Alfalfa Moth vs Carpocapse des châtaignes

Cydia medicaginis compared with Cydia pomonella

Key Differences

• Alfalfa Moth is Least Concern while Carpocapse des châtaignes is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alfalfa Moth	Carpocapse des châtaignes
Kingdom same	Animalia (animal)	Animalia (animal)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (arthropodes)	Arthropoda (arthropodes)
Class same	Insecta (insecte)	Insecta (insecte)
Order same	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family same	Tortricidae	Tortricidae
Genus same	Cydia	Cydia
Species	Cydia medicaginis	Cydia pomonella

Evolutionary Relationship

Alfalfa Moth and Carpocapse des châtaignes share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Cydia.

Conservation Status

Alfalfa Moth

LC — Least Concern

Carpocapse des châtaignes

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alfalfa Moth	Carpocapse des châtaignes
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alfalfa Moth

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, France, and Sweden.

Carpocapse des châtaignes

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).

Alfalfa Moth

The Alfalfa Moth (Cydia medicaginis) is a species in the genus Cydia. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Carpocapse des châtaignes

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 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇸🇪 Sweden