Author
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Brown, John |
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Submitted to: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 12/16/2005 Publication Date: 10/12/2006 Citation: Brown, J.W. 2006. A new species of cochylis from Argentina (lepidoptera: tortricidae: cochylini): a potenital biocontrol agent against pompom weed (asteraceae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 108:899-904. Interpretive Summary: Many species of small moths have been shown to provide excellent biological control of invasive weeds by feeding on their flowers or other reproductive parts. This strategy provides an alternative to the use of environmentally-unfriendly herbicides or costly mechanical removal. Pompom weed is an aggressive invasive species in South Africa, introduced from Argentina, that colonizes disturbed sites such as roadsides and has the potential to invade native grasslands and wetlands, displacing pasture vegetation. This paper describes and illustrates a new species of small moth that feeds on pompom weed that may be of value in controlling this weed pest. This information will be important for USDA-ARS scientists involved in biological control of weeds. Technical Abstract: Cochylis campuloclinium, new species, is described and illustrated from Argentina. The new species was discovered during efforts to find biological control agents against pompom weed, Campuloclinium macrocephalum (Less.) D.C. (Asteraceae), a perennial of the New World tropics that recently has invaded South Africa. The new species is similar to C. argentinana Razowski and but can be distinguished by the shape of the sacculus in the male genitalia: a hooked-shaped process in C. campuloclinium, a broad, distally excavated plate in C. argentinana. |
