Shoot-borer
Guides
Argyresthia pruniella
cherry fruit moth, cherry blossom tineid
Argyresthia pruniella is a small moth in the family Argyresthiidae, commonly known as the cherry fruit moth or cherry blossom tineid. It is recognized by its distinctive reddish-brown forewings with white markings and narrow, fringed hindwings. The species is considered an agricultural pest due to larval feeding in the shoots of fruit trees. It occurs across Europe, Asia Minor, and North America.
Argyresthia pygmaeella
Sallow Argent
A small microlepidopteran moth in the family Argyresthiidae, first described from Vienna, Austria in 1775. Adults are active from May to August with a single annual generation. The species is associated with willows, where larvae mine leaf-buds and shoots. It has a broad distribution across Europe, northern Asia, and North America.
Dioryctria
Conifer Coneworm Moths, Coneworm Moths
Dioryctria is a genus of snout moths (family Pyralidae) described by Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1846. Commonly known as conifer coneworm moths, the genus contains approximately 40 species in North America, with 25 occurring in western regions. Larvae of most species feed within conifer cones, though some species infest shoots, branches, or bark. Several species are significant forest pests, causing damage to pine, spruce, fir, and cedar trees through cone and seed destruction, shoot boring, and deformation of tree crowns.
Dioryctria clarioralis
Blister Coneworm Moth
Dioryctria clarioralis, commonly known as the blister coneworm moth, is a species of pyralid moth found in the eastern United States. The larvae feed on various Pinus species, particularly attacking flower clusters and shoots. The species is part of a genus whose members are generally known as coneworm moths due to larval feeding habits in conifer cones and shoots.
Dioryctria resinosella
red pine shoot moth
Dioryctria resinosella is a conifer-feeding moth in the family Pyralidae, described in 1982. The larvae are specialized shoot borers of red pine (Pinus resinosa), attacking new shoots and cones. This species exhibits localized infestation patterns within plantations and has a univoltine life cycle with discrete seasonal activity. It is known from Ontario and the northern United States, with detailed bionomics studied in Wisconsin sand plain plantations.
Epinotia solicitana
Birch Shootworm Moth
Epinotia solicitana is a small tortricid moth commonly known as the Birch Shootworm Moth. The species is recognized for its association with birch trees as a larval host, with larvae feeding internally on shoots and causing characteristic damage. Adults are typically active during summer months across northern North America. The species has been documented from Alberta, Manitoba, and Vermont, with additional records likely across the broader boreal and northern temperate regions of the continent.
Eucopina sonomana
Western Pine Shoot Borer Moth
Eucopina sonomana, known as the Western Pine Shoot Borer Moth, is a small tortricid moth in the tribe Eucosmini. The species is associated with coniferous hosts, particularly pines, and occurs in western North America. Larvae are known to bore into pine shoots, causing damage to terminal growth. The species was originally described as Eucosma sonomana by Kearfott in 1907.
Gypsonoma aceriana
poplar shoot-borer, Rosy Cloaked Shoot
Gypsonoma aceriana is a small tortricid moth whose larvae bore into poplar and maple shoots, causing economic damage in plantations and nurseries. Native to Europe, it ranges eastward through Russia to Turkey, Iraq, and North Africa. The species has been introduced to Japan, where it exhibits two to three generations annually. It is a significant pest of ornamental poplars, with older larvae destroying terminal shoots and causing bushy, unmarketable growth in young trees.
Hypsipyla
Hypsipyla is a genus of snout moths (family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae) established by Ragonot in 1888. The genus contains approximately 11 described species distributed across tropical and subtropical regions. Several species, notably H. robusta and H. grandella, are economically significant pests of Meliaceae trees including mahogany (Swietenia), Spanish cedar (Cedrela), and Toona. These shoot borers attack apical shoots, causing growth deformities and substantial economic losses in forestry plantations.
Hypsipyla grandella
Mahogany Shoot Borer
Hypsipyla grandella is a pyralid moth whose larvae are serious pests of mahogany (Swietenia spp.) and Spanish-cedar (Cedrela spp.). The larvae bore into terminal shoots and seeds, causing significant damage to plantation forestry in the Neotropics. Adults have silvery hyaline hindwings that distinguish them from the congeneric Hypsipyla ferrealis, which has gray hindwings. The species has been introduced to Mauritius outside its native range.
Phymatopus hectoides
Orange-Lined Ghost Moth
Phymatopus hectoides is a small ghost moth in the family Hepialidae, described by Boisduval in 1868. It occurs in the western United States, where adults are active in late spring and summer. The larvae are known to feed on a diverse range of host plants, boring into shoots and roots.
Pissodes
Pine Weevils
Pissodes is a genus of weevils in the family Curculionidae containing at least 140 described species. These insects are specialized inhabitants of coniferous forests, with their distribution across the Northern Hemisphere closely tracking that of Pinaceae host trees. Several species, including Pissodes strobi, P. nemorensis, and P. terminalis, are recognized as significant forest pests due to the damage they inflict on economically important trees. The genus was first described by Ernst Friedrich Germar in 1817.
Pleroneura bruneicornis
Balsam Shootboring Sawfly
Pleroneura bruneicornis is a species of sawfly in the family Xyelidae, commonly known as the Balsam Shootboring Sawfly. The species is associated with Abies (fir) hosts, particularly balsam fir. It belongs to a primitive lineage of Hymenoptera characterized by distinctive larval feeding habits in conifer shoots. The species is rarely observed, with limited occurrence records.
Prays atomocella
hop-tree ermine moth, Hoptree Borer Moth
Prays atomocella is a small moth in the family Praydidae, known from the central and south-central United States. Adults are active from spring through summer, with a single annual generation. The species is notable for its specialized larval association with Ptelea trifoliata (hop-tree), where larvae feed inside new shoots before pupating in cocoons.
Rhyacionia granti
Jack Pine Shoot Borer
Rhyacionia granti is a species of tortricid moth in the family Tortricidae, described by Miller in 1985. It belongs to the genus Rhyacionia, a group commonly known as shoot borers or tip moths that are associated with coniferous trees. The species is known by the common name Jack Pine Shoot Borer, indicating its association with jack pine (Pinus banksiana). As a member of the Olethreutinae subfamily and Eucosmini tribe, it shares characteristics with other conifer-feeding tortricids in the genus.
Rhyacionia neomexicana
Southwestern pine tip moth
Rhyacionia neomexicana is a tortricid moth whose larvae are significant pests of southwestern pines. The species completes one generation annually, with larvae tunneling into pine shoots to feed, causing characteristic tip dieback. Adults emerge in spring and lay eggs on new pine growth. The species specifically targets ponderosa pine seedlings and saplings, where infestations reduce both height and radial growth.