pest in commercial blueberry operations in North Carolina (Burrack, 2015). The adults have also been reared from galls on the leaves of elms and oaks, and from woody galls on plums (Chapman and Lienk 1971). - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights and pheromone traps, and the larvae can be found in berries and fruits.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S3S4
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
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 Photo Gallery for Grapholita packardi - Cherry Fruitworm Moth

Photos: 20

Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-04-19
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-04-04
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn on 2023-03-26
New Hanover Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-07-23
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-05-31
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2022-04-11
Bladen Co.
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Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2021-09-02
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2021-06-11
Onslow Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2021-05-11
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2021-04-27
Onslow Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-08-12
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-08-12
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-08-07
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-08-07
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-08-07
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-07-01
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-07-01
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-07-01
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-05-02
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Harry Wilson on 2016-09-12
Wake Co.
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