Description of Tortricidae
The Tortricidae family is a large and relatively homogeneous family in the Superfamily Tortricoidea, with three subfamilies that have at times been considered separate families: Chlidanotinae, Tortricinae, and Olethreutinae. There are about 9,000 described species richly distributed worldwide in 1,000 or more genera; incalculable numbers remain unnamed in tropical regions. Many Tortricids are economically important as agricultural and forestry pests. Adults are small to moderately large (wingspan 1-3.3 cm), and are typically nocturnal with cryptically colored forewings in gray, brown, rust, or tan, occasionally with colorful markings. At rest, wings are held like a flattened roof, giving the resemblance of an arrowhead. Larvae are leaf rollers, leaf tiers, or borers in roots, stems, or fruits, and most species are specialists in food plant selection, with an enormous array of plants serving as hosts.