<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><italic>Prosopis farcta</italic> (Fabaceae) is a native and common perennial weed plant in Iran. In search of environmental-friendly control methods against <italic>P. farcta,</italic> we discovered the seed feeder moth <italic>Nephopterygia austeritella</italic> (Lepidoptera; Pyralidae) in central Iran and studied its bioecology for the first time from 2008 through 2009. Infestation pattern, larval feeding behaviour, developmental period, seasonal occurrence and the adverse impact of the moth on the reproductive organs of <italic>P. farcta</italic> were investigated. Diagnostic morphological characters of the fifth larval instar of <italic>N. austeritella</italic> are provided. Two gregarious ectoparasitoids were reared and identified as <italic>Apanteles subcamilla</italic> and <italic>Phanerotoma leucobasis</italic> (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Mortality rates of the larvae were 3.03 and 13.44% in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Larvae destroyed 29.6-38.4% of the pods of their host plants. The potential of <italic>N. austeritella</italic> as an efficient biological control agent in IPM programs against <italic>P. farcta</italic> is discussed.</p></abstract>

Prosopis farcta (Fabaceae) is a native and common perennial weed plant in Iran. In search of environmental-friendly control methods against P. farcta, we discovered the seed feeder moth Nephopterygia austeritella (Lepidoptera; Pyralidae) in central Iran and studied its bioecology for the first time from 2008 through 2009. Infestation pattern, larval feeding behaviour, developmental period, seasonal occurrence and the adverse impact of the moth on the reproductive organs of P. farcta were investigated. Diagnostic morphological characters of the fifth larval instar of N. austeritella are provided. Two gregarious ectoparasitoids were reared and identified as Apanteles subcamilla and Phanerotoma leucobasis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Mortality rates of the larvae were 3.03 and 13.44% in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Larvae destroyed 29.6-38.4% of the pods of their host plants. The potential of N. austeritella as an efficient biological control agent in IPM programs against P. farcta is discussed.

Bioecology of <italic>Nephopterygia austeritella</italic> (Lep.: Pyralidae), a potential biological control agent of <italic>Prosopis farcta</italic> (Fabaceae) in central Iran

Department of Plant Production, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources of Darab, Shiraz University, Darab, Iran

Department of Insect taxonomy, Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection, Tehran, Iran

Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia

Department of Plant Protection, Isfahan Research Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources, P.O.Box 81785-199, Isfahan, Iran

Hellenic Plant Protection Journal

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Bioecology of  (Lep.: Pyralidae), a potential biological control agent of  (Fabaceae) in central Iran

Prosopis farcta (Fabaceae) is a native and common perennial weed plant in Iran. In search of environmental-friendly control methods against P. farcta, we...

Bioecology of Nephopterygia austeritella (Lep.: Pyralidae), a potential biological control agent of Prosopis farcta (Fabaceae) in central Iran

Published Online: Jul 07, 2016

Page range: 78 - 88

Received: Nov 10, 2015

Accepted: Jun 07, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/hppj-2016-0010

Keywords
mesquite, impact, parasitoid, pest, seed, weed

© 2016 A. Mohammadi-Khoramabadi et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Bioecology of Nephopterygia austeritella (Lep.: Pyralidae), a potential biological control agent of Prosopis farcta (Fabaceae) in central Iran

Published Online: Jul 07, 2016

Page range: 78 - 88

Received: Nov 10, 2015

Accepted: Jun 07, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/hppj-2016-0010

Keywordsmesquite, impact, parasitoid, pest, seed, weed

© 2016 A. Mohammadi-Khoramabadi et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
mesquite, impact, parasitoid, pest, seed, weed