''Mudaria luteileprosa'', or the Durian seed borer
is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
moth
Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Noctuidae
The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the other f ...
. It is found in
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
,
and
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
.
Description
The wings and body are black-brown with medium large orbicular, sometimes cordate whitish maculae.
Larvae
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
The ...
are pink and bore into seeds of durians. It is considered a pest of
Durian
The durian (, ) is the edible fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus ''Durio''. There are 30 recognised ''Durio'' species, at least nine of which produce edible fruit. ''Durio zibethinus'', native to Borneo and Sumatra, is the onl ...
and due to its seed boring habit and behaviour, it can corrupt the flesh of the fruit.
Behaviour
The adult moth lays eggs on the fruit near the
calyx
Calyx or calyce (plural "calyces"), from the Latin ''calix'' which itself comes from the Ancient Greek ''κάλυξ'' (''kálux'') meaning "husk" or "pod", may refer to:
Biology
* Calyx (anatomy), collective name for several cup-like structures ...
of the durian
seed
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...
. When the
fruit
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...
is 6 weeks old until the harvest period, it pierces through to eat the seed and excretes frass through the opening of the hole of where it bored, with no noticeable exterior damage. The larvae lives in the fruit until the fruit is mature, usually only one larva survives. When the larvae are mature, it will pierce through the
rind to settle and make a
silk cocoon in cool damp soil underground after going into the wandering stage. Most of the destroyed durian fruit are in the phase that the seed is robust,
and the fruit also cannot be sold for fresh consumption. It is recorded to be monophagous. The pupal stage can last 1 month up to 9 months depending on if the climate is favourable.
Because of it being a common pest of durian, it has been subjected to
pesticide
Pesticides are substances that are meant to control pests. This includes herbicide, insecticide, nematicide, molluscicide, piscicide, avicide, rodenticide, bactericide, insect repellent, animal repellent, microbicide, fungicide, and lampri ...
s and pesticide testing to combat the pest.
Gallery
File:Larva Mudaria.jpg, ''Mudaria luteileprosa'' larva
File:Durian seed borer on durian flesh and seed.jpg, Durian seed borer on durian
File:Larva of Mudaria luteileprosa boring into durian seed.jpg, ''Mudaria luteileprosa'' larva boring into durian seed
File:Pink caterpillar of Mudaria luteileprosa.jpg, Pink coloured larva
See also
*
List of durian diseases and pests
Durians are an agricultural product affected by many plant pathogens and pests. Most of the information here concerns ''Durio zibethinus'', the major commercial species, but a dozen species in the genus ''Durio'' are edible durians, and several ...
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q49627664
Moths described in 1989
Noctuidae
Moths of Asia