Modeling of the immature stages of the species of Noctuidae associated with Physalis peruviana L.

Physalis peruviana L. is currently the second fruit crop more exported of Colombia; however, the pests associated with the culture have been little studied which is important considering that some Noctuidae can cause a decrease of 20% in its production. In this research, the Noctuidae species related to P. peruviana were studied in three farms of La Unión, Antioquia, Colombia. Twelve sampling units, with 30- and 45-day transplanted plants, were distributed throughout the farms and sampled biweekly from March 1st to August 29th of 2014. In the plant canopy and the planted area, immature stages were registered, and statistic models were built in order to describe their trend. The taxonomic identification of adults was made by comparing with the Noctuidae collection of Museo Entomológico Francisco Luis Gallego at Universidad Nacional de Colombia – Sede Medellín, and by using taxonomic keys. Nine Noctuidae species were found in total. Six models were built, four oviposition models for Agrotis ipsilon and Spodoptera spp., Copitarsia decolora and Heliothis subflexa, Megalographa biloba, and Peridroma saucia; a model for larvae and pupae stages was built. The oviposition model for P. saucia was the more adjusted, with a Root mean squared predictive difference (RMSPD) of 0.84. The other studied models were suitable to describe the trend of the immature stages; except for M. biloba model. This research revealed the ecological characteristics of the Noctuidae species associated with the golden berry crop that affect its productivity.

Primer registro de Chloridea (Heliothis) subflexa (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Heliothinae) en uchuva en Brasil

Chloridea (Heliothis) subflexa (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Heliothinae) es una especie frugívora y monófoga con hospederos que consta de las plantas del género Physalis. En los últimos años, gusano del tomato de cascara se convirtió en la principal plagas-insectos en cultivos de tomatillo (Physalis ixocarpa Brotero de México) y cultivo de la uchuva (Physalis peruviana L.) en Argentina. El objetivo fue reportar el primer registro de C. subflexa en P. peruviana en Brasil. Los especímenes se recogieron en la fase larvaria y se mantuvieron en una dieta natural hasta llegar a la etapa adulta. La identificación de especies se realizó en base a criterios morfológicos. Se registraron la presencia y daños causados por C. subflexa en frutos de P. peruviana, producidos en un sistema orgánico. Este es el primer registro para Brasil.

Natural history ofSymmetrischema lavernella(Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae): a moth with two feeding strategies and the ability to induce fruit formation in the absence of pollination

The mothSymmetrischema lavernella(Chambers) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) has two feeding strategies on its host plantPhysalisLinnaeus (Solanaceae): a fruitworm that feeds on developing ovules in a fruit and a budworm that consumes a floral bud. The fruitworm strategy occurs when a neonate caterpillar enters the ovary of a flower bud above a size threshold (~4 mm inPhysalis heterophyllaNees), consumes the developing ovules, and pupates in the fruit. InP.heterophylla, occupancy of the ovary byS. lavernellacauses fruit development to occur in the absence of pollination, indicating that the caterpillar initiates developmental pathways associated with pollination. The budworm strategy occurs in buds below ~4 mm, involves consumption of the ovary and immature anthers, and results in pupation inside the uninflated calyx. The two strategies co-occur on plants, determined by the sizes of the available buds at the time of oviposition. The most prominent natural enemy ofS. lavernellausing the fruitworm strategy was the frugivorous caterpillarHeliothis subflexa(Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), also a specialist ofPhysalis. The largerHeliothis subflexafeeds on the fruit externally, consumesS. lavernella, and caused 31.3% of fruitworm mortality in field surveys. Parasitoids included wasps (Hymenoptera) of the families Braconidae, Ichneumonidae, and Chalcididae.