Acleris laterana

This record describes Acleris laterana (species). Recorded family: Tortricidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.

Identification and Appearance

Another variable species, which is difficult to separate from A. comariana . A rough guideline is the flight period, which is said to be August to September in the present species and June/July and October/November in comariana . However, these do overlap and genitalia dissection is usually required to be certain. Various habitats where the food plants are found. The larva, which can be clearly distinguished from A. comariana in later instars, feeds in May and June on Rosaceous trees and shrubs, Hawthorn, Willows etc. The species is generally common and widespread throughout much of the British Isles. In the Butterfly Conservation’s Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Tortricidae
Genus: Acleris

Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.

Habitat and Range

Habitat

Various habitats where the food plants are found.

Seasonal Activity

August to September.

Diet and Behavior

Life History

The larva, which can be clearly distinguished from A.

Additional species information

Recorded status

The species is generally common and widespread throughout much of the British Isles. In the Butterfly Conservation’s Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common.

About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group

Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Acleris laterana. Species-specific details appear above.

Group overview

Lepidoptera includes approximately 180,000 described species of butterflies and moths. Moths outnumber butterflies roughly 10:1. The monarch butterfly's eastern population has declined by more than 80% since the mid-1990s, and the western population by over 95% since the 1980s. The IUCN lists the migratory monarch as Vulnerable.

Ecological role of the group

Butterflies and moths are essential indicators of ecosystem health. As caterpillars, they are a primary food source for birds - a single nest of blue tit chicks requires ~10,000 caterpillars. Adult moths pollinate many night-blooming plants.

Economic and practical significance of the group

Lepidoptera are critical pollinators. In Europe, grassland butterfly species have declined by almost 50% since the early 1990s. In the UK, three-quarters of butterflies are in decline. In the U.S., five butterfly species have gone extinct since 1950, with 29 listed as endangered.

Recorded sources for this group: IUCN Red List, Xerces Society, USFWS, PNAS, WWF. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.

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