Brook Floater vs Codling Moth

Alasmidonta varicosa compared with Cydia pomonella

Key Differences

• Brook Floater is Vulnerable while Codling Moth is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brook Floater	Codling Moth
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Mollusca (Moluscos)	Arthropoda (artrópode)
Class	Bivalvia (Bivalvia)	Insecta (inseto)
Order	Unionida (Unionoida)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Unionidae	Tortricidae
Genus	Alasmidonta	Cydia
Species	Alasmidonta varicosa	Cydia pomonella

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Brook Floater

VU — Vulnerable

Codling Moth

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brook Floater	Codling Moth
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Brook Floater

Habitat

Native to North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in United States. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its 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).

Brook Floater

The Brook Floater (Alasmidonta varicosa) is a species in the genus Alasmidonta. It is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Native to North America, 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇺🇸 United States