About Grapholita compositella (Fabricius, 1775)
Grapholita compositella, commonly known as the clover seed moth, is a moth species belonging to the family Tortricidae. It is distributed from Europe through Asia Minor, Mongolia, China, and eastern Russia, and is also present in North America. This species has a wingspan of 8–10 mm. The face and palpi of Grapholita compositella are white, and its forewings are dark fuscous. The forewing costa bears eight long white strigulae, several of which end in leaden-metallic marks. A slightly curved, broad quadrate whitish median dorsal blotch, marked with three parallel blackish lines, is present, and it is surmounted by a leaden-metallic mark. The ocellus is represented by a leaden-metallic transverse mark. Hindwings differ between sexes: in males, the hindwings are white with broadly fuscous apices; in females, the hindwings are dark fuscous and lighter towards the base. The species has two generations per year, with adults active on the wing during May and June, and again in August. Males fly during the day, while females fly toward sunset. The larvae of Grapholita compositella feed on Trifolium species, including Trifolium pratense and Trifolium repens. They have also been recorded feeding on Glycine max, Medicago sativa, Melilotus, Lotus corniculatus, and other species in the Leguminosae family.
