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December 2003 NOTICIAS DE GALÁPAGOS 15

Appendix 1. Location, taxonomic designation, and sample Robert A. Browne, Department of Biology, Wake Forest sizes for Opuntia used in allozymic analyses. University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109 USA E-mail: Galápagos Islands [email protected]. David J. Anderson, Department of Opuntia echios echios: Daphne, 2; Baltra, 2; Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC O. e. barringtonensis; Santa Fé, 2; 27109 USA E-mail: [email protected]. Michele A. Johnson, O. e. gigantea; Santa Cruz, 25; Department of Biology, Washington University, St. O. e. zacana; Seymour, 25; Louis, MO 63130 USA E-mail: [email protected]. O. helleri; Genovesa, 22;

O. insularis; Isabela, 25;

O. galapageia galapageia; Bartolomé, 25; Santiago , 25; O. g. macrocarpa; Pinzón, 25; O. g. profusa; Rábida, 25;

O. megasperma megasperma; Floreana, 2; Gardner (by Floreana), 2; O. m. mesophytica; San Cristóbal, 25; O. m. orientalis; Española, 2;

Mainland Ecuador O. melanosperma; Central Coast 26; O. macbridei; South Coast, 30;

U.S.A. O.dillenii; Puerto Rico, 5

Opuntia megasperma orientalis, Isla Española.

PRESENCE OF CATENIFER WALSINGHAM (, , ), THE AVOCADO SEED , IN THE GALÁPAGOS

By: Bernard Landry and Lazaro Roque-Albelo

In September 2000, inspectors of the recently estab- Stenomatinae) sensu Hodges (1999). Although several lished Quarantine and Inspection Program on Baltra species of Stenoma have a similar wing pattern, all Stenoma Island found caterpillars on a damaged avocado fruit specimens reared from avocado fruits so far seen by Dr. (Persea americana Mill., Lauraceae) which had come from Vitor Becker have been S. catenifer, the avocado seed moth, mainland Ecuador by plane. The caterpillars were reared or worm (pers. comm. to BL). by entomologists at the Charles Darwin Research Station The avocado seed moth occurs from Mexico, south to (CDRS) on Santa Cruz Island, where a male moth emerged Brazil, Argentina and Peru (Artigas 1994). Caterpillars successfully. Subsequently, Lazaro Roque-Albelo (LR) can attack fruits at various stages of maturation (Arellano collected other seeds of avocados 2 km west of Bella Vista Cruz 1998). The presence of caterpillars in larger fruits on Santa Cruz Island and reared three female of the can be detected by the appearance of white, chalky look- same species. Finally, using a mercury vapor light, LR ing spots and by accumulations of frass at the hole by collected a male specimen at CDRS on February 19, 2001, which the larva entered the fruit. Infested fruits fall pre- at the location called “Barranco”. maturely. Newly emerged caterpillars bore through the A picture of the moth was taken (Fig. 1) and sent to crust of the fruit to start eating the pulp, and later the seed Bernard Landry (BL) for identification. A tentative deter- itself. Mature larvae are about 16 mm long and generally mination was made, and the picture was sent to colleagues whitish in color with a black head; they have a slight in the United States and Brazil for confirmation. The spe- greenish tinge that turns to greyish-green in the prepupal cies proved to be Walsingham, a member stage, and transverse pale pink bands dorsally (Artigas of the Gelechioid family Elachistidae (subfamily 1994). Cervantes Peredo et al. (1999) provide illustrations 16 NOTICIAS DE GALÁPAGOS No. 62

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to David Adamski (Systematic Entomology Lab., National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.) and Dr. Vitor O. Becker (Planaltina, Brazil) for their rapid determina- tion of the species. We are also thankful to Jean-François Landry for his help with a reference, to Charlotte Causton (CDRS), David Adamski, German Arellano Cruz, Universidad Nacional Agraria la Molina, Peru, and the editorial team of the Noticias for their comments on the manuscript, and to the inspectors of the Galápagos Quar- antine Program for sending specimens.

LITERATURE CITED Figure 1. Stenoma catenifer, the avocado seed moth, or worm. Arellano Cruz, G. 1998. El “barrenador del fruto del palto” Stenoma catenifer Walsh [sic] y su control natural en Chanchamayo y Satipo. Ecologia, Revista de la Asociación of the life stages. The larva generally leaves the fruit to Peruana de Ecología (Lima) 1: 55-58. pupate on the ground. The complete life cycle of the moth Artigas, J. N. 1994. Entomología económica. Vol. II. Ediciones took between 31 and 63 days in Venezuela (Boscán de Universidad de Concepcion, Chile. 943 pages. Martínez and Godoy 1984), the larvae taking between 16 Becker, V. O. 1984. (pp. 27-40). In Heppner, J. and 33 days to go though their five stages. Moths reach a B., ed. Atlas of Neotropical Lepidoptera, Checklist: Part 1, wingspan of 13-15 mm. They are nocturnal, live less than Micropterigoidea - Immoidea. Dr. W. Junk Publishers. The a week, and fly only short distances (Garcia et al. 1967). Hague, xxvii + 112 pages. The eggs can be laid anywhere on the surface of fruits Boscán de Martínez, N. and F. J. Godoy. 1984. Observaciones (Boscán de Martínez and Godoy 1984). Different avocado preliminares sobre la biologia de Stenoma catenifer Walsingham (Lepidoptera: Stenomidae) talabrador del varieties suffer different levels of attack (0-100%) by S. aguacate (Persea americana Mill.). Agronomía Tropical catenifer (Arellano Cruz 1998, Hohmann and Meneguim 34: 205-208. 1993, Ventura et al. 1999). At least seven species of Hy- Cervantes Peredo, L., C. H. C. Lyal, and V. K. Brown. 1999. The menoptera and Diptera parasitoids are known to control stenomatine moth, Stenoma catenifer Walsingham: a pre- the populations of S. catenifer, and levels of control reached dispersal seed predator of Greenheart (Chlorocardium rodiei an average of 70.37% in a study published by Arellano (Schomb.) Rohwer, Richter and van der Werff) in Guyana. Cruz (1998). Another species of Lauraceae, Chlorocardium Journal of Natural History 33: 531-542. rodiei (Schomb.) Rohwer, Richter and van der Werff, an García, M., M. Mendez, and A. Morales. 1967. El aguacatero, economically important Guyanese endemic tree, is also plagas y enfermedades. Fitofilo 56: 5-30. Hodges, R. W. 1999. The (pp. 131-158). In affected by S. catenifer (Cervantes Peredo et al. 1999). How- Kristensen, N. P., ed. Handbook of Zoology, Lepidoptera, ever, measured levels of infestations on this species have Moths and Butterflies, Vol. 1: Evolution, Systematics, and been less than 10%, in contrast to the higher levels on Biogeography. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin and New York, x avocado. + 491 pp. The introduction of S. catenifer to the Galápagos should Hohmann, C. L. and A. M. Meneguim. 1993. Observaçoes not cause any threat to endemic plant taxa because this preliminares sobre a ocorrência da broca do abacate species appears to be restricted to Lauraceae, and the Stenoma catenifer Wals. no estado do Paraná. Anais da avocado tree is the only member of this plant family on Sociedade Entomològica do Brasil 22: 417-419. the Galápagos (Lawesson et al. 1987). However, it may Lawesson, J. E., H. Adsersen, and P. Bentley. 1987. An updated and annotated checklist of the vascular plants of the cause problems for avocado growers, although avocados Galápagos Islands. Reports from the Botanical Institute, are grown on a small scale and are not exported from the University of Aarhus #16: 74 pages. archipelago. Since avocados are grown on Isabela, San Ventura, M. U., D. Destro, E. C. A. Lopes, and R. Montalván. Cristóbal, Santiago, and Floreana, as well as Santa Cruz 1999. Avocado moth (Lepidoptera: Stenomidae) damage (Lawesson et al. 1987), Stenoma catenifer should ultimately in two avocado cultivars. Florida Entomologist 82: 625-630. be expected on all those islands. This is the first species of Bernard Landry, Muséum d’histoire naturelle, Stenomatinae recorded from the Galápagos. This is in CH-1211, Genève 6, Switzerland E-mail: striking contrast with the very rich fauna of Stenomatinae [email protected]. Lazaro Roque-Albelo, in the Neotropical region, some 1,100 species, including Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS), Galápagos 352 of the Stenoma (Becker 1984). Islands, Casilla 17-01-3891, Quito, Ecuador E-mail: Note: Thanks to Liliana Guaman, we know that Stenoma [email protected] catenifer is now established on San Cristóbal.