Characterization of leaf-rollers attacking forest and fruit trees in Azerbaijan

Characterization of the leaf-roller moths (Tortricidae) attacking forest and fruit trees in the North (Sheki-Zagatala), East (Baku-Absheron), and South (Lenkoran-Astara) regions of Azerbaijan was conducted over the decade 1994-2004. Sixteen species of leaf-rollers representing 14 genera were found to be widespread throughout the regions - 9 species of Tortricinae and 7 species of Olethreutinae. Four species, Ptycholoma lecheana (L.), Cacoecimorpha pronubana H übner , Eudemis profundana (D enis & S chiffermüller ), and Epinotia demarniana (F isch .), are newly recorded for Azerbaijan. Tortrix viridana L. represented 46.0 % of the total number of specimens, Archips rosanus L. 28.0 %, and Archips xylosteanus L. 20.2 %. S isch .), wurden erstmals in Aserbaidschan gefunden. In den Proben hatten Exemplare von Tortrix viridana L. einen Anteil von 46.0 %, Archips rosanus L. von 28.0 % und Archips xylosteanus L. von 20.2 %. pupae the A. one leaves one rolled the mid-vein. on the parenchyma, the A. termi­ and larvae attack buds, leaves, and fruits. Twenty-six plant species were recorded as hosts, including all deciduous trees, forest plants, ornamental plants, shrubs, plants, and berries, with Quercus castaneifolia, Malus sp., and Armeniaca vulgaris as the main food plants.


Introduction
Tortricidae are one of the largest families of Microlepidoptera, with more than 9,000 described species (Brown 2005) distributed worldwide. Information on the tortricids of Azerbaijan has been presented by Bogachev (1951), A khundova-Tuayeva (1960), A bdullayeva (1988,1990), and M aharramova (2003,2006,2008), with over 200 species of leaf-rollers now recorded from the country (Abdullayeva, 1990). Leaf rollers are primarily polyphagous and oligophagous. The common name "leaf-rollers" is derived from the fact that the larvae of many species roll the edge of the foliage on which they feed, creating a shelter that may protect them from predators such as birds. This leaf-rolling habit causes serious damage to a variety of forest and fruit trees and ornamental and other plants. Many pest species can be identified by the shape and configuration of the leaf shelter. M aharramova, S.: An inventory of leaf-rollers

Material and methods
Field work was conducted from 19 9 4 to 2 0 0 4 from April to September in the North (Sheki-Zagatala -1995), East (Baku-Absheron -19 9 5 -19 9 7 , 19 9 9-2 00 0 , 2004) and South (Lenkoran -19 9 4 -19 9 7 , 2 0 0 1, 2 00 3 -2 0 0 4 ; Astara -19 9 4 -19 9 8 ; Masalli -19 9 5 -19 9 6 , 1998) regions o f Azerbaijan. Forests, orchards, gardens, and roadsides were investigated within the research areas; Hirkan National Park also was sampled. The paper includes the leaf-rollers found on the host plants (trees and bushes only) in larval or pupal stage. Collected larvae and pupae were kept in the laboratory until imagines hatched. Species determination was done according to these imagines. Species were collected in nature in the larval and pupal stage. Beitr. Ent. 61 (2011) 1 225 Each larva picked from the host plant was kept in a separate jar in the laboratory and fed on host plant leaves. Development of each specimen was observed up to imago stage (Fasulati, 1971). Laboratory work was conducted at the Institute of Zoology of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan. All specimens are deposited in that institution.
Study sites: Forests in the Sheki-Zagatala region of Azerbaijan ( Fig. 1) are characterized by a predominance of fruit trees, forest trees, and shrubs. The Baku and Absheron peninsulas in eastern Azerbaijan are characterized by a variety of endemic plants but also by invasives introduced from different countries and other regions of Azerbaijan. The southern regions of Azerbaijan (Lenkoran, Astara, and Masalli) are characterized by 36 species of endemic and relic plants of the tertiary era and 40 species of plants dating from of quaternary period. Caterpillars feed on raspberry, strawberry, rose, and dog-rose, joining the leaves of the host by silk into a friable ball in which there may be 2-3 caterpillars. Adults appear in June-July. Cydia p om on ella is oligophagous; we recorded it from three plant species, with M alus sp. the primary host (Table 1). There are two generations per year. Females lay eggs on the underside of the leaf. Productivity of the female is 60-120 eggs. Newly hatched caterpillars penetrate into the pulp of the fruit and make a chamberlike cavity. The following instars feed in the seed cavity. The fourth instar completes feeding and leaves the fruit to pupate. Moths are active at dusk.

Host Associations
Species composition varied from region to region, with many leaf-rollers strongly associated with specific plant species.
Research in the Sheki-Zagatala region was conducted in 1995 where leaf-rollers were recored primarily on apple, apricot, plum, and oak. Approximately 56 % of damage was to apple tree and 28 % to oak. Other trees suffered from leaf-rollers totally 2-14 %.
Research in the Lenkoran region was conducted in [1994][1995][1996][1997][1998][2001][2002][2003][2004], and thirteen species of leaf-rollers were documented. They were associated with 21 plant species. Damage caused by leaf-rollers was as follows: Quercus castaneifolia whose damage constituted 51.4 % of all the damage caused; P .p ersica (11.3 %), Z . caprinifolia (7.5 %), U. suberosa (6.1 %). Other plants suffered to a lesser degree (0.12 to 3.47 %) (Maharramova, 2008). In all areas studied, three species of leaf-rollers (A. rosanus, A. xylosteanus, and T. viridana) had a wide range of food plants. A. rosanus was documented from 26 species of plants, A. xylosteanus from 12, and T. viridana from 10. T. viridana was the most abundant species in 2000-2002 in the Lenkoran region (in the territory of the Hyrkan National Park, as well), causing serious dam age to more than 10 plant species. T. viridana, a heat-loving, xerophilous species (Zerova et al., 1989), was recorded mainly at the flanks and edges of forest causing up to 80 % damage to host plants. During outbreaks it seriously damaged relict and endemic trees in the Hyrcan National Park including P. p ersica and Z. carpinifolia which are representatives of the tertiary and the qua ternary periods. M aharramova, S.: An inventory of leaf-rollers

Yearly distribution
Leaf-rollers were most numerous in 2001, with nine species were recorded (Table 1): eight from the Lenkoran-Astara region and one from the Baku-Absheron region. Five of the spe cies from the Lenkoran-Astara region were uncommon (represented by less than 9 individu als): A. crataegana, C. forsk aleana, S pilonota ocellan a , E. dem a rdian a, and N . udd m an n ia n a.