Incidence of two caterpillar species (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) and injuries caused by them in sweet basil grown in Seropédica County, RJ

Elen de L. Aguiar-Menezes; Vinicius J. Fernandes; Eurípedes B. Menezes

doi:10.37486/2675-1305.ec03030

Authors

Elen de L. Aguiar-Menezes Departamento de Entomologia e Fitopatologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropédica, RJ, Brazil, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Fitotecnia, UFRRJ, Seropédica, RJ https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3634-0202
Vinicius J. Fernandes Programa de Pós-Graduação em Fitotecnia, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropédica, RJ, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3979-1722
Eurípedes B. Menezes Departamento de Entomologia e Fitopatologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropédica, RJ https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8781-4896

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37486/2675-1305.ec03030

Keywords:

Pyraloid moth, Hyalorista opalizalis, Pyrausta phoenicealis, Ocimum basilicum, Plant-insect interaction

Abstract

Ocimum basilicum L. (Lamiaceae) is one of the most popular herbs in the world, given its aromatic, medicinal and insecticidal properties. Its leaves are rich in essential oils, as well as the plant part with the highest economic value in this species. The aims of the current study are to identify the causative agent of injuries observed in sweet basil plants grown in Seropédica County, RJ (Brazil), as well as to feature both their feeding behavior and injuries caused by them. The herein investigated injuries were caused in sweet basil stems and leaves by caterpillars, which were collected with the leaves and grown in laboratory until they reached the adult stage. Two lepidopteran species belonging to family Crambidae were identified, namely: Hyalorista opalizalis (Guenée, 1854) and Pyrausta phoenicealis (Hübner, 1818); approximately 73% of adult individuals obtained in laboratory belonged to the first species. Caterpillars belonging to both species have caused similar injuries to O. basilicum plants. Injuries were featured by the sectioning of stems whose leaves were bundled with silk threads and formed a shelter, where caterpillars ate the leaf limb in. The current study also recorded O. basilicum plants used as hosts by P. phoenicealis insects, for the first time.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Bernays, E. A.; Minkenberg, O. P. J. M. (1997) Insect herbivores: different reasons for being a generalist. Ecology, 78: 1157-1169. doi: 10.2307/2265866

Braga, L.; Diniz, I. R. (2015) The abundance of specialist and generalist lepidopteran larvae on a single host plant species: does spatial scale matter? Florida Entomologist, 98(3): 954-961. doi: 10.1653/024.098.0323

Choi, Y. S.; Park, D. K.; Yun, Y. U.; Hwang, I. S.; Shin S. M.; Choe, K. R. (2008) Economic injury levels and control thresholds of Pyrausta panopealis Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) on perilla under green-house. Korean Journal Applied Entomology, 47(2): 149-154, 2008. doi: 10.5656/KSAE.2008.47.2.149

Costa Lima, A. M. (1950) Lepidópteros, 2ª parte. In: Costa Lima, A. M. (Ed.), Insetos do Brasil, 6º Tomo, pp. 41-42. Rio de Janeiro: Escola Nacional de Agronomia. http://www.ufrrj.br/institutos/ib/ento/tomo06.pdf. Access on: 6.vi.2021.

Guenée, A. (1854) Deltoïdes et Pyralites. In: Boisduval, J. B. A. D.; Guenée, A. (Eds.), Histoire Naturelle des Insectes. Spécies Général des Lépidoptères. Tome Huitième, p. 171. Paris: Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret. https://ia803109.us.archive.org/35/items/histoirenaturell08bois/histoirenaturell08bois.pdf. Access on: 6.vi.2021.

Heppner, J. B.; Adair, W. L., Jr.; Baggett, H. D.; Dickel, T. S.; Dow, L. C.; Emmel, T. C.; Habeck, D. H. (2007) Lepidoptera of Florida. Part 1 Introduction and Catalog. Gainesville: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry (Arthropods of Florida and Neighboring Land Areas, 17).

Koech, P. (2018) Knockdown effect of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) essential oil and a mixed formulation on Aedes aegypti adults. International Journal of Entomology Research, 3(1): 82-85.

LoPresti, E. F.; Morse, D. H. (2013) Costly leaf shelters protect moth pupae from parasitoids. Arthropod-Plant Interactions, 7: 445-453. doi: 10.1007/s11829-013-9261-4

Luz, P. M. C.; Azevedo Filho, W. S.; Specht, A. (2014) Caracterização morfológica dos estágios imaturos de Rachiplusia nu (Guenée, 1852) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Plusiinae) e lista de plantas hospedeiras. Caderno de Pesquisa, série Biologia, 26(3): 65-76. doi: 10.17058/cp.v26i3.5586

Meek, C. R.; Bidlack, J. E. (2005) Arthropod population, phenylalanine ammonia lyase activity, and fresh weight of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) as affected by plant age and Bacillus thuringiensis treatment. Proceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Science, 85: 9-17.

Montezano, D. G.; Specht, A.; Sosa-Gómez, D. R.; Roque-Specht, V. F.; Sousa-Silva, J. C.; Paula-Moraes, S. V.; Peterson, J. A.; Hunt, T. (2018) Host plants of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in the Americas. African Entomology, 26(2): 286-300 (2018). doi: 10.4001/003.026.0286

Munroe, E. G. (1995) Crambidae (Crambinae, Schoenobiinae, Cybalomiinae, Linostinae, Glaphyriinae, Dichogaminae, Scopariinae, Musotiminae, Midilinae, Nymphulinae, Odontiinae, Evergestinae, Pyraustinae). In: Heppner, J. B. (Ed.), Atlas of Neotropical Lepidoptera. Checklist: Part 2. Hyblaeoidea - Pyraloidea - Tortricoidea 3, pp. 34-79. Gainesville: Association for Tropical Lepidoptera & Scientific Publishers.

Naveen, M.; Jayaraj, J.; Chinniah, C.; Mini, M. L.; Vellaikumar, S.; Shanthi, M. (2021) Insecticidal property of methanolic leaf extract of sweet basil, Ocimum basilicum (L.) against cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne (Fab.) (Coleoptera: Anobiidae). Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, 9(1): 259-262. doi: 10.22271/j.ento.2021.v9.i1d.8155

Olson, P. E.; Bidlack, J. E. (1997) Yield and enzyme activity of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) subjected to alternative pest control. Journal of Herbs, Spices & Medicinal Plants, 4(4): 3-16. doi: 10.1300/J044v04n04_02

Pastrana, J. A. (2004) Los Lepidópteros Argentinos: Sus Plantas Hospedadoras y Otros Sustratos Alimenticios. Buenos Aires: Sociedad Entomológica Argentina.

Pires, E. M.; Manica, C. L. M.; Nogueira, R. M.; Carneiro, J. S.; Rodrigues, W. C.; Soares, M. A. (2014) Coleus barbatus Benth and Ocimum basilicum L. (Lamiaceae), new host plants to Spodoptera cosmioides (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Sinop, State of Mato Grosso, Brazil. EntomoBrasilis, 7(1): 62-64. doi: 10.12741/ebrasilis.v7i1.363

Poltavsky, A. N.; Kravchenko, V. D.; Traore, M. M.; Traore, S. F.; Gergely, P.; Witt, T. J.; Sulak, H.; Beck, R. H.-T.; Junnila, A.; Revay, E. E., et al. (2018) The Pyraloidea (Lepidoptera) fauna of the woody savannah belt in Mali, West Africa. Zootaxa, 4457(1): 39-69. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.4457.1.2

Popović, Z.; Kostić, M.; Popović, S.; Skorić, S. (2006) Bioactivities of essential oils from basil and sage to Sitophilus oryzae L. Biotechnology & Biotechnological Equipment, 20(1): 36-40. doi: 10.1080/13102818.2006.10817301

Robinson, G. S.; Ackery, P. R.; Kitching, I. J.; Beccaloni, G. W.; Hernández, L. M. (2010) HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. London: Natural History Museum. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/hostplants/. Access on: 6.vi.2021.

Shahrajabian, M. H.; Sun, W.; Cheng, Q. (2020) Chemical components and pharmacological benefits of basil (Ocimum basilicum): a review. International Journal of Food Properties, 23(1): 1961-1970. doi: 10.1080/10942912.2020.1828456

Specht, A.; Paula-Moraes, S. V.; Sosa-Gómez, D. R. (2015) Host plants of Chrysodeixis includens (Walker) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Plusiinae). Revista Brasileira de Entomologia, 59(4): 43-345, 2015. doi: 10.1016/j.rbe.2015.09.002

Specht, A.; Silva, E. J. E.; Link, D. (2004) Noctuídeos (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) do Museu Entomológico Ceslau Biezanko, Departamento de Fitossanidade, Faculdade de Agronomia “Eliseu Maciel”, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, RS. Revista Brasileira de Agrociência, 10(4): 389-409. doi: 10.18539/CAST.V10I4.985

Tigvattnanont, S. (1990) Studies on biology of the Ocimum leaf folder, Syngamia abruptalis Walker and its host plants. Khon Kaen Agriculture Journal, 18(6): 316-324.

Walker, F. (1859) List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum. Part XIX. Pyralides. London: British Museum (Natural History). https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/38886233#page/9/mode/1up. Access on: 6.vi.2021.

Wang, Y.; Ma, Y.; Zhou, D-S.; Gao, S.-X.; Zhao, X.-C.; Tang, Q.-B.; Wang, C.-Z.; van Loon, J. J. A. (2017) Higher plasticity in feeding preference of a generalist than a specialist: experiments with two closely related Helicoverpa species. Scientific Reports, 7: 17876. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-18244-7