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European Pepper Moth

 

Duponchelia fovealis Zeller 1847 -- Lepidoptera:  Crambidae

 

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       This Pepper Moth is endemic to the Mediterranean region and the Canary Islands, but  now  it is esblished in many countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.  It has a broad host range, but it is a serious agricultural pest of peppers and strawberries in Europe and aquatic ornamental plants as well.  It is uncertain how the moths entered the U.S., but in the summer of 2010 it was considered established in at least 15 states.  It has become a significant pest of ornamental plant production, especially in potted poinsettia production.

 

       The moth adult is 9-12 mm long with a wingspan of 19-21 mm.  The abdomen of the male is longer and narrower than that of the female.  Adults turn their abdomens up vertically, but this is much more pronounced in the males.  The moth occurs in shades of brown with grey.  The forewings show distinctive patterns and have two transverse golden-brown bands, the lower with a pronounced finger-shaped curve pointing backward.  The life span for the adult is from 1 to 2 weeks.  During that time, the female may lay up to 200 eggs which are white when first laid, but darken to red or reddish orange when mature.  They may occur singly or in small batches on plants and other surfaces.  Larvae are light to dark brown with a dark brown head capsule.  They produce silk and may be found in association with webbing along the soil surface and in the crown of the plant.  Larvae pupate inside 15-19 mm long cocoons composed of webbing and detritus or soil particles.  The cocoon is usually attached to the undersides of leaves, the edge of a potted plant, or the undersides of the pots.  Adults emerge in 1-2 weeks. In greenhouses in Southern California, there may be multiple generations throughout the year.


        The larvae damage roots, leaves, flowers, buds and fruit.  In some crops, such as roses, they will feed mainly on crop debris such as fallen leaves.  In other crops, chewing damage may be seen on the undersides of leaves, resulting in leaf death,   and on stems where it sometimes results in stem girdling.  In southern California, damage has been observed on gerbera, echinacea, kalanchoe, begonia and poinsettia.

 

       Some biological controls involve products containing the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis are effective when applied against early instars.  Generalist predators such as the soil-dwelling predatory mite Stratiolaelaps miles, and the rove beetle Atheta coriaria also can be effective, and both are sold in the United States.  Liberations of several species of the egg parasitoid Trichogramma are effective for enhancing crop production.

 

 

REFERENCES:                                                                                             FURTHER RELATED REFERENCES

 

Arzone, A,  I. Tavella  & A. Alma.  2002.  Evoluzione dei problemi entomologici delle coltivazioni floricole e florovivaistiche.  Informatore Fitopatologico 52 (2):  22-31.

 

Billen, W.  1994.  On the harmfulness of Duponchelia fovealis (Zeller, 1847) in Germany (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae).  Nota Lepidopterol 16 (3/4):  212.

 

Bonsignore, C. P. & V. Vacante.  2010.  Duponchelia fovealis (Zeller). Une nuova emergenza per la fragola?.  Protezione delle colture, pp. 40-43.

 

Clark, J. S.  2000.  Duponchelia fovealis (Zell.) arriving on imported plant material.  Atropos 10:  20-21.

 

Faquaet, M.  2000.  Duponchelia fovealis, een nieuwe soort voor de Belgische fauna (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae).  Phegea 28:  1.

 

Guda, C. D, A. Capizzi. & P. Trematerra.  1988.  Damages on Eustoma grandiflorum (Raf.) Shinn. caused by Duponchelia fovealis (Zeller).  Annali dell'Istituto Sperimentale per la Floricultura 19:  3-11.

 

Jackel, B, B. Kummer. & M. Kurhais.  1996.  Biological control of Duponchelia fovealis Zeller (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae).  Mitteilungen aus der Biologishen fur Land und Forstwirtschaft 321:  483.

 

MacLeod, A.  1996.  Summary Pest Risk Assessment: Duponchelia fovealis.  DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), Central Science Laboratory, Sand Hutton, York, United Kingdom.

 

Marek,  J. & E. Bártová.  1998.  Duponchelia fovealis Zeller, 1847, a new pest of glasshouse plants in the Czech Republic.  Plant Protection Science 34:  151-152.

 

Messelink G. & W. Van Wensveen.  2003.  Biocontrol of Duponchelia fovealis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) with soil-dwelling predators in potted plants.  Communications in Agriculture and Applied Biological Sciences, Ghent University, 68 (4a):  159-165.

 

Pijnakker, J.  2001.  Duponchelia fovealis, le lépidoptčre redouté des plantes en pot aux Pays-Bas.  Revue Horticole 429:  51-53.

 

Trematerra, P.  1990.  Morphological aspects of Duponchelia fovealis Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae).  Redia 73:  41-52.

 

Zandigiacimo, P. &  F. M. Buian.  2007.  Duponchelia fovealis: Un Lepidopterro Crambide Dannoso alle Colture Floricole.

 Notiziario ERSA, 20:  3-5.

 

Zimmermann, O.  2004.  Use of Trichogramma wasps in Germany; Present status of research and commercial application of egg parasitoids against lepidopterous pests for crops.  Gesunde Pflanzen 56:  157-166.

 

 

FURTHER RELATED REFERENCES:

 

El-Heneidy, A. H.  &  Fawzia A. Hawwanein.  1986.  Meteorus gyrator  Thunberg and M. rubens Nees. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae),  new recorded parasitoids, on certain lepidopterous pests in Egypt.  Zeitschrift angewandete Entomologie (1986).

 

Hawwanein, Fawzia A. & A. H. El-Heneidy.  1988.  Comparative study of the parasitism by Microplitis rufiventris Kok. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and Periboae orbate Wied. (Diptera: Tachinidae) on main lepidopterous pests in vegetable crop fields in Egypt.  Bull. Soc. Ent. Egypte,  Econ.  Ser. 17:  127-135.

 

Hawwanein, Fawzia A.; A. H. El-Heneidy, M. S. Abbas & A. R. Hamed.  1985.  Survey of the parasitoids of main lepidopterous pests in vegetable crop fields in Egypt.  Bull. Soc. Ent. Egypte, 65:  259 -265.

 

Honda, J. & S. V. Triapitzin.  1995a.  A species description and biological comparison between a new species of Telenomus Haliday (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) and Trichogramma platneri Nagarkatti (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae): two egg parasitoids of Sabulodes aegrotata (Guene=E9) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae).  Pan-Pacific Entomol. 71 (4):  227-236.

 

Honda, J. & S. V. Triapitzin.  1995b.  A species description and biological comparison between a new species of Telenomus Haliday (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) and Trichogramma platneri Nagarkatti (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae): two egg parasitoids of Sabulodes aegrotata  (Lepidoptera: Geometridae).  Pan-Pacific Entomologist 72 (3):  168-170.

 

Triapitzin, S. V. & T. M. Tretiakova.  1997.  Sexual behavior of Apanteles oenone Nixon (Hymenoptera, Braconidae), an exotic parasitoid of the pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae).  Russian Entomological Journal 6 (1-2):  71-72.