A new pest, Duponchelia fovealis Zeller, on strawberries in Turkey - damage, distribution and parazitoid

Abstract

Our study was conducted in the Turkish provinces of Adana and Mersin during 2011 and 2012, and represents the first study to report the presence, damage, distribution and parasitoid of Duponchelia fovealis Zeller as a pest of strawberries in Turkey. D. fovealis was determined to overwinter in larval stages and to morph into adult moths in mid-March. Larvae hatched from eggs deposited on mulching material and near plant roots in soil, causing damage due to feeding activity on plant stems, young leaves, and fruit. At the maximum, larval abundance was 58.33 individuals per ten plants. Despite an abundant number of larvae, fruits were not directly impacted by feeding activities; however, damaged fruit rotted. All of the areas surveyed were found to be infested by D. fovealis larvae. As a natural enemy of the pest, Campoletis rapax (Gravenhorst, 1829) was found to be the parasitoid present in larvae plus pupae. D. fovealis hosted C. rapax and C. rapax was recorded as the first species to parasitize in the literature and its presence is a first record for Turkish fauna. The parasitization level increased as the season ended, reaching a value of 26.68%. The pest was determined to be dispersed throughout strawberry growing areas. Since damage may increase in the future, the pest must be closely monitored.