Codling Moth vs Foca Pia

Cydia pomonella compared with Pagophilus groenlandicus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Codling Moth	Foca Pia
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Pinnipedia (Seals & Sea Lions)
Family	Tortricidae	Phocidae (True Seals)
Genus	Cydia	Pagophilus
Species	Cydia pomonella	Pagophilus groenlandicus

Evolutionary Relationship

Codling Moth and Foca Pia share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Codling Moth

NE — Not Evaluated

Foca Pia

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Codling Moth	Foca Pia
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

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).

Foca Pia

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden