Cydia is a large genus of tortrix moths, belonging to the tribe Grapholitini of subfamily Olethreutinae. Its distinctness from and delimitation versus the tribe's type genus Grapholita requires further study.[1][2][3][4]
Moths in this genus are generally small and dull brown; their caterpillars are yellow or white and wormlike. Cydia includes many species of economic importance due to the damage their caterpillars inflict as pests of agricultural crops, especially fruit and nut trees. On the other hand, some Cydia species have been used for biological control of invasive weeds, and many of these small moths and their caterpillars are an important food source for other animals. A few species from the Hawaiian Islands are suspected to be extinct due to disappearance of their food plants.
Another well-known species is the jumping bean moth (C. saltitans), whose caterpillars live in Sebastiania seeds, turning them into the famous "Mexican jumping beans".
Roughly 215 species are currently recognized in Cydia, though as noted above, the list is provisional:[2]
Obsolete scientific names (junior synonyms and others) of Cydia are:[1][4]
In addition to the uncertain relationship of Cydia and Grapholita already mentioned above, the synonymy of the present genus has been subject to some confusion with its close relative Pammene: Eucelis, Trycheris and Orchemia are sometimes[3] listed as junior synonyms of Cydia, but the type species of the former two is Tortrix mediana (a junior synonym of P. aurana), and that of the third is Orchemia gallicana (a junior synonym of P. gallicana).[5]
Cydia is a large genus of tortrix moths, belonging to the tribe Grapholitini of subfamily Olethreutinae. Its distinctness from and delimitation versus the tribe's type genus Grapholita requires further study.
Moths in this genus are generally small and dull brown; their caterpillars are yellow or white and wormlike. Cydia includes many species of economic importance due to the damage their caterpillars inflict as pests of agricultural crops, especially fruit and nut trees. On the other hand, some Cydia species have been used for biological control of invasive weeds, and many of these small moths and their caterpillars are an important food source for other animals. A few species from the Hawaiian Islands are suspected to be extinct due to disappearance of their food plants.
Another well-known species is the jumping bean moth (C. saltitans), whose caterpillars live in Sebastiania seeds, turning them into the famous "Mexican jumping beans".
