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Light Brown Apple Moth

 

Epiphyas postvittana (Walker) -- Lepidoptera, Tortricidae

 

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       The light brown apple moth is an insect leafroller about one-quarter inch long that rolls leaves into protective covers.  It is  native to Australia and but has spread to New Zealand, Hawaii, Ireland, New Caledonia and Great Britain.  In March 2007, the presence of this moth was found in California and shipments of plant material have been restricted from California to other states where it does not occur.  An eradication program that primarily involves mating disruption pheromones and insecticide treatments has been used in California.

 

       This insect is known from collections of over 2,000 different types of plants, including 50 plant families.  Host plants include deciduous tree fruits, subtropical fruits, berry fruits, ornamentals, and forest and shade trees.  The larvae feed on leaves and buds reducing photosynthesis and causing deforming growth patterns, which progresses to general plant weakness and disfigurement.  In grapes, apples, kiwifruit, plums, avocados, and citrus, larvae can feed directly on the fruit, and resulting feeding damage renders fruit unmarketable.  Because of the economically important effects of larval feeding, the insect has a high pest status in New Zealand and Australia because of zero tolerance requirements for presence in produce destined for the export markets.

 

       Dr. Mark Hoddle of the University of California reports that in March 2007, the moth was found in Alameda County,  California and most recently in August 2010, it was found in San Diego County.  Infestations have since been found in thirteen California counties located along the Central Coast and Bay Area communities, which are therefore under quarantine: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma and San Diego County.

 

REFERENCES:                                                                                             FURTHER RELATED REFERENCES

 

Barr, N. B., L. A. Ledezma, J. D. Vasquez, M. E. Epstein, P. H. Kerr, S. Kinnee, O. Sage & T. M. Gilligan.  2009.  Molecular identification of the light brown apple moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in California using a polymerase chain reaction assay of the internal transcribed spacer 2 locus.  Journal of Economic Entomology. 102 (6):  2333-2342.

 

Barr, N. B., L. A. Ledezma, R. E. Farris, M. E. Epstein & T. M. Gilligan.  2011.  A multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction assay to diagnose Epiphyas postvittana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae).  Journal of Economic Entomology. 104 (5):  1706-1719.

 

Brown, J. W., M. E. Epstein, T. M. Gilligan, S. Passoa & J. A. Powell.  2010.  Biology, identification, and history of the light brown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Archipini) in California: an example of the importance of local faunal surveys to document the establishment of exotic insects.  American Entomologist. 56 (1):  34-43.

 

Danthanarayana, W.  1975.  The bionomics, distribution and host range of the light brown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana (Walk.) (Tortricidae).  Australian Journal of Zoology 23:  419-437.

 

Geier, P. & D. Briese.  1981.  The light-brown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana (Walker): a native leafroller fostered by European settlement.  pp. 131-155.  In:  R. Kitching and R. Jones [eds.], The Ecology of Pests.  CSIRO, Melbourne, Australia.

 

Gilligan, T. M. & M. E. Epstein.  2009.  LBAM ID: Tools for diagnosing light brown apple moth and related western U.S. leafrollers (Tortricidae: Archipini).  Center for Plant Health Science and Technology, USDA, APHIS PPQ, Raleigh, North Carolina.

 

Gu, H. & W. Danthanarayana.  1992.  Influence of larval rearing conditions on the body size and flight capacity of Epiphyas postvittana moths.  Australian Journal of Zoology 40:  573-581.

 

Suckling, D. M., J. G. I. Khoo & D. J. Rogers.  1990.  Disruption of lightbrown apple moth Epiphyas postvittana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) trapping in Nelson, New Zealand.  Australian Journal of Zoology 38:  363-373.

 

Suckling, D. M. & E. G. Brockerhoff.  2010.  Invasion biology, ecology, and management of the light brown apple moth (Tortricidae).  Annual Review of Entomology. 55:  285-306.

 

Tooman, L. K., C. J. Rose, C. Carraher, D. M. Suckling, S. R. Paquette, L. A. Ledezma, T. M. Gilligan, M. Epstein, N. B. Barr & R. D. Newcomb.  2011.  Patterns of mitochondrial haplotypes diversity in the invasive pest Epiphyas postvittana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae).  Journal of Economic Entomology. 104 (3):  920-932.

 

Wearing, C. H., W. P. Thomas, J. W. Dugdale & W. Danthanarayana.  1991.  Tortricid pests of pome and stonefruits, Australian and New Zealand species., pp. 453-472. In L. P. S. van der Geest and H. H. Evenhius [eds.], Tortricid Pests: Their Biology, Natural Enemies, and Control.  World Crop Pests, Vol. 5. Elsevier, Amsterdam.

 

 

FURTHER RELATED REFERENCES:

 

El-Heneidy, A. H. & Hawwanein Fawzia A.  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.