Sex pheromones and the status of greenheaded and brownheaded leafroller moths in New Zealand

Abstract

Studies on the sex pheromones of the endemic New Zealand greenheaded and brownheaded leafroller moths, Planotortrix excessana (sensu Dugdale 1966) and Ctenopseustis obliquana (sensu Green & Dugdale 1982), have shown that the two described species consist of two and three taxa, respectively, able to be differentiated on the basis of distinct female-produced sex pheromones. Genetic studies using enzyme electrophoresis on both laboratory and wild-collected insects have confirmed the pheromone-based separation of the two described species. Morphological studies support the above studies and also suggest that one of the C. obliquano taxa can be further separated into two separate entities, one in the North Island, and the other in the South and Stewart Islands. Further work is needed to determine whether this difference within this taxon is biologically significant. The pheromone, genetic, and morphological studies are reviewed, with the conclusion that each of the pheromone-based taxa should now be considered as distinct sibling (or cryptic) species.