Paysandisia archon
{{short description|Species of moth}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Paysandisia archon MHNT Dos Vif Fronton.jpg
| image_caption = P. archon male
| image2 = Paysandisia Archon-20130730.jpg
| image2_caption = P. archon female
| parent_authority = Houlbert, 1912
| taxon = Paysandisia archon
| authority = (Burmeister, 1880)
| display_parents = 4
| synonyms =
- Castnia archon Burmeister, 1879
- Castnia josepha Oberthür, 1914
}}
Paysandisia archon is a moth of the family Castniidae. It is native to Uruguay and central Argentina and has been accidentally introduced to Europe, where it is spreading rapidly. It is considered the only member of the genus Paysandisia.
German naturalist Hermann Burmeister described the species in 1879 as Castnia archon.
This is a very large moth with a wingspan of 90–110 mm. The forewings are dark green with brown streaking, the hindwings are bright red with bold black and white markings. The females, generally larger than the males, are easily recognized by the prominent ovipositor. Like other castniids, this species flies by day and has clubbed antennae and is easily mistaken for a butterfly. The adults fly from June to September.
The larva is whitish and maggot-like and feeds in the stems and trunks of palms (see list below for recorded food plants). In its natural range, the damage done by the larvae is unobtrusive and the species is not considered a pest but the species is causing increasing concern in Europe because of the sometimes fatal damage being caused to native and exotic palms. The species pupates in a cocoon incorporating palm fibres within the larval gallery.
Invasive species
Since arriving in the Southern France in the mid-1990s (probably in mature specimens of Trithrinax from Argentina), it has spread along the Mediterranean coast to parts of Spain, Italy, Greece and Cyprus[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226268260_First_report_of_the_palm_borer_Paysandisia_archon_Burmeister_1880_Lepidoptera_Castniidae_in_Cyprus Research Gate: First report of the palm borer Paysandisia archon (Burmeister 1880) (Lepidoptera: Castniidae) in Cyprus]{{cite journal | last1=Muñoz-Adalia | first1=Emigdio Jordán | last2=Colinas | first2=Carlos | title=The invasive moth Paysandisia archon in Europe: Biology and control options | journal=Journal of Applied Entomology | publisher=Wiley | volume=144 | issue=5 | date=2020-03-18 | issn=0931-2048 | doi=10.1111/jen.12746 | pages=341–350| s2cid=216485897 | url=https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/64338 }} and it is feared that without effective control, it could spread to areas where palms grow throughout the region. (It is absent from Albania but global warming may make it suitable habitat in 2020–2039.)
One has also been reported from England, in West Sussex in 2002 and 2009 in Northern Ireland. Both UK introductions were eradicated. A survey shows it is absent from the Netherlands. The species was first reported on Russia's Black Sea coast in 2014,{{cite journal|last1=Карпун|first1=Н. Н.|last2=Игнатова|first2=Е. А.|last3=Журавлёва|first3=Е. Н.|script-title=ru:Новые виды вредителей декоративных древесных растений во влажных субтропиках Краснодарского края|journal=Известия Санкт-Петербургской лесотехнической академии|date=2015|issue=211|pages=187–203|url=http://spbftu.ru/UserFiles/Image/izvesti/14-211.pdf|accessdate=29 October 2017|trans-title=Species of pests on ornamental woody plants in humid subtropics new for Krasnodar Kray (Russia)|language=Russian|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171030041105/http://spbftu.ru/UserFiles/Image/izvesti/14-211.pdf|archive-date=30 October 2017|url-status=dead}} and by 2016 had been implicated in the death of over 200 palm trees in Sochi.{{cite web|last1=Фунтиков|first1=Илья|script-title=ru:Пальмовый мотылек, огневка, листоблошка и другие|url=https://sochinews.io/2017/05/16/palmovyiy-motyilek-ognevka-listobloshka-i-drugie/|website=Наш Дом Сочи|accessdate=29 October 2017|language=Russian|date=16 May 2017}}
Recorded food plants
=Natural range=
=Introduced range=
- Chamaerops
- Livistona spp., including:
- L. chinensis
- L. decipiens
- L. saribus
- Phoenix spp., including:
- P. canariensis
- P. dactylifera
- P. reclinata
- Sabal
- Trachycarpus fortunei
- Washingtonia spp., including:
- W. filifera
Gallery
File:Paysandisia Archon 2-20130730.jpg|Habitat
File:Larva Paysandisia archon.png|Larva (80 mm) of Paysandisia archon in its gallery
File:Paysandisia archon MHNT Caterpillar Fronton.jpg|Larva
File:Cocon de P. archon.JPG|Cocoon
File:Nymphe de P. archon.JPG|Pupa
File:Dégats des larves de Papillon Paysandisia archon sur les palmiers.jpg|Damage on palm trees by Paysandisia archon larvae
File:Palm moth, August 2020, France.jpg|Paysandisia archon in South West France
Notes
{{Reflist}}
References
- [http://www.palms.org/palmsjournal/2002/palmthreat.htm Palm Threat in France? (Inra)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051230023451/http://www.palms.org/palmsjournal/2002/palmthreat.htm |date=2005-12-30 }}
- EPPO Quarantine Alert: [https://web.archive.org/web/20070712092942/http://www.eppo.org/QUARANTINE/Alert_List/insects/PAYSAR-a.htm Paysandisia archon]
- https://web.archive.org/web/20180408043255/http://www.lepido-france.fr/pdf/BLP_n_22_merit_paysandisia_archon.pdf
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120831153116/http://fertitienda.com/blog/32-paysandisia-archon-barrenador-de-las-palmeras Blog Paysendisia Archon - Barrenador palmeras] {{in lang|es}}
External links
{{Commons|Paysandisia archon}}
{{Wikispecies|Paysandisia archon}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20150623054625/http://www.faunaeur.org/full_results.php?id=439952 Fauna Europaea]
- [http://www.lepiforum.de/lepiwiki.pl?Paysandisia_Archon Lepiforum.de]
- https://www.archentoflor.com/Papillons_Uraniidae_Castniidae.html
{{Taxonbar|from=Q140386}}
Category:Insect pests of ornamental plants