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Glite Dictionary
Tortricidae

Tortricidae

9.9
A family of small moths whose caterpillars roll leaves to live in
  • noun
  • /tɔrˈtrɪsɪdi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Tortricidae
  • Farmers often encounter the Tortricidae moths, which can cause damage to fruit crops by tying leaves together.

Examples

  • Likewise, most of the members of the largest group of adventive lepidopterans, the family Tortricidae (Table 5), are early spring feeders.

    Academic text (1996)

  • The microlepidopteran family Tortricidae accounted for 27 of the species (31%).

    Academic text (2010)

  • The Tortricidae family includes many species that are known for rolling leaves in their larval stage.

  • Researchers are studying how the larvae of the Tortricidae, such as the codling moth, affect the health of apple trees.

Synonyms

family Tortricidae
vsTortricidae
  • Specialized
9.9

A large group of moths that roll leaves and often damage crops

is the same taxonomic group but emphasizes larvae rolling or tying leaves
tortricid moth
vsTortricidae
  • Specialized
9.9

A small moth whose caterpillars roll leaves and eat fruit

is broader and names the whole family rather than one species

Compounds

family Tortricidae
  • Specialized
9.9

A large group of moths that roll leaves and often damage crops

Surface Forms

Tortricidae singular
Tortricidaes plural

Morphology

Tortricidae = Tortrix (opaque) = tortric + idae

This is a Latinized scientific family name formed with the taxonomic suffix '-idae', which is specialized and not transparent to average learners.

Etymology

Tortricidae comes from the name Tortrix, which in turn comes from the Latin torquere meaning 'to twist'. That's easy to remember because the caterpillars in this family roll and twist leaves to make a little shelter, so the family name points to their leaf-rolling habit.