Fruitpiercing
moths in lychees & longans
Geoff Waite, Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.
|
|
|
Moth in resting position |
Description
Adult
Three species of fruit-piercing moth attack lychees and longans. They are Eudocima salaminia, Eudocima fullonia and E. materna. The adult moths are large and stout-bodied, with a wingspan of 100 mm. The forewings can be mainly brown, cream or green. Hind wings are yellow-orange, with black patches and spots.
Immature stages
The larvae are velvety-black, and have two large spots (mainly white with black centres) on either side of body segments 6 and 7.
Life history
The female moth lays eggs on native vines. The larvae feed on these vines for about 3 weeks, progressing through five stages or instars to a dark brown pupa within a delicate silk cocoon that is spun between leaves. After 3 weeks, a moth emerges from the pupa. There are 3 generations a year in North Queensland. In drier areas such as Central Queensland, outbreaks are more common in wet years favourable to continuous growth of the larval host vines.
Distribution
Fruit-piercing moths are found along the east coast of Australia, from the Northern Rivers District of New South Wales to the northern-most parts of Queensland. It is believed that they die out in areas south of Mackay/Rockhampton during cold winters, and reinvade the southern areas the following summer.
Host range
The moths feed on many fruits including carambola, banana, citrus, fig, guava, kiwifruit, longan, lychee, mango, stonefruit, persimmon and ripening papaw. Larval hosts include native vines of the family Menispermaceae, of which there are 22 species in North Queensland. The preferred species are Tinospora smilacina and Stephania japonica var. timoriensis
Management
Importance
Major and frequent.
Damage
The moths are active at night, drilling holes into fruit and sucking out the juice with a proboscis specifically adapted for this process. The moths tend to rest in vegetation outside of orchards by day. The feeding-puncture is large and circular, and because of this it is readily distinguished from entry holes made by caterpillars and fruit flies.
Moths attack fruit during the last week or so prior to harvest. They drill a neat hole in the skin through which they suck the juice. In doing so they introduce bacteria and yeasts, and after a couple of days, fermentation and mould development commences and the damage becomes apparent. Fruit damaged the night before harvest may escape detection and if packed, will spoil the whole pack as fermentation proceeds and juice leaks onto other fruit.
To determine if observed damage has been caused by fruitpiercing moth or macadamia nutborer, remove the skin and look for the larva and associated frass of the macadamia nutborer and a ragged-edged hole in the skin. The fruitpiercing moth makes neat round holes, and flesh beneath, from which juice has been extracted, is opaque compared to undamaged flesh, which is taut and translucent. If a moth-damaged fruit is squeezed, juice will usually squirt out, while squeezing a macadamia nutborer damaged fruit results in juice just oozing out as the skin splits from finger pressure.
Action level
There is no satisfactory chemical control measure at present, and spraying is not generally considered appropriate as attacks predominate immediately prior to harvest. Moonless nights and still conditions favour moth activity.
Control methods
Chemical
Nil
Recommended chemicals
None recommended. Note: This information was correct at the time of publication. However, it is the user's responsibility to ensure that registered agricultural chemicals are used in accordance with legal requirements. (See Further Information). Always read the label.
Cultural
Numbers of moths can be reduced by spot-lighting them in the orchard at night. They can be killed with a squash or tennis racket as they fly. Protective nets of mesh-size sufficient to exclude moths (20 mm or less) can be used. Alternatively, cone-shaped traps fashioned from shade cloth and baited with fermenting fruit may be hung in the orchard and its surrounds. Moths caught in the folds of the trap are killed manually each morning.
Biological
Various parasitoids exert some control on immature stages in their native habitat. Egg parasitoids have been used in overseas countries and have been investigated for release in Australia.
Further information
Infopest CD-ROM contains current national information on registered agricultural chemicals and is available from Infopest, DPI&F, GPO Box 46, Brisbane Qld 4001or by email from infopest@dpi.qld.gov.au.
DPI&F Business Information Centre on 13 25 23 - local call 8 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday (non-Queensland residents phone 07 3404 6999). E-mail: callweb@dpi.qld.gov.au.
Agrilink Lychee Information Kit provides user-friendly, up-to-date and comprehensive information on lychee growing. To purchase the publication, contact the DPI&F Business Information Centre on 13 25 23 - local call 8 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday (non-Queensland residents phone 07 3404 6999).
Information contained in this publication is provided as general advice only. For application to specific circumstances, professional advice should be sought. The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Queensland has taken all reasonable steps to ensure the information in this publication is accurate at the time of publication. Readers should ensure that they make appropriate inquiries to determine whether new information is available on the particular subject matter.
Last updated 14 December 2005
