First report of Ophiusa disjungens (Walker, 1858) on Acacia mangium Willd. (Fabaceae), and damage and notes of its biology on Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae) commercial plantations in Sumatra, Indonesia (Lepidoptera: Erebidae)

Primer registro de Ophiusa disjungens (Walker, 1858) sobre Acacia mangium Willd. (Fabaceae), y daños y notas de su biología sobre plantaciones comerciales de Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae) en Sumatra, Indonesia (Lepidoptera: Erebidae)

Introduction

Acacia mangium Willd. (Fabaceae) is endemic to four environmentally-similar regions, northeastern Queensland (Australia), southwestern Papua New Guinea, Papua, and eastern Maluku Islands (SILVA et al., 2020). Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden is endemic to coastal areas and sub-coastal ranges from Newcastle in New South Wales northwards to west of Daintree in Queensland, while Eucalyptus pellita F. Muell. (Myrtaceae) to northeastern Queensland (LI et al., 2016; MENUCELLI et al., 2019; ARISANDI et al., 2019). Acacia and Eucalyptus are largely planted in Sumatra, Indonesia where they are used as a raw material to produce commodities such as paper, pulp and viscose (WIBISONO et al., 2015; RONG et al., 2016; NAWAWI et al., 2017).

Acacia and Eucalyptus commercial plantations are attacked by several species of coleopterans and lepidopterans in Riau, Sumatra. Acacia species have been recently recorded as attacked by beetles of Altica sp., Aulacophora spp. (Chrysomelidae), Aulonogria sp. (Lagriidae) (TAVARES et al., 2020a), Glycyphana nicobarica Janson, 1887 (Scarabaeidae) (SINULINGGA et al., 2020), Myllocerus scapularis Roelofs, 1880 (Curculionidae), Rhytiphora bankii (Fabricius, 1775) (Cerambycidae) (SIRAIT et al., 2020), and Scotaeus sp. (Tenebrionidae) (TAVARES et al., 2020b), and caterpillars of Parasa pastoralis Butler, 1885 (Limacodidae) (SUKA et al., 2020) and Spodoptera spp. (Noctuidae) (SULISTYONO et al., 2020; KHAN et al., 2020). Auletobius sp. (Rhynchitidae) (TAVARES et al., 2020b) and caterpillars of Polyphagozerra coffeae Nietner, 1861 (Cossidae) (TAVARES et al., 2020c; TACHI et al., 2020) and Strepsicrates semicanella (Walker, 1866) (Tortricidae) (KKADAN et al., 2020) were, at a recent time, recorded as pests of Eucalyptus species in Riau.

Ophiusa disjungens (Walker, 1858) (Erebidae), known as guava moth, has its caterpillars seen at daytime resting on branches and petioles of its host plants. They camouflage assembling a plant twig leading difficult to be detected, but drop onto the ground as soon as they feel threated (CHEW, 2020). The caterpillar has two pairs of undeveloped prolegs leading them to move in a looper fashion. The caterpillar pupates in a loose coccoon on ground litter (HERBISON-EVANS & CROSSLEY, 2020). Ophiusa disjungens incidence can be assessed by observing its caterpillars as well as damage (defoliation) and frass produced by them. The objectives of this study were to report, for the first time,O. disjungens on A. mangium, and damage and notes on its biology on Eucalyptus commercial plantations in Sumatra.

Material and methods

REPORT OF O. DISJUNGENS ON A. MANGIUMREPORT OF O. DISJUNGENS ON A. MANGIUM

Monitoring results recorded two commercial stands of A. mangium (Table 1) severely infested by caterpillars, along with eggs and damage (defoliation) by O. disjungens in Peranap Sector (0º35’N x 102º01’E, 38 m above sea level), Riau on 24 and 25-IV-2018. Fifty trees were randomly selected within each stand and monitored for incidence of living caterpillars and/or fresh damage (defoliation) of O. disjungens.

MONITORING OF O. DISJUNGENS ON EUCALYPTUS

Eighteen commercial stands of Eucalyptus (Table 2), out of 19 monitored, were recorded as infested by caterpillars of O. disjungens in Sei Kebaro Sector (100º10’N x 100º24’E, 178 m above sea level), Riau. Caterpillars were seen along with damage (defoliation) they caused.

Stands were assessed once for severity (S) and incidence (I). Severity of the damage (defoliation) on Eucalyptus trees by caterpillars was calculated based on scoring: 0= healthy branches (no injury or living caterpillars), 1= 1-25% of branches with living caterpillars or injury, 2= 26-50% of braches with living caterpillars or injury, and 3= >50% of branches with living caterpillars or injury. Four lateral branches, from the middle third Eucalyptus crown, were examined per tree. The following formula was utilized: S= [(0 × number of trees in a plot with caterpillars or injury equal to 0) + (1 x number of trees in a plot with caterpillars or injury equal to 1) + (2 x number of trees in a plot with caterpillars or injury equal to 2) + (3 × number of trees in a plot with caterpillars or injury equal to 3) ÷ (3 x total number of living trees in the plot)] x 100. Result of S in a plot was obtained with the average number of S from the trees sampled in this plot. Severity data were used to calculate the I of caterpillars on Eucalyptus using the following formula: I= [(number of infested trees) ÷ (total number of living trees in the plot)] x 100. Infested trees were those scored as 1, 2 or 3 according to S results. A total of 1.5% of the trees per stand was monitored.

IDENTIFICATION OF O. DISJUNGENS

One, 10 and three caterpillars, without realizing their age, were collected manually from Logas South (01º59’N x 98º59’E, 70 m above sea level), Peranap and Sei Kebaro Sectors, respectively, placed in 1-Kg plastic bags and taken to the Entomology Laboratory of the PT. Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) in Pangkalan Kerinci, Riau. They were transferred to 2-Kg plastic containers as soon as they reached the laboratory and reared on the foliage of E. grandis . E. pellita as a food until turned into adults in an environmentally-controlled room at 26 ± 2º C, 75 ± 15% RH and 14:10 (L:D) h photoperiod. Moths obtained from the reared caterpillars were killed, pinned and identified by comparing their external morphology with descriptions provided by HAMPSON (1894), CHEW (2020), HERBISON-EVANS & CROSSLEY (2020), and HOLLOWAY (2005).

MORPHOMETRY AND NOTES ON BIOLOGY

Morphometry and parameter on the biology of O. disjungens were evaluated with individuals obtained from Logas South and Sei Kebaro Sectors. The length and width (cm) of pupae and adults were measured using a ruler.

Results

REPORT OF O. DISJUNGENS ON A. MANGIUM

An average of three caterpillars per tree was found in Peranap Sector (figs 1-2). Ophiusa disjungens caterpillars were recorded along with its eggs as well as caterpillars of tussock moth (Lepidoptera), adults and nymphs of Helopeltis theivora Waterhouse, 1886 (Hemiptera: Miridae), adults of pintail beetle (Mordellidae: Mordellinae), and adults of comb-clawed beetle (Tenebrionidae: Alleculinae).

MONITORING OF O. DISJUNGENS ON EUCALYPTUS

Incidence of O. disjungens on Eucalyptus, in Sei Kebaro Sector, varied from 15.2 to 58.1%, 4.0 to 18.0% and 4.2 to 80.2% in the Estates A, B and C, respectively. Ophiusa disjungens attacked E. pellita and E. grandis × E. pellita (fig. 3) and its caterpillars occurred along with adults and nymphs of H. theivora.

IDENTIFICATION OF O. DISJUNGENS

Moths obtained from caterpillars, recovered from Logas South (N= 1), Peranap (N= 10) and Sei Kebaro (N= 2) Sectors, were all O. disjungens (fig. 4). Ophiusa disjungens differs, slightly, from its most similar species, Ophiusa discriminans (Walker, 1858), based on the external morphology analysis. The first lacks a black patch at the end of the abdomen and has a much larger black sub-terminal patch on the hindwing.

MORPHOMETRY AND NOTES ON BIOLOGY

The length and width (mean ± SD) of pupa (N= 3) were 3.13 ± 0.04 and 0.88 ± 0.01 cm, respectively. The forewing and hindwing length were 6.5 ± 0.5 and 4.5 ± 0.1 cm (N= 2), respectively. The period from pupa to adult was 25.5 ± 4.5 days (N= 2).

Discussion

Ophiusa disjungens reported to low altitudes ranging 38-178 m in the current study differs from its collection to a mountain peak at 1,618 m in Bukit Retak, Brunei (HOLLOWAY, 2005).

Acacia crassicarpa as a host plant of O. disjungens increases the number of known plant genus recorded to this insect to five. Common guava, Psidium guajava L. (Myrtaceae), native to the Caribbean, Central America and South America (GEORGE et al., 2017), is recorded as an O. disjungens host in Japan (SUGI, 1987). Eucalyptus and possibly other Myrtaceae were added by COMMON (1990) to Australia and ROBINSON et al. (2001) to Asia. There is also a record of Styphelia (Ericaceae), a genus endemic to Australia and Pacific Islands (PUENTE-LELIÈVRE et al., 2016), from Guam (SWEZEY, 1946; HOLLOWAY, 1979). The caterpillar also feeds on the turpentine tree, Syncarpia glomulifera (Sm.) Nied. in/endemic to Australia (HERBISON-EVANS & CROSSLEY, 2020). The adult O. disjungens was recorded as a fruit-piercing moth of soft-skinned fruits in China (WU, 1981) and as O. indiscriminata in Thailand (BÄNZIGER, 1982).

Ophiusa disjungens recorded in Riau in the actual study has its typical form found in Australia (New South Wales and Queensland States), Lesser Sundas, New Caledonia, and Norfolk. The subspecies indiscriminata is found in the Oriental tropics and tongaensis in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu. The species also occurs in Southeast Asia and the south Pacific, including Borneo, Sri Lanka (HERBISON-EVANS & CROSSLEY, 2020), Guam (HOLLOWAY, 2005), Japan and Thailand (CHEW, 2020).

The forewing lenght of O. disjungens from Logas South and Sei Kebaro Sectors was slightly longer than of specimens from Brisbane, Queensland, 5.0 cm. The period from pupa to adult was within the range reported from Brisbane as being three to four weeks (CHEW, 2020).

The severe damage (defoliation) of Eucalyptusby O. disjungens in Sei Kebaro Sector is opposite to the minor damage of oilseed crops caused by the castor caterpillars, Ophiusa melicerta (Drury, 1773) in Bangladesh (BISWAS & DAS, 2011). Ophiusa moths were sporadic fruit-piercing pests of citrus, Citrus (Rutaceae) in South Africa during the 2013-2015 growing seasons (GODDARD et al., 2019).

Ophiusa disjungens is reported for the first time on A. mangium, and incidence of its caterpillars and/or damage (defoliation) on Eucalyptus commercial plantations is up to 80.2% in Sumatra. The period from pupa to adult (mean ± SD) is recorded as 25.5 ± 4.5 days.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Dr. Roger C. Kendrick (C. & R. Wildlife, Hong Kong) and Dr. Hans Bänziger (Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiengmai University, Chiengmai, Thailand) for guidance provided on the identification of O. disjungens. The following Indonesian companies supported the study: PT. Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) and Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Ltd. (RAPP).

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Appendix

Figs 1-4
Caterpillar of Ophiusa disjungens (Wlk.) (Erebidae). 1. Damage (defoliation) caused by this species on Acacia mangium (Fabaceae). 2. In Peranap Sector, Riau, Sumatra, Indonesia. 3-4. Caterpillar of Ophiusa disjungens (Erebidae) on Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae). 3. In Sei Kebaro Sector, Riau, Sumatra, Indonesia. 4. Adult female.

Author notes

Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Ltd. (APRIL), PT. Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP), 28300, Pangkalan Kerinci, Riau, Sumatra INDONESIA / INDONESIA, E-mail: Wagner_Tavares@aprilasia.com, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8394-6808