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Past issues are available at our website : www.lepidopteraresearchfoundation.org The Journal Volume 46: 1-21 of Research on the Lepidoptera ISSN 0022-4324 (print) THE LEPIDOPTERA RESEARCH FOUNDATION. 1 May 2013 ISSN 2156-5457 (online) Neotropical palm-inflorescence feeding moths (Lepidoptera: Batrachedridae, Blastobasidae, Cosmopterigidae, Gelechiidae, Pyralidae, Tineidae): a review of the literature and new records from Trinidad, West Indies Matthew J.W. Cock1* and Dwayne H. Burris- 'CABI E-UK, Bakeham Lane, Egham, TW20 9TY, UK -UNEP-GEF Project Mitigating the Treats of Invasive Alien Species in the Insular Caribbean, Ministry of Food Production, Land & Marine Affairs, Research Division, Central Experiment Station, Caroni North Bank Road, Centeno, Trinidad and Tobago; current address: #30 Bay View Boulevard, Bay View La-Romain, Trinidad and Tobago m.cock@cabi. org, mjwcock@btintemet. com, dwayne. h. [email protected]. com Abstract. The insects associated with the inflorescences of palms (Arecaceae) and their roles as pollinators, pests and scavengers are not well known compared to foliage-feeders and trunk borers, especially in the Neotropical Region. A literature review of the Lepidoptera associated with palm inflorescences in the Neotropical Region is provided. In a preliminary survey of Lepidoptera associated with palm inflorescences in Trinidad (Trinidad and Tobago), more than one thousand moths of 12 species were reared from six of the 14 palm species sampled. Of the moths reared, three could not be identified beyond family, three could be identified only to genus, and the remaining six were identified to species. These six comprise two species that feed on flowers of Cocos nucifera and Royslonea oleracea (viz. Atheloca bondari, Batrachedra nuciferae) and four that are polyphagous, widespread detritivores (Xystrologa nigrivitta, Anatrachyntis rileyi, Erechthias minuscula, Phidotricha erigens). Anatrachyntis rileyi and E. minuscula are thought to be introduced moth species, while the others are indigenous. Biological observations are presented on the moths reared. Keywords: Anatrachyntis rileyi, Atheloca bondari, Batrachedra nuciferae, Erechthias minuscula, Holcocera sp., Neodavisia sp., Phidotricha erigens, Xystrologa nigiivitta, Arecaceae, coconut. Introduction and may well be the norm rather than the exception (Moore, 2001). The floral ecology is variable among The insects associated with palms (Arecaceae), species (Henderson, 1986). Some have hermaphrodite flowers, others are monoecious (containing flowers especially Cocos nucifera (coconut), have been relatively of both sexes) in the same inflorescence, and others well documented (Lepesme, 1947; Lever, 1979; Howard are dioecious (each palm bears either male or female et al., 2001), but those associated specifically with the inflorescences). Some maintain male flowers for several inflorescences and their roles as pollinators, pests and days, and stagger their maturation; others mature all scavengers are less well known. Traditionally, palms the male flowers on an inflorescence at once and drop were thought to be wind pollinated, but it has become them all within a day. A priori, the former are likely to clear in recent decades that insect pollination does occur be suitable for the development of insects, whereas the latter are not (Moore, 2001). The caterpillars of Lepidoptera found in palm Corresponding author inflorescences are either herbivorous or detritivorous species. The plant feeding species range from those that feed purely on pollen in the male flowers, to those that Received: 25 Eebruary 2013 Accepted: 29 March 2013 feed on the structures of the male flowers, female flowers, developing nuts, and inflorescence branches. Obviously, these have different implications for the fecundity of the Copyright: This work is licensed under the Creative Commons palms, and production of nuts where this is an economic Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To consideration, e.g. coconuts. However, as yet very little view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/ is known about the ability of palms to compensate for licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, insect damage to their inflorescences (Cock el al., 1987; USA. Waterhouse & Norris, 1987; Moore, 2001). 2 J. Res.Lepid. The native palms of Trinidad and Tobago were Because the field work was carried out during a treated by Comeau et al. (2003). There are 22 native short period in October 2011, it was not possible to species in 15 genera and they are an important feature sample all palm inflorescences at the same stage of of the country’s landscape and biodiversity. Coconut development, and this will have affected the species is an introduced species in Trinidad of many years and numbers of moths obtained. The condition of standing. It is found in cultivation throughout the each sample is listed in Table 2 and notes on each island, usually near dwellings or former dwellings, but sample are provided. has not naturalised on any great scale. Samples of coconut flowers were obtained from This paper summarises published information on five localities. Coconut is monoecious, and because the Lepidoptera associated with the inflorescences it flowers continuously (Child, 1974), there was little of coconut and other palms in South America, and difficulty taking samples with pollen-producing male reports new observations from a preliminary survey of flowers that were attracting insects. several indigenous and introduced palms in Trinidad, The next seven species of palm are considered West Indies. The survey was focused on Batrachedra indigenous (Comeau et al., 2003). Male and female nuciferae Hodges (Lepidoptera: Batrachedridae), to flowers of Attalea maripa are born on separate establish its status and host range in Trinidad, to help inflorescences, but the floral biology and ecology of assess the need and options for its management, as the genus is poorly understood and may vary with reported in Cock (2013). A second component of the age of the palm (Henderson et al., 1995). The the survey was to collect information on what other male flowers of A. maripa consist of little more than species of small Lepidoptera feed on the same host a bunch of pollen-bearing stamens, so they are very palms as B. nuciferae, so that early stages and damage different in structure from all the other palms that by B. nuciferae could be distinguished from those of we sampled. Although A. maripa was common at other Lepidoptera. Here we present observations on Bush Bush Island in Nariva Swamp, most palms were the biology and host range of the Lepidoptera species too tall to sample, and only an unopened spathe associated with selected palms in Trinidad.