Bactra venosana

Bactra venosana
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Tortricidae
Genus: Bactra
Species: B. venosana
Binomial name
Bactra venosana
(Zeller, 1847)
Synonyms
  • Phoxopteris venosana Zeller, 1847
  • Aphelia venosana Herrich-Schaffer, 1849
  • Bactra banosii Gozmny, 1960
  • Bactra geraropa Meyrick, 1931
  • Bactra scythropa Meyrick, 1911
  • Bactra truculenta Meyrick, 1909

Bactra venosana, the nutgrass borer or nutsedge borer, is a moth of the family Tortricidae.[1] It was first described by Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1847. It has a wide distribution, from southern Europe, North Africa and Asia Minor to India, Sri Lanka, southern China, Malaya, Australia and into the Pacific where it is found on Java, Borneo, the Philippines, Taiwan, Timor, the Solomons, the Carolines and Fiji. It was introduced to Hawaii in 1925 to control nutsedge. It is now found on Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, Lanai and Hawaii.

Biology

The larvae feed on Cyperus rotundus[2] and Kyllingia species, including Kyllinga brevifolia and Kyllingia monocephala. They bore the stem of their host plant.

Affected plants first show a withering of the inner leaves, which become yellow and finally die. Early instars are pale, glassy yellowish, with a shining black head. Full-grown caterpillars are green or pale yellowish. They spin a tube of silk in the stem and in this cocoon sheds its skin to turn into a pupa of about 5–7 mm long. Adults have grayish fore wings with complex brown markings. Hind wings plain grayish.[3]

Control

Mechanical methods such as hand picking of adults and caterpillars are effective. Pheromone traps and light traps are also effective. Eggs can be destroyed biologicaly by using egg parasitoid Trichogrammatoidea bactrae.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Species Details : Bactra venosana Zeller, 1847". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  2. ↑ "ON A COLLECTION OF SOME FAMILIES OF MICRO-LEPIDOPTERA FROM SRI LANKA (CEYLON)". repository. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  3. ↑ "Nutgrass Borer description". Butterfly House. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  4. ↑ "Suppression ofbactra venosana, a potential natural enemy ofcyperus rotundus, by trichogrammatoidea bactrae in Bangalore, India". Phytoparasitica. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  • Zimmerman, Elwood C. (1978). Insects of Hawaii. 9 Microlepidoptera. The University Press of Hawaii, Honolulu.
  • Species info


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