Bactra venosana, the nutgrass borer or nutsedge borer, is a moth of the family Tortricidae.[1] It was first described by Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1847. Julius von Kennel provides a full description.[2] It has a wide distribution, from southern Europe, North Africa and Asia Minor to India, Sri Lanka, southern China, Malaya, Australia and into the Pacific where it is found on Java, Borneo, the Philippines, Taiwan, Timor, the Solomons, the Carolines and Fiji. It was introduced to Hawaii in 1925 to control nutsedge. It is now found on Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, Lanai and Hawaii.

Bactra venosana
Bactra venosana in Kennel Die palaearktischen tortriciden figure 73, male
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Tortricidae
Genus: Bactra
Species:
B. venosana
Binomial name
Bactra venosana
(Zeller, 1847)
Synonyms
  • Phoxopteris venosana Zeller, 1847
  • Aphelia venosana Herrich-Schäffer, 1849
  • Bactra banosii Gozmny, 1960
  • Bactra geraropa Meyrick, 1931
  • Bactra scythropa Meyrick, 1911
  • Bactra truculenta Meyrick, 1909

Biology

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The larvae feed on Cyperus rotundus[3] and Kyllinga species, including Kyllinga brevifolia and Kyllinga monocephala. They bore the stem of their host plant.[4]

Control

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Mechanical methods such as hand picking of adults and caterpillars are effective. Pheromone traps and light traps are also effective. Eggs can be destroyed biologically by using the egg parasitoid Trichogrammatoidea bactrae.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Species Details: Bactra venosana Zeller, 1847". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  2. ^ Julius von Kennel, 1921, The Palaearktischen Tortriciden, eine monographische Darstellung. Stuttgart: E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung. 742 pp. - Palaearctic Tortricidae, a monograph.pdf at Zobodat 472
  3. ^ Diakonoff, A. (1982). "On a Collection of Some Families of Micro-Lepidoptera from Sri Lanka (Ceylon)". Zoologische Verhandelingen. 193: 1–124 – via Naturalis Biodiversity Center.
  4. ^ Herbison-Evans, Don & Crossley, Stella. "Bactra venosana (Zeller, 1847) Nutgrass Borer". Australian Caterpillars and their Butterflies and Moths. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  5. ^ Visalakshy, P. N. Ganga; Jayanth, K. P. (1995). "Suppression of Bactra venosana, a potential natural enemy of Cyperus rotundus, by Trichogrammatoidea bactrae in Bangalore, India". Phytoparasitica. 23 (4): 355–356. doi:10.1007/BF02981429. S2CID 38458727.
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