Charcoal Goldeneye vs Codling Moth

Anthracobia macrocystis compared with Cydia pomonella

Key Differences

  • Charcoal Goldeneye is Least Concern while Codling Moth is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Charcoal Goldeneye Codling Moth
Kingdom Fungi (Fungi) Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Ascomycota (Sac Fungi) Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Pezizomycetes (Pezizomycetes) Insecta (Insects)
Order Pezizales (Pezizales) Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family Pyronemataceae Tortricidae
Genus Anthracobia Cydia
Species Anthracobia macrocystis Cydia pomonella

Conservation Status

Charcoal Goldeneye

LC — Least Concern

Codling Moth

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Charcoal Goldeneye Codling Moth
Diet
Average Lifespan
Average Length
Average Weight

Habitat & Geographic Range

Charcoal Goldeneye

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden.

Codling Moth

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Europe (6 countries), and North America (Canada, United States).

Charcoal Goldeneye

The Charcoal Goldeneye (Anthracobia macrocystis) is a species in the genus Anthracobia. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Codling Moth

The Codling Moth (Cydia pomonella) is a lepidopteran pest in the family Tortricidae, recognised globally as one of the most economically damaging insects affecting apple, pear, and walnut orchards. Adult moths have a wingspan of approximately 15–22 millimetres, with forewings patterned in grey and bronze, featuring a distinctive dark ocellate marking at the wing tip. Females lay eggs singly on fruit or foliage; hatching larvae bore directly into developing fruit, feeding on seeds and the core, creating characteristic brown frass-filled tunnels. By the time infestation is visible externally, significant damage to the crop has already occurred. Originally native to Eurasia, Cydia pomonella has established itself on every continent where pome fruits are cultivated, including North America, South America, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, facilitated by trade in infested plant material. Management relies on integrated approaches combining pheromone-based mating disruption, timed insecticide applications, kaolin clay barriers, and biological control using entomopathogenic nematodes and the granulovirus CpGV. Resistance to organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides has developed in some populations, complicating conventional chemical management. The species undergoes 1–3 generations per year depending on climate. Despite its pest status, Cydia pomonella is not conservation-evaluated.

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