Leaf-mining Moth Research Articles

Pre-release efficacy assessment of the leaf-mining moth Digitivalva delaireae (Lepidoptera: Glyphipterigidae), a potential biological control agent for Cape-ivy, Delairea odorata (Asteraceae), in western North America

The leaf-mining moth Digitivalva delaireae Gaedike & Kruger (Lepidoptera: Glyphipterigidae) is a potential biological control agent for the invasive vine Cape-ivy, Delairea odorata Lemaire (Asteraceae), in western North America, where two morphological varieties (stipulate and exstipulate) of Cape-ivy occur. Two laboratory experiments were conducted to assess (1) the oviposition preference of D. delaireae for either of the two varieties and (2) its impact on plant performance using low and high densities of the moth on both varieties. There was no difference between the two varieties in the proportion of leaves oviposited on or damaged by D. delaireae. Similarly, the effect of D. delaireae herbivory on plant performance was not influenced by Cape-ivy variety. Independent of moth density treatment (low or high), herbivory by D. delaireae resulted in an overall reduction in plant growth and biomass accumulation, and Cape-ivy was unable to compensate for D. delaireae damage: mean relative growth rate, main stem length increment, dry shoot biomass, and leaf mass fraction were reduced 22%, 27%, 22%, and 17% in plants exposed to D. delaireae herbivory compared to unexposed plants. These results indicate that once released, D. delaireae has the potential to negatively affect stem growth, biomass accumulation and rate of stand expansion of Cape-ivy in the field.

Annual Generations and Population Fluctuation of Tomato Leaf Miner Moth Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera :Gelechiidae) in El-Behera Governorate, Egypt.

Annual Generations and Population Fluctuation of Tomato Leaf Miner Moth Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera :Gelechiidae) in El-Behera Governorate, Egypt.

Aspen leaf miner (Phyllocnistis populiella) oviposition site selection mediated by aspen (Populus tremuloides) extrafloral nectaries

By impacting performance of individual offspring, oviposition site choice can have a large influence on female fitness; however, a female’s fitness is also impacted by her own survival and future reproductive potential. Factors influencing oviposition site selection include a female’s own predation risk and nutritional needs, as well as the performance of offspring. Trade-offs may occur when oviposition sites differ in their favorability for these fitness-related functions. Adults of the leaf-mining moth, Phyllocnistis populiella, forage at the extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) of quaking aspen, Populus tremuloides. Females are synovigenic and likely rely on adult nutrition for egg production; however, proximity to EFNs may be associated with reduced offspring survival. In a controlled experiment, when given the choice of oviposition on either a leaf with or without EFNs, P. populiella preferred leaves lacking EFNs. Seven years of field survey data revealed significantly higher oviposition and lower egg predation on leaves lacking EFNs. Aspen shoots with a higher proportion of leaves expressing EFNs experienced higher oviposition but no difference in egg predation. At the leaf level, eggs were overdispersed when at low to moderate densities, likely to decrease interference competition. Females mated multiply, and the acquisition of spermatophores through repeated matings may decrease P. populiella’s reliance on EF nectar for egg production. P. populiella appears to balance the trade-off between resource rich and high offspring performance sites by ovipositing in neighborhoods with a high proportion of leaves bearing EFNs, while preferring leaves lacking EFNs which experience lower egg predation.

Discovery of a new species of Caloptilia (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) from east and central Africa with its suggested associated host (Gentianales: Rubiaceae) and natural enemies (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae).

A new species of the leaf-mining moth genus Caloptilia (Gracillariidae), C. mwamba sp. nov., suggested to be associated with Cremaspora triflora (Thonn.) K.Schum. (Rubiaceae) is described from east and central Africa. The taxonomic relationships of the new species with its congeners from the Oriental and the Palaearctic regions are discussed. Newly obtained taxonomic and biological data are linked with the DNA barcode workbench in BOLD, providing the molecular, machine-readable identification tag of the new species. New distribution and morphological data for two parasitoid species, Afrotroppopsis risbeci Gumovsky, 2007 and Zaommomentedon newbyi (Kerrich, 1969) (Eulophidae), which were found to be associated with C. mwamba sp. nov., are presented.

Stranger in a known land: Bayesian analysis confirms the presence of an Australian leaf miner in the Chilean Atacama Desert

Several species of leaf-mining moths have become invasive in many parts of the world. Their success seems to be related, at least in part, to their small body size, short life cycles, high dispersal capabilities and relatively plastic host-plant associations. Here, we provide the first report of established populations of the elachistid moth, Elachista synethes, in South America (specifically the Azapa Valley, northern Chilean Atacama Desert). E. synethes is a widespread polyphagous species native to Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. The immatures in the Azapa Valley were found associated with the South American native rescue grass, Bromus catharticus. Interestingly E. synethes is known to use B. catharticus as a host plant in the Australian region (i.e. where the plant is introduced but the moth native). In addition to comparing the morphology of immature and adult moths, we sequenced a partial region of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene from putative specimens from the Azapa Valley, and reconstructed a Bayesian phylogeny using representative species from different groups of Elachista as terminals. The specimens from Chile fell within the lineage of E. synethes, with 0% of genetic divergence. Thus, we hypothesize that this leaf-miner species was accidentally introduced into northern Chile, and has established there due to the existence of suitable host plants in that area.

Южноамериканская томатная моль — опасный вредитель

В мини-обзоре рассмотрена опасность распространения объекта внутреннего карантина — южноамериканской минирующей моли на плантациях томата юга России; описаны внешние признаки повреждения, образ жизни и пути возможного сдерживания данного вредителя. Перечислены существующие методы борьбы с томатной молью: агротехнические, организационно-хозяйственные, биологические и химические.

Cloning and functional expression of a chitinase cDNA from the apple leaf miner moth Lithocolletis ringoniella.

Insect chitinase plays essential roles in chitin catabolism involved in digestion and molting during insect development. In the current work, we cloned a chitinase cDNA, LrCht5, from the apple leaf miner moth Lithocolletis ringoniella and characterized its amino acid sequence and protein properties. The L. ringoniella chitinase cDNA was 2136 bp in length with an open reading frame of 1737 bp that encodes a polypeptide of 579 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular mass of 64.4 kDa and pI of 5.49. The catalytic domain has several phosphorylation and glycosylation sites. The recombinant LrCht5 was expressed in Escherichia coli and the Spodoptera frugiperda cell line Sf9, and the LrCht5 expressed in insect cells exhibited chitinolytic activity. LrCht5 was most stable at pH 6.0 and 45°C. This work has potential application in the development of novel and more specific synthetic chitinase inhibitors for use as bioinsecticides.

Plasticity in resource use by the leafminer moth Phyllocnistis sp. in response to variations in host plant resources over space and time

We examined how sedentary herbivorous insects cope with changes in resource availability with host plant phenology by studying the multivoltine lepidopteran leafminer Phyllocnistis sp. on the Japanese privet (Ligustrum japonicum). The privet offers three resources: primary shoots in the spring, lammas shoots later in the season, and older leaves. We examined the seasonal abundance of these resources and the density of mines in each to assess competition between leafminers at the tree, shoot, and leaf scale. The leafminer initially used leaves of primary shoots, then shifted to young leaves of lammas shoots, but never used old leaves. The relative scarcity of lammas shoots increased the density of mines, so the leafminers maximized their use of the intra-leaf microhabitat: they commonly preferred the lower surface of leaves, but came to use both surfaces. Thus the leafminer compensated for the lower availability of lammas shoots by maximizing microhabitat use.

Interference and management of parthenium: The world's most important invasive weed

Parthenium (Parthenium hysterophorus L.) is one of the most aggressive herbaceous weeds of the Asteraceae family. It is widely distributed, almost across the world and has become the most important invasive weed. Comprehensive information on interference and control of this devastating species is required to facilitate better management decisions. A broad review on the interference and management of this weed is presented here. Inspite of its non-tropical origin, parthenium grows quite successfully under a wide range of environmental conditions. It is spreading rapidly in Australia, Western Africa, Asia, and Caribbean countries, and has become a serious weed of pastures, wastelands, roadsides, railwaysides, water courses, and agricultural crops. The infestations of parthenium have been reported to reduce grain and forage yields by 40–90%. The spread of parthenium has been attributed to its allelopathic activity, strong competitiveness for soil moisture and nutrients, and its capability to exploit natural biodiversity. Allelochemicals released from parthenium has been reported to decrease germination and growth of agronomic crops, vegetables, trees, and many other weed species. Growth promoting effects of parthenium extracts at low concentrations have also been reported in certain crops. Many pre- and post-emergence herbicides have been evaluated for the control of parthenium in cropped and non-cropped areas. The most effective herbicides are clomazone, metribuzin, atrazine, glyphosate, metsulfuron methyl, butachlor, bentazone, dicamba, and metsulfuron methyl. Extracts, residues, and essential oils of many allelopathic herbs (Cassia, Amaranthus, and Xanthium species), grasses (Imperata and Desmostachya species), and trees (Eucalyptus, Azadirachta, Mangifera species, etc.) have demonstrated inhibitory activities on seed germination and seedling growth of parthenium. Metabolites of several fungi, e.g., Fusarium oxysporun and Fusarium monilifonne, exhibit bioherbicidal activity against seeds and seedlings of this weed. Intercropping, displacement by competitive plant species like Cassia species, bisset bluegrass, florgen blugress, buffelgrass, along with the use of biological control agents like Mexican beetle, seed-feeding and stem-boring weevils, stem-galling and leaf-mining moth, and sap-feeding plant hopper, have been reported as possible strategies for the management of parthenium. An appropriate integration of these approaches could help minimize spread of parthenium and provide sustainable weed management with reduced environmental concerns.

Distinct parasitoid communities associated with host races of the leaf-mining moth Acrocercops transecta on distantly related host plants (Juglandaceae and Ericaceae)

Differences in host-plant species may affect the structure of parasitoid communities of phytophagous insects. Phytophagous insect species often consist of host races, and comparisons between host races enable us to infer the effects of host-plant differences on parasitoid communities. Here, we compare the parasitoid fauna of two host races of the leaf-mining moth Acrocercops transecta, which are associated with either Juglandaceae or Lyonia ovalifolia (Ericaceae). Field collection and subsequent laboratory rearing revealed a significantly higher parasitization ratio in the Juglandaceae race than in the Lyonia race. In the Juglandaceae race the majority of parasitoids were Braconidae, whereas in the Lyonia race the majority were Eulophidae. Furthermore, even within the same host race the most abundant parasitoid species differed between populations with different host associations. Hence, the present results strongly indicate that different host-plant taxa affect the structure of parasitoid communities even within a single phytophagous insect species.

Egg laying site selection by a host plant specialist leaf miner moth at two intra-plant levels in the northern Chilean Atacama Desert

Egg laying site selection by a host plant specialist leaf miner moth at two intra-plant levels in the northern Chilean Atacama Desert. The spatial distribution of the immature stages of the leaf miner Angelabella tecomae Vargas & Parra, 2005 was determined at two intra-plant levels (shoot and leaflet) on the shrub Tecoma fulva fulva (Cav.) D. Don (Bignoniaceae) in the Azapa valley, northern Chilean Atacama Desert. An aggregated spatial pattern was detected for all the immature stages along the shoot, with an age dependent relative position: eggs and first instar larvae were clumped at apex; second, third and fourth instar larvae were mostly found at intermediate positions; meanwhile the spinning larva and pupa were clumped at basis. This pattern suggests that the females select new, actively growing leaflets for egg laying. At the leaflet level, the immature stages were found more frequently at underside. Furthermore, survivorship was higher for larvae from underside mines. All these results highlight the importance of an accurate selection of egg laying site in the life history of this highly specialized leaf miner. By contrast, eventual wrong choices in the egg laying site selection may be associated with diminished larval survivorship. The importance of the continuous availability of new plant tissue in this highly human modified arid environment is discussed in relation with the observed patterns.

A new species of Zagrammosoma Ashmead (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae) from Qinghai Province, China.

The new species Zagrammosoma dulanense Cao & Zhu, sp. n., from Qinghai Province, China, is described and illustrated. All type specimens were reared from the pupae of Micrurapteryx sophorivora Kuznetzov & Tristan (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), a leafmining moth attacking the plant Thermopsis lanceolata R. Br. (Fabaceae). A key to the three known Asian species of Zagrammosoma is provided. All specimens are deposited in the Insect Collection, the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.

Confuser® MM can be used as an attractant to enable monitoring of the peach leafminer moth, Lyonetia clerkella (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae), in peach orchards treated with a mating disrupter

Sex-pheromone traps baited with a rubber-septum containing 14-methyl-1-octadecene are used to monitor the emergence of adult peach leafminer moths, Lyonetia clerkella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae), in peach orchards. This compound is also used as a mating disrupter; large amounts of synthetic 14-methyl-1-octadecene can successfully interfere with the mate-finding behavior of the male moths. In peach orchards treated with mating disrupters, however, conventional rubber-septum lures are ineffective, because mating disrupters interfere with male orientation. In this work we demonstrated that a commercially-available mating disrupter, Confuser® MM, can be used as an attractant in orchards treated with mating disrupters. In an indoor flight tunnel experiment, 33–42 % of males pre-exposed to a mating disrupter responded to one to ten Confuser® MM dispensers whereas only 8 % responded to a conventional lure made from a rubber-septum impregnated with a relatively small amount of the sex pheromone. The number of male moths captured by traps baited with five dispensers of Confuser® MM in orchards treated with mating disrupters was positively correlated with the number of males trapped by use of a conventional rubber-septum lure in untreated orchards. This suggests that Confuser® MM can be used as an attractant for monitoring emergence time and relative abundance in an orchard being treated with a mating disrupter.

Aster leafminer moth Leucospilapteryx venustella (Clemens) (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae)

Leucospilapteryx venustella (Clemens) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) is a small, mostly light brown moth that, during its larval stages, creates mines in the leaves of plants in the family Asteraceae. Feeding damage by the early instars is characterized by serpentine mines that are expanded by later instars to form tentiform or blotch mines. This 4-page fact sheet was written by Rodrigo Diaz, Esteban Tapia, Veronica Manrique, William Overholt, and Donald Davis, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, February 2014.
 EENY585/IN1029: Aster leafminer moth Leucospilapteryx venustella (Clemens) (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) (ufl.edu)

The Success of the Horse-Chestnut Leaf-Miner, Cameraria ohridella, in the UK Revealed with Hypothesis-Led Citizen Science

Citizen science is an increasingly popular way of undertaking research and simultaneously engaging people with science. However, most emphasis of citizen science in environmental science is on long-term monitoring. Here, we demonstrate the opportunities provided by short-term hypothesis-led citizen science. In 2010, we ran the ‘Conker Tree Science’ project, in which over 3500 people in Great Britain provided data at a national scale of an insect (horse-chestnut leaf-mining moth, Cameraria ohridella) undergoing rapid range-expansion. We addressed two hypotheses, and found that (1) the levels of damage caused to leaves of the horse-chestnut tree, Aesculus hippocastanum, and (2) the level of attack by parasitoids of C. ohridella larvae were both greatest where C. ohridella had been present the longest. Specifically there was a rapid rise in leaf damage during the first three years that C. ohridella was present and only a slight rise thereafter, while estimated rates of parasitism (an index of true rates of parasitism) increased from 1.6 to 5.9% when the time C. ohridella had been present in a location increased from 3 to 6 years. We suggest that this increase is due to recruitment of native generalist parasitoids, rather than the adaptation or host-tracking of more specialized parasitoids, as appears to have occurred elsewhere in Europe. Most data collected by participants were accurate, but the counts of parasitoids from participants showed lower concordance with the counts from experts. We statistically modeled this bias and propagated this through our analyses. Bias-corrected estimates of parasitism were lower than those from the raw data, but the trends were similar in magnitude and significance. With appropriate checks for data quality, and statistically correcting for biases where necessary, hypothesis-led citizen science is a potentially powerful tool for carrying out scientific research across large spatial scales while simultaneously engaging many people with science.

Would clutch size decrease with higher local-density of mothers and/or lower quality of the host in leaf-mining moths? A case study with three common lepidopteran leaf-miners

La taille de la ponte décroît-elle avec une plus forte densité locale des mères et/ou une plus faible qualité de l’hôte chez les lépidoptères mineurs de feuilles ? Le cas de trois espèces communes. Chez les insectes herbivores à développement larvaire sessile (tels que les insectes mineurs ou cécidogènes de la feuille-hôte), le contrôle de la taille de ponte élémentaire permet aux mères de viser à un approvisionnement optimal pour les futures larves. La taille de ponte élémentaire peut ainsi constituer une réponse adaptative aussi bien (i) au niveau moyen de qualité des feuilles de l’hôte, destinées à la consommation des larves, que (ii) à la densité locale des mères, de sorte à éviter ou au moins limiter la compétition entre larves exploitant une même feuille-hôte. Cependant, un tel contrôle de la taille de ponte suppose évidemment que les mères pondeuses soient en capacité préalable de reconnaître le niveau moyen de qualité foliaire de l’individu hôte et/ ou d’apprécier approximativement la densité des mères dans leur voisinage et d’être en outre motivées à tenir compte de ces paramètres. Cette hypothétique aptitude des mères à adapter la taille de ponte en fonction des facteurs précités mérite donc d’être testée au sein de la guilde des insectes fonceurs de mines ou inducteurs de galles foliaires. Considérant ici trois espèces communes de micro-lépidoptères formant des mines foliaires, on montre que la taille de ponte élémentaire demeure substantiellement indépendante aussi bien de la qualité moyenne des feuilles-hôtes (appréciée au moyen de l’estimation de la proportion ‘α’ de feuilles potentiellement acceptables par les mères) que de la densité des mères (appréciée indirectement au moyen de la densité ‘μ’ de visites probatoires reçues par feuille). Pour ces trois espèces au moins, les précautions maternelles apparaissent donc se limiter au choix de l’espèce-hôte puis à la sélection des feuilles considérées acceptables pour ponte, au sein de l’individu-hôte, sans que la taille de ponte soit elle-même un levier adaptatif.

Short Communication: Occurrence and Population Dynamics of Tomato Leaf Miner [ Tuta absoluta (Meyrick), Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae] in Eastern Ethiopia

The dangerous tomato leaf miner pest ( Tuta absoluta ), which was reported to have crossed into Ethiopia via the Sudan in 2012, has scared tomato producing farmers across the country. Therefore, a study was conducted using pheromone traps to elucidate the occurrence of the insect pest and to monitor its population build-up in eastern Ethiopia. Pheromone traps were placed in the greenhouse for two months (February - March 2014) and in the open-field tomato crops for one week to monitor the tomato leaf miner moth. Examination of the traps was carried out at seven-day intervals, and the dispenser was replaced every 15 days. There was a linear increment in the number of captured moths during the surveyed time both in the greenhouse and in the open-field tomato crops. The number of moths captured ranged from 27 - 47 and 103 - 255 in the open-field and in the greenhouse, respectively. Thus, based on the examination of the traps, the presence of Tuta absoluta was confirmed for the first time in eastern Ethiopia. In the greenhouse, the larvae of the tomato leaf miner inflicted a heavy damage on young tomato plants. As a result, young plants died before flowering. The results of the study have revealed that the pest is likely to cause heavy losses in tomato crops on an unprecedented scale in the Eastern part of the country. Therefore, monitoring the pest in all tomato producing regions of the country is a vital step towards early detection and decision-making to take integrated management measures against the outbreak of the infestation. Keywords: Larvae; Leaf Miner; Moth; Pheromone Trap; Population Dynamics; Pupation; Tomato; Tuta absoluta

First record of Pteromalus varians (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) parasitizing on Tischeria ekebladella (Lepidoptera: Tischeriidae) in Hungary

Pteromalus varians (Spinola, 1808) is fi rstly recorded from Quercus leaves, mined by the trumpet leafminer moth Tischeria ekebladella (Bjerkander, 1795) in forests near Budapest, Hungary. A total of 392 parasitoids were reared in laboratory conditions, from which 14 females and 362 males belong to P. varians. A short review on the host range of P. varians is given. Known biological relationships of Tischeria to some other pteromalids and a possible similarity between host ranges of P. varians and Pteromalus semotus are also commented. With 2 figures.

Systematics and Biology ofCaloptilia triadicae(Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), A New Species of Leaf-Mining Moth of the Invasive Chinese Tallow Tree(Triadica sebifera(L.) Euphorbiaceae)

ABSTRACT. A new species of leaf-mining moth, Caloptilia triadicae, is described from the southern United States from Florida to eastern Texas. Larvae of this moth are known to feed preferentially and at high densities on the Chinese Tallow tree, Triadica (= Sapium) sebifera (L.) Roxb. (Euphorbiaceae), a tree first introduced into Georgia in 1772 from Asia, which has since become an invasive plant species of grave concern over much of the southeastern United States and California. Caloptilia triadicae is also known to feed rarely on Gymnanthes lucida Sw. (Euphorbiaceae), a tree not known to occur in the Old World but native to Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and Central America. Because of the origin of the preferred host and the morphological affinities of the moth to the Chinese species, Caloptilia hamulifera Liu and Yuan, it appears likely that C. triadicae also originated from Asia. The larvae of Caloptilia are hypometamorphic and possess two distinct larval body forms and feeding behaviors—an ear...

DNA barcoding reveals a largely unknown fauna of Gracillariidae leaf‐mining moths in the Neotropics

Higher taxa often show increasing species richness towards tropical low latitudes, a pattern known as the latitudinal biodiversity gradient (LBG). A rare reverse LBG (with greater richness towards temperate high latitudes) is exhibited by Gracillariidae leaf-mining moths, in which most described species occur in northern temperate areas. We carried out the first assessment of gracillariid species diversity in two Neotropical regions to test whether the relatively low tropical species diversity of this family is genuine or caused by insufficient sampling and a strong taxonomic impediment. Field surveys in six French Guianan and one Ecuadorian site produced 516 gracillariid specimens that were DNA barcoded to facilitate identification and to match larvae inside leaf mines with adults. Species delineation from sequence data was approximated using Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery and Refined Single Linkage Analysis through the Barcode Index Number system, and the proportion of described/undescribed species was estimated after comparison with types of 83% of described species. Locally, alpha-diversity far exceeds that of any known temperate fauna, with as many as 108 candidate species (59.3% as singletons) collected at one site, and with an estimated species richness lower bound of 240 species. Strikingly, at least 85% of the species collected as adults were found to be undescribed. Our sampling represents the most thorough survey of gracillariid species diversity in the Neotropics to date and the results from both our molecular and morphological analyses indicate that the current reverse LBG seen in this group is an artefact of insufficient sampling and a strong description deficit in the Neotropics.