Locust bean moth
| Ectomyelois ceratoniae | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Pyralidae |
| Tribe: | Phycitini |
| Genus: | Ectomyelois |
| Species: | E. ceratoniae |
| Binomial name | |
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Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller, 1839) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Numerous, see text |
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Numerous, see text
Ectomyelois ceratoniae, the locust bean moth, more ambiguously known as "", is a moth of the Pyralidae family. It has a nearly cosmopolitan distribution.
Adults have fore wings with a pale brown pattern, and plain white hind wings. The female moths find suitable fruit or nuts on which to lay their eggs using volatile substances emitted by fungus which is infecting the material.
The larvae are translucent white, with the internal organs visible from the outside. They feed on the seeds and pods of a wide range of plants, including Punica granatum, Citrus fruit, Pistacia vera, Juglans regia, Prunus dulcis, Macadamia integrifolia, Acacia farnesiana, Caesalpinia sappan, Cassia bicapsularis, Ricinus, Erythrina monosperma, Haematoxylum campechianum, Prosopis juliflora, Samanea saman, Phoenix dactylifera, and Ceratonia siliqua. It is a considerable agricultural pest, recognized as the most economically damaging pest of the date industry in California. In many regions around the world, it also damages many other high-value nut and fruit commodities such as almonds, pistachios, macadamias, pomegranates, and stone and pome fruits.
Pheromone mimic lures are commercially available from ISCA Technologies. This pheromone lure is formulated to constantly emit the optimal level of pheromone mimic to attract males to monitoring glue traps, allowing growers to monitor for the presence and density of the pest population in the field. By using pheromone traps, growers know where, how much, and when to trigger control measures.
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Wikipedia