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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 #298419

Title: Movement of citrus leafminer, Phyllocnistis citrella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), from a grove to traps and sentinel plants in adjacent land

Author
item Keathley, Craig
item Lapointe, Stephen

Submitted to: Florida Entomologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/8/2014
Publication Date: 3/1/2014
Citation: Keathley, C.P., Lapointe, S.L. 2014. Movement of citrus leafminer, Phyllocnistis citrella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), from a grove to traps and sentinel plants in adjacent land. Florida Entomologist. 97:291-294.

Interpretive Summary: The citrus leafminer is a pest of citrus and facilitates spread of citrus canker, a disease of citrus. We found that traps baited with pheromone and placed in pastureland adjacent to citrus caught male moths up to 1200 m. These moths seemed to move on wind currents from the grove. We also found that potted citrus trees placed 1200 m away from the groves became infested within 6 weeks. The application of pheromone components in groves to control populations of this moth may have limited influence if females move into treated areas from nearby untreated areas where chemicals have not been applied to disrupt mating.

Technical Abstract: We captured male Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton in traps baited with pheromone in pastureland 1200 m west of a known source. The capture of males was correlated with northeast wind blowing from groves, suggesting males moved passively on wind currents from groves before navigating upwind toward pheromone traps. Sentinel citrus plants placed 1200 m west of a groves became infested within 6 weeks. Movement of females across this distance poses a challenge for use of mating disruption to control this species.