| Andean Potato Tuber Moth (formerly known as Trichotaphe tangolias) GELECHIINAE, GELECHIIDAE, GELECHIOIDEA | (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Frans Griepink & Stella Crossley |
eggs laid in a slit on the stem of a food plant (magnified).
|
| Andean Potato Tuber Moth (formerly known as Trichotaphe tangolias) GELECHIINAE, GELECHIIDAE, GELECHIOIDEA | (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Frans Griepink & Stella Crossley |
eggs laid in a slit on the stem of a food plant (magnified).
The eggs of this Caterpillar are laid in some convenient place on a foodplant.
The caterpillar is fawn with stripes and a darker head. It lives and feeds inside the stem of its food plant. This Caterpillar was introduced into Australia by unfortunate accident. It is an international pest on:
The caterpillar also attacks the tubers as well as the stems and leaves of the plant. It grows to a length of about 1 cm.
It pupates amongst the debris of the attacked plant.
The adult moth is fawn with a large dark mark on the costa of each forewing. The moth has a wing span of about 2 cms. The pheromones of this species have been identified.
The species has been found all over the Americas including
and has invaded other places in the world including
and also Australia in:
The species may be controlled using an Attract and Kill techniques.
Further reading :
Ian F.B. Common,
Moths of Australia,
Melbourne University Press, 1990, fig. 25.14, p. 260.
W.J.A. Klunder van Gyen,
Descriptions of Chili Microlepidoptera,
Boletín del Museo Nacional de Chile,
Volume 5 (1913), pp. 338-339.
 caterpillar |  butterflies |  Lepidoptera |  moths |  caterpillar |
(updated 6 May 2011, 3 June 2018., 1 May 2021)