Cranberry Fruitworm - Hodges#5653
Acrobasis vaccinii
This record describes Acrobasis vaccinii (species). Recorded family: Pyralidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Per Brian Scholtens here : ...The relatively thin black line going to the mid-costa and the speckling of red in the white areas tend to say vaccinii.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Pyraloidea
- Family
- Pyralidae (Pyralid Moths)
- Subfamily
- Phycitinae
- Tribe
- Phycitini
- Genus
- Acrobasis
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
Michigan northeast across Canada to Nova Scotia and south to Florida Fascicle 15-2 has the western limits of range to include Wisconsin in the north and eastern Texas in the south.
Diet and Behavior
Diet: larvae feed in fruits on seeds of Vaccinium australe (Small blueberry) and V. stamineum L. (deerberry) V. corymbosum L. (blueberry), V. macrocarpon (cranberry), F. vitis-idaea L. (cowberry or mountain cranberry), and Gaylussacia spp. (huckleberry)
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: named for the genus of one of the larval hosts ( Vaccinium )
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Acrobasis vaccinii. 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.
Photos of Cranberry Fruitworm - Hodges#5653 (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by Kyhl Austin; Additional contributions by Steve Morris
Frequently Asked Questions About Cranberry Fruitworm - Hodges#5653
What is Cranberry Fruitworm - Hodges#5653?
Cranberry Fruitworm - Hodges#5653 (Acrobasis vaccinii) is a species in the family Pyralidae, within the order Lepidoptera.
How do you identify Cranberry Fruitworm - Hodges#5653?
Per Brian Scholtens here : ...The relatively thin black line going to the mid-costa and the speckling of red in the white areas tend to say vaccinii.
Where is Cranberry Fruitworm - Hodges#5653 found?
Range: Michigan northeast across Canada to Nova Scotia and south to Florida Fascicle 15-2 has the western limits of range to include Wisconsin in the north and eastern Texas in the south.
What does Cranberry Fruitworm - Hodges#5653 eat?
The diet of the Cranberry Fruitworm - Hodges#5653 includes larvae feed in fruits on seeds of Vaccinium australe (Small blueberry) and V. stamineum L. (deerberry) V. corymbosum L. (blueberry), V. macrocarpon (cranberry), F. vitis-idaea L. (cowberry or mountain cranberry), and Gaylussacia spp. (huckleberry).