Wine Moth

The yellow v moth (Oinophila v-flava) is a tineid moth widespread in many temperate climates.It is not clear where this species originated, but some have suggested because it is well-represented in Africa that it may have been introduced from there into Europe (where it is common in central and south western European countries, less common but found in Great Britain, its type locality) and Indonesia/Malaysia, where it is somewhat less common (Meyrick 1928, cited in Davis 1978).It was first reported in the United States (California) in 1951, and since then it is known to range throughout much of coastal California.It is also reported from Hawaii (Powell 1964).Since it is an inconspicuous moth, the yellow v moth’s distribution is likely be greater than reported.

Adults are small, females slightly larger, with wingspan up to 10 mm (0.4 inches), and larvae are reported up to 8.3 mm (0.33 inches) long.A slender moth, their grey-brown forewings have jagged, v-shaped, pale bands across their wings.They have a smooth head and long antennae.

Larvae are scavengers on vegetable matter, and in Europe considered a minor household pest, building silk galleries in pantries and wine cellars, where they tunnel through and eat cork and fungi growing on damp surfaces and dried foods.In cooler climates, notably Great Britain, there is one generation, with adults flying in July/August, and living entirely indoors.In warmer climates (e.g. records from California) there are multiple flights (multivoltine), perhaps even continuous.

(Davis 1978; Powell 1964)

Oinophila v-flava (Haworth)

Gracillaria v-flava Haworth, 1828:530.—Stephens, 1834:365.—Wood, 1845:232.

Oinophila v-flava (Haworth).—Stephens, 1848:xli.—Stainton, 1859a:396.—Snellen, 1876:51; 1882:474.—Meyrick, 1928a:817.—Fletcher, 1929:152.—Corbet and Tams, 1943:103, 121, 127, 133, 138.—Ford, 1949:179.—Powell, 1964:155.—Clark, 1965:105.—Bradley, 1966:130.—Bradley, Fletcher, and Whalley, 1972:9.

Oenophila [sic] v-flavum—Zeller, 1853:505 [misspelling].—Heinemann, 1877:696.—Walsingham, 1907:712.—Spuler, 1910:420.—Rebel, 1940:47.

Oinophila v-flavella—Herrich-Schäffer, 1855:336 [misspelling].—Snellen, 1882:474 [synonym of O. v-flava].—Corbet and Tams, 1943:103 [synonym of O. v-flava].

Oinophila v-flavum—Rebel, 1901:240.—Maxwell-Lefroy, 1923:394 [misspelling].—Tilden, 1951:157; 1959:53.

ADULT (Figure 2).—Small, with slender fuscous forewings bearing two irregular, oblique, pale ochreous bands.

Wing Expanse: , 8.5–9 mm; , 8.5–10 mm.

Head: Vestiture complex; vertex with a prominent, rough tuft of pale ochreous, hairlike scales sharply divided by a transverse row of broad, more whitish scales extending between antennae; occipital region of head posterior to tuft smoothly covered by broad, brownish scales; frons smooth, covered by broad, whitish scales. Antennae relatively long, nearly equaling the length of forewing, 62–64 segmented; scape cylindrical, brownish fuscous above, heavily suffused with white beneath; flagellum brownish above, suffused with white ventrally; a single row of narrow, appressed scales per segment. Maxillary palpi whitish. Labial palpi with basal two segments whitish except for lateral cluster of 4–6 brownish hairs at apex of second segment; apical segment brownish fuscous with suffusion of white ventrally.

Thorax: Pronotum and tegulae brownish to grayish fuscous. Meso- and metanota naked. Venter whitish with a silvery luster. Legs generally whitish beneath and brownish fuscous dorsally; apices of tibiae and of each tarsal segment ringed with dull white. Forewings brownish to grayish fuscous with two irregular bands of pale ochreous; basal band the most distinct, transversing wing at basal third and consisting of two narrow oblique bands joining medially to form a V with its pointed end directed toward the wing apex; the distal band more variable in shape, varying from a single oblique band directed toward the apex, or reduced to a small apical patch of ochreous scales; fringe pale brown; ventral surfaces of forewings uniformly brownish fuscous. Hind wings much lighter in color, uniformly pale grayish brown above and below.

Abdomen: Pale tawny to straminous above; paler, more silvery white ventrally. Female without dense hair tufts encircling seventh segment.

Male Genitalia (Figures 108–110): Uncus broad at base, immediately constricted to a short narrow, bifurcate apex; dorsal surface of uncus slanted steeply to apex. Tegumen well developed, deeply clefted at middorsal line, fused with vinculum to form a broad cylinder. Saccus distinctly set off from vinculum, rod shaped, elongate, about 0.7 the maximum length of tegumen. Valvae reduced to short rounded lobes, with elongate apophyses extending internally; total length of valvae including apophyses approximately equal to saccus in length, with the apophyses comprising over 0.6 of total length. Anellus indistinct, membranous. Aedeagus simple, nearly straight, without cornuti, approximately equal in length to that of entire genitalia.

Female Genitalia (Figures 125–126): Tertiary apophyses extremely faint but present. Ostium bursae enclosed by a small sclerotized ring, opening between bases of a pair of relatively distinct genital plates from which arise the anterior apophyses. Ductus bursae moderately long, slightly exceeding length of anterior apophyses; corpus bursae with a symmetrical pair of relatively broad, platelike signa situated posteriorly near junction with ductus.

FEMALE PUPA (Figures 48–51).—Length 4.2 mm, maximum width 1.0 mm. Color uniformly pale brown to stramineous. Head with a prominent frontal process (cocoon cutter). A single (anterior) irregular row of short dorsal spines present on abdominal segments III–VII; posterior segments with spines partially arranged in two ranks; tabulation of spines as follow: III=17, IV=27, V=28, VI=32, VII=33. Cremaster consisting of a small pair of short hooks arising dorsally from segment IX+X; a similar but smaller pair of ventral spines present on either side of anal groove.

LARVA (Figures 79–103).—Length of largest larva 8.3 mm (in alcohol); maximum diameter 0.7 mm.

Head: Hypognathous, subquadrangular, maximum width about 0.55 mm, color dark brown, paler at sides and posteriorly. Chaetotaxy as figured.


←FIGURES 98–103.—Oinophila v-flava (Haworth), larval structure: 98, lateral view of mesothorax, X133 (scale = 10μm); 99, prothoracic spiracle, X1590 (scale = 10 μm); 100, vestiture of abdominal intersegmental area, ventral, X377 (scale = 20 μm); 101, detail of figure 100, X 1170 (scale = 20 μm); 102, vestiture surrounding fourth abdominal spiracle, X991 (scale = 20 μm); 103, crochets of abdominal proleg, X801 (scale = 20 μm). (Plate reduced to 84%.)

Ocelli rudimentary, consisting of a single pigmented spot posterior to antennal socket. Mandibles relatively slender, with three large cusps, and one smaller lateral cusp closely appressed to largest cusp. Spinneret slender, elongate, with a minute, circular, subapical orifice. Labial palpi 2-segmented, slender, with an elongate apical seta about X1.5 the length of apical segment. Postgenae widely separated, interconnecting cuticle membranous.

Thorax: Notal plates and pinnacula pale yellowish brown, moderately distinct on otherwise whitish integument. Meso- and metathorax with L2 arising on a separate pinnaculum from L1 and L3. MSD2 of meso- and metathorax greatly lengthened, similar in size to D2, and situated on a large pinnaculum with a much shorter MSD1. Legs well developed, 5-segmented; tarsal claws simple, slightly curved with a rather large, abrupt notch midway along ventral edge.

Abdomen: Whitish in color with pale yellowish brown pinnacula. Nonsclerotized portions of integument of thorax and abdomen covered with numerous, minute, mostly trispinulate tubercules arranged in definite, transverse rows. Spiracles not situated on pinnacula bearing L2. Prolegs well developed on segments 3–6 and 10; abdominal crochets uniordinal, uniserial, and arranged in a mesal penallipse composed of approximately 17–20 spines; planta without marginal spines; anal prolegs with 11–13 crochets in a single transverse series.

TYPE.—Lectotype, ; designated by Bradley (1966:130).

TYPE-LOCALITY.—Great Britain.

HOST.—The larva is apparently a scavenger, primarily feeding upon dried or decaying plant material.

FLIGHT PERIOD.—Predominantly April to November; reportedly (Ford, 1949) univoltine in Europe but probably multivoltine in California.

DISTRIBUTION (Map 1).—Widespread through many temperate areas, including central and southwestern Europe, the Azores, Madeira, and Canary Islands, and South Africa. Most recently this species has been reported from the United States (Tilden, 1951) and the Juan Fernandez Islands (Clarke, 1965). Within the United States it is known to range primarily through coastal California from Sacramento County south to San Diego County.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—7 , 17 , 2 pupae, and 17 larvae.

UNITED STATES. CALIFORNIA: Los Angeles Co: Eagle Rock: 1 , 9 July (LACM). Los Angeles, Exposition Park, 3rd floor of LACM: 1 , 25 May (LACM). Los Angeles, Eagle Rock Dist: 2 , 6 Jun (LACM). Los Angeles, Highland Park Dist: 1 , 5 , 16 May-8 Jun (LACM). Los Angeles, Mt Washington Dist, elev. 840 ft [256 m]: 3 , 10–25 Jun, 1 , 2 , 6 Oct-13 Nov (LACM). Westwood Hills: 1 , 1 Apr (LACM). Sacramento Co: Sacramento: 1 , 1 , 1 Oct (CDC); 1 , 1 Oct (USNM); 2 pupae, 14 larvae 1 Nov (CDC). Santa Clara Co: Stanford University: 1 , em. 28 Apr (USNM). Ventura Co: Specific locality unknown: 1 , 1 , 24 Oct (CDA); 1 , Jul (USNM); 1 larva, 12 Sep. (CDA); 2 larvae, 12 Sep, USNM slides 20257, 20448, 20449 (USNM).

Oinophila v-flava (yellow v moth) is a moth of the family Tineidae. It is widespread in temperate zones from Europe to South Africa, North America but also Hawaii. This species has also been recorded in New Zealand in 2001 and is regarded as having established itself in that country.

The wingspan is about 10 mm. In western Europe, adults are active from July to September and generally fly in the evening.

The larvae feed on a range of dry vegetable matter and on the bark of shrubs. It often occurs commonly in homes and particularly cellars, where the larvae have been reported to damage dried foods and wine corks.