Endothenia hebesana Walker 1863 (Sciaphila)

Verbena bud moth, Endothenia hebesana. The larva of this insect is a borer in the new shoots of verbena and Physostegia, causing them to wither. The larva is greenish yellow with a black head and is a little less than 1/2" long when mature. The adult is a purplish brown moth with wingspread of 1/2". Ordinary infestations can be controlled by handpicking, or by or clipping and disposing of the infested tip. (http://www.caes.state.ct.us/PlantPestHandbookFiles/pphV/pphver b.htm)

Hosts: Verbascum, Verbena, Sarracenia Flight Period: Recorded 29 Jun to 1 Sep. Taxonomic Notes: One of the most common moths found in light traps at Plum Brook. (iris.biosci.ohiostate.edu/plumbrook/plumbrok.html) also Castilleja (http://essig.berkeley.edu/docs/invernessleps.htm)
Verbena bud moth Next to the iris borer, the verbena bud moth (Endothenia hebesana) is the most serious iris pest. This pest destroys iris seeds while they are in the ripening pods and so are a particular threat to iris breeders. They are likely to be found on any iris, as they have many host plants including verbenas, goldenrods, snapdragons, penstemons and physostegias. You can differentiate their signs from those of iris weevils by the silken coatings they make on their tunnels between seed capsules. Look for a small hole in the seedpod. There likely will be frass below the hole and a piece of the pupal skin protruding from the hole. Egg, larva, pupa and adult are the typical four stages that the verbena bud moth, like all insects, goes through. The entire cycle takes forty-five days. Unfortunately, there are four or more broods of verbena bud moths each year and the moths can overwinter as either larvae or pupae. The eggs, laid on the surface of the seedpod, are very tiny and white in color, turning a little darker just before hatching. The small larva, found on or in the seedpod, is pale, hairy and almost transparent with a dark head. The larva is only 1/2 inch in length when it pupates within a shiny brown silk cocoon. After the adult moth emerges, it crawls out of the seedpod, leaving the pupal

skin sticking out of the hole. The adult verbena bud moth is only 1/2 inch long and triangular in shape when at rest. It has a buff-colored head, dark eyes and short antennae. The abdomen is gray and the forewings are gray and brown with purple tinted metallic markings. The hind wings are paler brown, becoming darker toward the rear. Removing and destroying seedpods is the best control for iris growers. Since there are many host plants, also watch for signs of damage on other flowering garden plants. Deadheading flowers when they fade to prevent seed production will remove places for the verbena bud moth to breed and, in many garden perennials, also encourage reblooming. Breeders who are hoping for seed production will have to bag the desired seedpods with cheesecloth, nylon from stockings or the equivalent. (http://www.herbs2000.com/flowers/i_pests_dis.htm)

Endothenia hebesana (Walker, 1863) 2738 VERBENA BUD MOTH Kent Bog 26 Aug 1991 RWR. The larva feeds in the flowers, stems, and seed capsules of verbena, mullein, and pitcher plant. The moths can be captured from May to October. Common. (http://www.ag.ohiostate.edu/~proofs/b1195/rb1195_13.html) Nearctic Endothenia species: A new synonymy, a misidentification, and a revised status (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Miller, WE, Great Lakes Entomologist [GREAT LAKES ENTOMOL.], vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 5-12, 1983 Availability of resources for predators of Chelone seeds and their parasitoids. Stamp, NE, American Midland Naturalist [AM. MIDL. NAT.], vol. 117, no. 2, pp. 265-279, 1987 [Pedicularis canadensis L. (Scrophulariaceae) as a host plant for Lepitoptera from the Ottawa region.] Landry, B, Fabreries, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 1-10, 1993