Ectomyelois ceratoniae
Encyclopedia
The Locust Bean Moth more ambiguously known as "carob moth
", is a moth
of the Pyralidae
family. It has a nearly cosmopolitan distribution.
Adults have forewings with a pale brown pattern, and plain white hindwings. 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,
as well as pomegranates, stone and pome fruits.
The world’s sole known commercial source of carob moth pheromone mimic is from the californian company ISCA Technologies. This pheromone lure is formulated to constantly emit the optimal level of pheromone mimic to attract carob moth males to monitoring glue traps. The company also has a formulation called SPLAT EC that can be used to control carob moths through mating disruption.
Ectomyelois tuerckheimiella is a doubtfully distinct taxon
; it may be a cryptic species or yet another synonym.
Carob moth
Carob moths are certain species of small snout moths . They are named for their caterpillars' habit of becoming a pest on stored fruits of Carob .The term can refer to:* Ectomyelois ceratoniae...
", is a moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Pyralidae
Pyralidae
The Pyralidae or snout moths are a family of Lepidoptera in the ditrysian superfamily Pyraloidea. In many classifications, the grass moths are included in the Pyralidae as a subfamily, making the combined group one of the largest families in the Lepidoptera...
family. It has a nearly cosmopolitan distribution.
Adults have forewings with a pale brown pattern, and plain white hindwings. 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
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
fruit, Pistacia vera, Juglans regia, Prunus dulcis, Macadamia integrifolia
Macadamia integrifolia
Macadamia integrifolia is a tree in the Proteaceae family, native to Queensland in Australia. Common names include Macadamia Nut, Bauple Nut, Queensland Nut or Nut Oak....
, Acacia farnesiana, Caesalpinia sappan, Cassia bicapsularis, Ricinus, Erythrina monosperma, Haematoxylum campechianum, Prosopis juliflora
Prosopis juliflora
Prosopis juliflora is a shrub or small tree native to Mexico, South America and the Caribbean. It has become established as a weed in Asia, Australia and elsewhere. Its uses include forage, wood and environmental management. The tree grows to a height of up to and has a trunk with a diameter of...
, Samanea saman
Samanea saman
Albizia samanalso known as samanea saman, is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to the Neotropics. Its range extends from Mexico south to Peru and Brazil, but it has been widely introduced to South and Southeast Asia, as well as the Pacific Islands, including...
, 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,
as well as pomegranates, stone and pome fruits.
The world’s sole known commercial source of carob moth pheromone mimic is from the californian company ISCA Technologies. This pheromone lure is formulated to constantly emit the optimal level of pheromone mimic to attract carob moth males to monitoring glue traps. The company also has a formulation called SPLAT EC that can be used to control carob moths through mating disruption.
Synonyms
The species is also known under the following obsolete names:- Apomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller, 1839)
- Euzophera zellerella Sorhagen, 1881
- Heterographis rivulalis Warren & Rothschild, 1905
- Hypsipyla psarella Hampson, 1903
- Laodamia durandi Lucas, 1950
- Myelois ceratoniae Zeller, 1839
- Myelois oporedestella Dyar, 1911
- Myelois phoenicis Durrant, 1915
- Phycis ceratoniella Fischer von Röslerstamm, 1839
- Phycita dentilinella Hampson, 1896
- Trachonitis pryerella Vaughan, 1870
Ectomyelois tuerckheimiella is a doubtfully distinct taxon
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
; it may be a cryptic species or yet another synonym.