Prays citri | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Praydidae |
Genus: | Prays |
Species: | P. citri |
Binomial name | |
Prays citri | |
Prays citri, also known by the common name citrus flower moth, is a Lepidoptera belonging to the family Yponomeutidae and is a pest of Citrus . [1] Adult P. citri have light grey forewings with dark grey/black spots and greyish brown hindwings and body. [2] They have hair-like structures (fringe) on the perimeter of their wings and a wingspan of 11.5-14.6 mm. [2] Females tend to be lighter in colour than males. [2] But an examination of genital structures is necessary to correctly identify P. citri from other species of the Prays genus. [2]
Adult female P. citri release a pheromone, identified as (Z)-7-tetradecenal, [3] to attract male moths. Once the moths have copulated, the female lays fertilized eggs after 2–5 hours. [4] She lays between 60-156 eggs on the flower of a citrus tree. [4] The eggs will hatch after 3–4 days, and larvae will emerge, lasting for around 12 days. [4] After this, the larvae pupate and form a cocoon on the Citrus tree, and after about 6 days, a moth will emerge. [4] The P. citri life cycle is anywhere from 17 to 25 days. [1] The exact number of days of each developmental stage and the number of eggs laid are highly dependent on temperature. [4] [1] P. citri can have between 3 and 16 generations per year. [4]
The idea temperature range for this species is between 25 °C and 30 °C, and if temperatures drop to 10 °C or below larvae cannot develop. [2]
Experiments by Sternlicht (1974a) show that female P. citri prefer to oviposit based on the scent of certain Citrus, the shape of a surface, and show a preference to specific colours and light intensities. [5] Generally, they prefer a convex surface with higher light intensity (300-350 lux), and blue, yellow, or white surfaces. [5] The colour preference is likely do to the fact that these are the colour of lemon flowers. [5]
Other research by Sternlicht (1974b) shows that males (2–6 days old) show the greatest attraction to females 1–16 hours hold. [6] The number of days a male finds a female attractive also varies between seasons, with females being attractive for up to twice as many days in the winter seasons. [6]
P. citri can be found in several African, Asian, and European countries. As well as in Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and Samoa. [4] An up to date listing of P. citri distribution can be found on CABI Compendium.
These pests can be spread by the movement of plants and fruits. [4] They can also be transported on things like clothing, mail, and vehicles. [4]
The preferred host plant of this P. citri is key (sweet) lime ( Citrus aurantifolia ). [7] However, other susceptible hosts include a variety of Citrus trees, including lime, lemon, sweet orange, and navel orange. [8] Less susceptible host plants include grapefruit, sour orange, and mandarin. [8] The chemical compounds released by these different citrus plants (i.e., their smell) can be picked up by the moths, and the female moths will choose to lay their eggs on plants based on this property. [5] [8]
Because P. citri only feed different Citrus species, they are considered oligophagous. [2] They can feed on the flowers, flower buds, fruit, and leaves of these trees. [2]
P. citri have a couple natural enemies including a pathogens, two parasites (Ageniaspis fuscicollis and Nemorilla maculosa), and a predator (Metaseiulus occidentalis). [4] In the wild these parasites and predator have not shown to effectively control the population. [4]
P. citri is a significant pest to Citrus, reducing crop yields by up to 30%-40%, and are therefore economically costly. [2] When the larvae emerge from their egg, they feed on the flower causing significant loss in fruit production. [2]
Managing these insects is of prime importance to researchers, which can be done through a couple of mechanisms.
Insecticides can come in different forms, including chemical, bacterial, and fungal insecticides. But generally, these all have a similar function to reduce the population.
In the lab, scientists are looking at exploiting the natural pathogens to control the population. Beauveria bassiana (product name Bactospeine) is being tested on P. citri as a fungal insecticide. [9] Bacillus thuringiensis (product name Bio-fly) is used as a bacterial insecticide on P. citri. [9] In the laboratory, researchers found both of these insecticides reduce the lifespan of the moths, reduce the oviposition period, and number of eggs laid by females. [9] When applied in the field, the number of larvae infecting flowers was significantly reduced. [9] However, the bacterial insecticide was shown to be more effective in controlling the population compared to the fungal insecticide. [9]
Chemical insecticides, such as chlorpyriphos, have also been used. [9]
The female sex pheromone (Z)-7-tetradecenal can be synthesized in the lab to use in pheromone traps. [3] Pheromone traps work by attracting organisms with a pheromone and then using some means of trapping them. In field studies with P. citri, this pheromone can be applied to a sticky trap to capture males. Male mass trapping aims to trap the males of a species; therefore, fewer females are fertilized, and the number of moths in the generation will be reduced. These traps have also proved an effective method of population control. [10]
Helicoverpa zea, commonly known as the corn earworm, is a species in the family Noctuidae. The larva of the moth Helicoverpa zea is a major agricultural pest. Since it is polyphagous during the larval stage, the species has been given many different common names, including the cotton bollworm and the tomato fruitworm. It also consumes a wide variety of other crops.
The Indianmeal moth, also spelled Indian meal moth and Indian-meal moth, is a pyraloid moth of the family Pyralidae. Alternative common names are hanger-downers, weevil moth, pantry moth, flour moth or grain moth. The almond moth and the raisin moth are commonly confused with the Indian-meal moth due to similar food sources and appearance. The species was named for feeding on Indian meal or cornmeal, and does not occur natively in India. It is also not to be confused with the Mediterranean flour moth, another common pest of stored grains.
The cabbage looper is a medium-sized moth in the family Noctuidae, a family commonly referred to as owlet moths. Its common name comes from its preferred host plants and distinctive crawling behavior. Cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, bok choy, and broccoli, are its main host plant; hence, the reference to cabbage in its common name. The larva is called a looper because it arches its back into a loop when it crawls.
The diamondback moth, sometimes called the cabbage moth, is a moth species of the family Plutellidae and genus Plutella. The small, grayish-brown moth sometimes has a cream-colored band that forms a diamond along its back. The species may have originated in Europe, South Africa, or the Mediterranean region, but it has now spread worldwide.
The Mediterranean flour moth or mill moth is a moth of the family Pyralidae. It is a common pest of cereal grains, especially flour. This moth is found throughout the world, especially in countries with temperate climates. It prefers warm temperatures for more rapid development, but it can survive a wide range of temperatures.
The European corn borer, also known as the European corn worm or European high-flyer, is a moth of the family Crambidae. It is a pest of grain, particularly maize. The insect is native to Europe, originally infesting varieties of millet, including broom corn. The European corn borer was first reported in North America in 1917 in Massachusetts, but was probably introduced from Europe several years earlier. Since its initial discovery in the Americas, the insect has spread into Canada and westwards across the United States to the Rocky Mountains.
Spodoptera litura, otherwise known as the tobacco cutworm or cotton leafworm, is a nocturnal moth in the family Noctuidae. S. litura is a serious polyphagous pest in Asia, Oceania, and the Indian subcontinent that was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775. Its common names reference two of the most frequent host plants of the moth. In total, 87 species of host plants that are infested by S. litura are of economic importance. The species parasitize the plants through the larvae vigorous eating patterns, oftentimes leaving the leaves completely destroyed. The moth's effects are quite disastrous, destroying economically important agricultural crops and decreasing yield in some plants completely. Their potential impact on the many different cultivated crops, and subsequently the local agricultural economy, has led to serious efforts to control the pests.
Agrotis ipsilon, the dark sword-grass, black cutworm, greasy cutworm, floodplain cutworm or ipsilon dart, is a small noctuid moth found worldwide. The moth gets its scientific name from black markings on its forewings shaped like the letter "Y" or the Greek letter upsilon. The larvae are known as "cutworms" because they cut plants and other crops. The larvae are serious agricultural pests and feed on nearly all varieties of vegetables and many important grains.
Spodoptera littoralis, also referred to as the African cotton leafworm or Egyptian cotton leafworm or Mediterranean brocade, is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae. S. littoralis is found widely in Africa, Mediterranean Europe and Middle Eastern countries. It is a highly polyphagous organism that is a pest of many cultivated plants and crops. As a result, this species was assigned the label of A2 quarantine pest by the EPPO and was cautioned as a highly invasive species in the United States. The devastating impacts caused by these pests have led to the development of both biological and chemical control methods. This moth is often confused with Spodoptera litura.
Mythimna unipuncta, the true armyworm moth, white-speck moth, common armyworm, or rice armyworm, is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Adrian Hardy Haworth in 1809. Mythimna unipuncta occurs in most of North America south of the Arctic, as well as parts of South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Although thought to be Neotropical in origin, it has been introduced elsewhere, and is often regarded as an agricultural pest. They are known as armyworms because the caterpillars move in lines as a massive group, like an army, from field to field, damaging crops.
Operophtera fagata, the northern winter moth, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is widespread through much of Europe.
Synanthedon myopaeformis is a moth of the family Sesiidae and the order Lepidoptera. In Europe it is known as the red-belted clearwing and in North America as the apple clearwing moth. The larvae create galleries under the bark of fruit trees, especially old trees with damaged trunks. During this process, the larvae cause significant damage to host trees. Particular attention has been paid to the damage they cause to apple trees. Their status as a pest of apple orchards has led to many research projects aimed at controlling populations of the moth. This moth is native to Europe, the Near East and North Africa. Recently, the moth was introduced into North America, being first detected in Canada in 2005. There are several organisms that threaten the larvae, including parasitoids, nematodes, and bacteria.
Helicoverpa punctigera, the native budworm, Australian bollworm or Chloridea marmada, is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae. This species is native to Australia. H. punctigera are capable of long-distance migration from their inland Australian habitat towards coastal regions and are an occasional migrant to New Zealand.
Chloridea virescens, commonly known as the tobacco budworm, is a moth of the family Noctuidae found throughout the eastern and southwestern United States along with parts of Central America and South America.
Spodoptera eridania is a moth that is known to be a pest. They are one of the most important defoliators in the tropical and subtropical regions of the western hemisphere that feed heavily on plants while they are young, often resulting in skeleton leaves on their food plants. They are also heavy feeders on tomato in Florida. There is a lot of development in producing pesticides against the S. eridania, specifically a neem-based pesticide that can result in smaller and prolonged development. The wingspan is 33–38 mm. Adults are on wing year-round. The larvae feed on various weeds but prefer Amaranthus species and Phytolacca americana.
The citrus leafminer is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is also known as CLM in agriculture. It was described by Henry Tibbats Stainton from India in 1856. It was first found in Florida, United States, in 1993, but is now found all over the world, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Corsica, Costa Rica, Cuba, India, Israel, Madeira, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, the Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka and other parts of the United States.
Planococcus citri, commonly known as the citrus mealybug, is a species of mealybugs native to Asia. It has been introduced to the rest of the world, including Europe, the Americas, and Oceania, as an agricultural pest. It is associated with citrus, but it attacks a wide range of crop plants, ornamental plants, and wild flora.
Hendecasis duplifascialis, the jasmine budworm, is a moth in the family Crambidae.
Tamarixia radiata, the Asian citrus cyllid parasitoid, is an hymenopteran wasp from the family Eulophidae which was discovered in the 1920s in the area of northwestern India (Punjab), now Pakistan. It is a parasitoid of the Asian citrus psyllid, an economically important pest of citrus crops around the world and a vector for Citrus greening disease.
Orchamoplatus citri, commonly known as the Australian citrus whitefly, is a whitefly species in the genus Orchamoplatus. It is found across Australia and New Zealand, primarily foraging on the leaves of citrus trees.