Major Australian Lepidoptera Pests


Don Herbison-Evans ( donherbisonevans@yahoo.com )
&
Stella Crossley

(updated 9 February 2008)

This page provides a list of some notable Lepidoptera species in Australia that are pest of :

  • apples,
  • beehives,
  • cabbages,
  • cereals,
  • citrus,
  • cotton,
  • grain,
  • grapevines,
  • lucerne,
  • lychees,
  • maize,
  • mangoes,
  • nuts,
  • paw paws,
  • peaches,
  • pine plantations,
  • potatoes,
  • rice,
  • soybeans,
  • sugar cane,
  • sweet potatoes,
  • textiles, and
  • turnips.

    • APPLE ( Malus pumila, ROSACEAE )

  • Cydia pomonella
  • Maroga melanostigma

    BEEHIVES ( HYMENOPTERA )

  • Achroia grisella
  • Galleria mellonella

    CABBAGE ( Brassica oleracea, BRASSICACEAE )

  • Agrotis infusa
  • Agrotis ipsilon
  • Chrysodeixis subsidens
  • Crocidolomia pavonana
  • Epiphyas postvittana
  • Hellula hydralis
  • Hellula undalis
  • Pieris rapae
  • Plutella xylostella
  • Spodoptera exigua
  • Spodoptera litura

    CEREALS ( POACEAE )

  • Agrotis infusa
  • Agrotis munda
  • Bathytricha truncata
  • Mocis frugalis
  • Mythimna convecta
  • Persectania ewingii

    CITRUS (oranges, lemons, etc. ( RUTACEAE )

  • Conogethes punctiferalis
  • Epiphyas postvittana
  • Helicoverpa armigera
  • Phyllocnistis citrella
  • Prays nephelomima

    COTTON ( Gossypium, MALVACEAE )

  • Achyra affinitalis
  • Agrotis ipsilon
  • Agrotis munda
  • Helicoverpa armigera
  • Helicoverpa punctigera
  • Spodoptera exigua
  • Spodoptera litura

    FRUIT

  • Eudocima fullonia
  • Eudocima materna
  • Eudocima salaminia
  • Ophiusa coronata
  • Phyllodes imperiais

    GRAIN AND DRIED FRUIT

  • Cadra cautella
  • Cadra figulilella
  • Corcyra cephalonica
  • Ectomyelois ceratoniae
  • Ephestia kuehniella
  • Nemapogon granella

    GRAPEVINE ( Vitis vinifera, VITACEAE )

  • Agrotis ipsilon
  • Epiphyas postvittana
  • Maroga melanostigma
  • Phalaenoides glycinae

    LUCERNE ( Medicago sativa, FABACEAE )

  • Achyra affinitalis
  • Agrotis infusa
  • Agrotis ipsilon
  • Agrotis munda
  • Apina callisto
  • Ciampa arietaria
  • Epiphyas postvittana
  • Etiella behrii
  • Helicoverpa armigera
  • Helicoverpa punctigera
  • Merophyas divulsana
  • Mythimna convecta
  • Spodoptera exigua
  • Uresiphita ornithopteralis

    LYCHEES ( Litchi chinensis, SAPINDACEAE )

  • Achaea janata
  • Chlumetia transversa
  • Conopomorpha cramerella
  • Cryptophlebia ombrodelta
  • Duadua aprobola
  • Eudocima salaminia
  • Isotenes miserana
  • Othreis fullonia
  • Oxyodes tricolor
  • Phycita leucomiltra

    MAIZE ( Zea mays, POACEAE )

  • Achyra affinitalis
  • Spodoptera exigua
  • Agrotis ipsilon
  • Agrotis infusa
  • Agrotis munda
  • Bathytricha truncata
  • Chilo suppressalis
  • Conogethes punctiferalis
  • Helicoverpa armigera
  • Helicoverpa punctigera
  • Mythimna separata
  • Ostrinia furnacalis

    MANGOES ( Mangifera indica, ANACARDIACIAE )

  • Penicillaria jocosatrix

    NUTS

  • Ectomyelois ceratoniae

    PAW PAWS ( Carica papaya, CARICACEAE )

  • Asota caricae
  • Conogethes punctiferalis

    PEACHES ( Prunus persica, ROSACEAE )

  • Conogethes punctiferalis
  • Grapholita molesta
  • Maroga melanostigma

    PINE PLANTATIONS ( Pinus radiata, PINACEAE )

  • Acyphas semiochrea
  • Chlenias auctaria
  • Epiphyas postvittana
  • Teia anartoides

    POTATOES ( Solanum tuberosum, SOLANACEAE )

  • Agrotis ipsilon
  • Agrotis porphyricollis
  • Helicoverpa armigera
  • Mythimna convecta
  • Neumichtis nigerrima
  • Neumichtis saliaris
  • Phthorimaea operculella
  • Symmetrischema tangolias
  • Thysanoplusia orichalcea

    RICE ( Oryza sativa, POACEAE )

  • Bathytricha truncata
  • Chilo suppressalis
  • Cnaphalocrocis medinalis
  • Mythimna separata
  • Parapoynx stagnalis
  • Scirpophaga innotata
  • Spodoptera exempta
  • Spodoptera mauritia

    SOYBEANS ( Glycine max, FABACEAE )

  • Achaea janata
  • Agrotis ipsilon
  • Helicoverpa armigera
  • Omiodes diemenalis
  • Spodoptera exigua
  • Thysanoplusia orichalcea

    SUGAR CANE ( Saccharum officinarum, POACEAE )

  • Bathytricha truncata
  • Leucania stenographa
  • Mocis frugalis
  • Spodoptera exempta

    SWEET POTATOES ( Ipomoea batatas, CONVOLVULACEAE )

  • Bedellia somnulentella
  • Mythimna convecta

    TEXTILES

  • Tinea pellionella
  • Hofmannophila pseudospretella
  • Tineola bisselliella
  • Trichophaga tapetzella

    TURNIPS ( Brassica rapa, BRASSICACEAE )

  • Diarsia intermixta
  • Neumichtis nigerrima
  • Neumichtis saliaris

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