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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fort Pierce, Florida » U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory » Subtropical Insects and Horticulture Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #213023
Title: Describing seasonal phenology of the leafminer Phyllocnistis citrella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) with pheromone lure: controlling for lure degradation

Author
item Lapointe, Stephen
item LEAL, WALTER - U. CALIFORNIA DAVIS

Submitted to: Florida Entomologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/6/2007
Publication Date: 12/1/2007
Citation: Lapointe, S.L., Leal, W.S. 2007. Describing seasonal phenology of the leafminer Phyllocnistis citrella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) with pheromone lure: controlling for lure degradation. Florida Entomologist. 90:710-714.

Interpretive Summary: The leafminer Phyllocnistis citrella is an insect pest of citrus that damages citrus leaves and encourages infection of leaves by citrus canker, a devastating disease of citrus that is now widespread in Florida. A pheromone lure and trap was used to study the yearly fluctuations in flights of male leafminers and to determine the longevity of the lure dispensers under field conditions. The lures lost half of their attractiveness after 50 days in the field and 90% after 137 days. A mathematical equation was developed to correct for lure degradation. Major peaks of male flights were found to occur in May and August with minor peaks in early April and late October, 2006.

Technical Abstract: Traps were deployed in a Florida citrus grove at various dates over the course of one year to describe the seasonal flight phenology of the leafminer Phyllocnistic citrella. To compensate for lure degradation, a correction factor was applied based on a regression model of relative lure efficiency, expressed as a percent of the catch of a freshly deployed lure, and the number of days each set of lures was deployed. The regression of percent trap catch on days deployed yielded a quadratic expression that predicts 50% loss of trap attractiveness at 50d after lure deployment and 90% loss at 137d. The data transformed for lure degradation revealed 4 apparent density peaks including two minor peaks with highest mean trap catch in early April and late October, and two major peaks with highest mean trap catch on 31 May and 1 August. A small number of moths were collected on control traps without a lure. However, the pattern of trap catch on unbaited sticky cards closely paralleled that of the pheromone-baited traps.