Which tortricid family features brown, gray, or tan coloration that mimics dead leaves or bark, with forewing tips that can flare or square off?

• A. Nymphalidae
• B. Pieridae
• C. Tortricidae
• D. Sesiidae

Answer: (C)

Leaf-mimicking camouflage and a distinctive resting wing shape are hallmarks of the tortricid moths. Many species in this family have brown, gray, or tan patterns that resemble dead leaves or bark, helping them blend into twigs and leaf litter. When at rest, their forewings can flare or square off at the tips, producing a jagged edge that breaks up the moth’s silhouette and makes it look like a fragment of bark or a dead leaf rather than a moving insect. This combination of cryptic color and wing shape is a classic trait of Tortricidae, fitting the description in the question.

Other groups tend to show different schemes: some butterflies (Nymphalidae) and many in Pieridae are not primarily leaf-mimics, and sesiids are clearwing moths with wasp-like transparency rather than dead-leaf camouflage and a squared-off forewing apex.