About Rhopobota naevana (Hübner, 1817)
Rhopobota naevana, commonly known as the holly tortrix moth, holly leaf tier, or blackheaded fireworm, is a moth species belonging to the family Tortricidae. Its distribution ranges from Europe (including the British Isles) to eastern Russia. It is also found across most regions of China, including Tianjin, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Tibet, Shaanxi, and Gansu, as well as in Taiwan, Mongolia, Korea, Japan, India, Sri Lanka, and North America. This moth has a wingspan of 12–16 mm.
The forewings are grey, and often have obscure whitish stripes or suffusion. The large basal patch of the forewing has an angled edge and is suffused on its anterior side. The central fascia is dark, suffused fuscous, with a posterior median projection, and sometimes has black markings. There are several small dark fuscous spots on the posterior costa, plus a suffused streak running beneath these spots from the apex. The ocellus is broadly bordered by light metallic-grey. The hindwings are grey; males have black suffusion towards the costa on their underside.
The larva is light grey-green, with more yellowish coloring along the sides. Its head is black or blackish-brown, and the second segment’s plate is black. Adults fly from late June to early September. Larvae feed on plant genera and species including Vaccinium, Erica carnea, Ilex, Malus, Crataegus, Sorbus, Prunus, Pyrus, and Rhamnus.
