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Title: A new genus and species of Grapholitini (Lepidoptera: Tortrticidae) from Florida, U.S.A.

Author
item ROTA, JADRANKA - Smithsonian Institute
item Brown, John

Submitted to: ZooKeys
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/15/2009
Publication Date: 9/23/2009
Citation: Rota, J., Brown, J.W. 2009. A new genus and species of Grapholitini (Lepidoptera: Tortrticidae) from Florida, U.S.A. 23:39-46.

Interpretive Summary: The larvae of many species of moths in the family known as leaf-rollers are important pests of ornamental, forest, and agricultural plants, causing millions of dollars in damage annually. This paper describes and illustrates a species of leaf-roller new to science that has been found feeding on a plant species closely related to avocado in Florida. This information will be of value to those involved in avocado production, entomologists monitoring pests in Florida (e.g., Florida State Department of Agriculture), and those interested in the discovery and documentation of potential new pest species in the U.S.A.

Technical Abstract: Riculorampha ancyloides Rota and Brown, new genus and new species, is described and illustrated from Florida. The type series was reared from the fruit of redbay, Persea borbonia (Lauraceae). The new genus is assigned provisionally to the Dichrorampha-group of genera (Grapholitini) on the basis of the following characters: forewing termen with a row of black dots, forewing fringe with a shallow subapical notch, hindwing veins Rs and M1 separate and parallel or subparallel, female frenulum with two bristles, and corpus bursae with a single signum. The last character is shared with Dichrorampha Guenée, Ricula Heinrich, Riculoides Pastrana, and Goditha Heinrich.