Description:
The adult is 11-15mm with 28-30mm wingspan. Wings are white, semitransparent with a brown leading edge to each forewing. Adults are active in spring, depositing eggs on the leaves. The hatched larvae attacks to the buds, and terminal leaves and the next generations attack to the developong fruits. They are light green to yellowish green, up to 22 mm long. It has 2-3 generations per year
Symptoms:
Leaves: connect the leaves with silky threads, feed on the leaves leaving the upper surface intact, destroy the young shoots. In young trees it can affect the development
Fruits: Unmarketable fruits
Hosts: olive tree, ornamental plants such as species of the genus Ligustrum, Jasminum, Arbutus, Fraxinus etc
Taxonomy:
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Class | Insecta |
| Order | Lepidoptera |
| Family | Pyralidae |
| Genus | Palpita |
| Species | unionalis |
References:
Alford D. V. (2014). Pests of Fruit Crops. A Colour Handbook, CRC Press, 2nd Edition