Movement of the grape berry moth, Endopiza viteana: displacement distance and direction

Abstract. Mark–release–recapture is used to quantify displacement by adults of the North American grape berry moth, Endopiza viteana Clemens (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) under field conditions. Moths marked with fluorescent dust are released eight times in the centre of a vineyard over 2 years, and recaptured using pheromone traps and interception traps. In vineyards, male moths are recaptured an average of 13.8 ± 0.8 m from the release site (maximum 58.2 m), whereas female displacement is similar with average flight distances of 11.4 ± 6.7 m (maximum 41.2 m). Increasing wind speed during moth flight activity periods suppresses displacement by both sexes, and females are less likely than males to fly in winds above 0.6 m s^?1. The majority of males are recaptured upwind from the release site or at a tangent to the overall mean wind direction when responding to pheromone traps, whereas female moths trapped in interception traps exhibit a large variability in direction from the release point. Releases of marked moths in woods adjacent to a vineyard demonstrates interhabitat movement by E. viteana males and by a single female. The average maximum displacement by males during interhabitat movement is 105.4 ± 3.9 m, significantly greater than the average maximum of 39.7 ± 6.7 m inside the vineyard habitat.