Introduction

In Europe the family Tineidae comprises 278 species in 52 genera ( Gaedike et al. 2011). In the Maltese Islands this group is represented by 32 species and 17 genera ( Sammut, 2020). Tineidae feed on anything, from vegetative matter to carcasses. The majority of the species construct cases which they carry during their larval stages and pupate within them. Opogona sacchari (Bojer, 1856), is a pest of plants, normally living in the crown and fruit. However, the species is polyphagous and feeds on no less than 22 different genera of plants, amongst which are greenhouse ornamentals, many times reaching pest levels ( Koppert, 2022). Opogona sacchari (Bojer, 1856) has also been reported as feeding on pineapples, bamboo, maize, and sugarcane in the field, but also as infesting various stored tubers. In European countries, it has been recorded on various tropical or subtropical ornamentals, including Cactaceae, Dracaena, Strelitzia and Yucca, Alpinia, Begonia, Bougainvillea, Bromeliaceae, Chamaedorea and other palms, Cordyline, Dieffenbachia, Euphorbia pulcherrima, Ficus, Gloxinia, Heliconia, Hippeastrum, Maranta, Philodendron, Sansevieria and Saintpaulia, and also Capsicum and Solanum melongena L. ( Cabi, 2022). Its larvae are difficult to detect as they feed inside the host plant tissue. This is especially so during the first larval instars which hide in cracks, bulbs, or other plant structures. ( Van Der Gaag et al. 2013). Its spreading is attributed to imports for greenhouses and the growing of ornamental plants. Opogona sacchari (Bojer, 1856) is reported to adapt to outdoor climate on the Canary Islands, Madeira, and the Azores. These countries have a warm and dry climate comparable to that of the Mediterranean basin, so the possibility of it establishing itself in Malta is very likely.

In Europe, the genus Opogona Zeller 1853, comprises three species, namely Opogona omoscopa (Meyrick, 1893) recorded from the Azores in Portugal and from Sardinia in Italy; Opogona antistacta Meyrick, 1937, which was “bred from larva found in London feeding under slight tubular web on rind of banana” ( Rennwald, 2022) and Opogona sacchari (Bojer, 1856) ranging across Africa, Asia, Europe and America. ( Van Der Gaag et al. 2013)

Material examined: M alta, Żebbuġ, 1 ♀, 13-II-2022 Catania leg; Gozo Island, Xaghra, 1 ♀, 14-IX-2005 at light.

Two specimens have been collected from the Maltese islands. The first, Xaghra in Gozo was recorded at a 125W MV light trap, while the second specimen was collected from Żebbuġ in Malta. This specimen must have been an accidental import with daffodil bulbs bought from a plant nursery at Burmarrad earlier in December 2021. On examining these bulbs, it was noticed that the degree of damage done by the larvae stopped the normal growth of leaves and flowers. This specimen from Żebbuġ has a wingspan of 30 mm while the specimen from Xaghra has a wingspan of 21 mm.

Discussion: Opogona sacchari (Bojer, 1856) was originally described from the Mascarene Islands (Africa). Later it was reported also from continental Africa and other African islands. Its presence on Madeira, Azores, the Canary Islands, and continental Europe had also been reported. It is typically an Old-World tropical species and is capable of dispersing and getting established in the tropical belt and in areas with a Mediterranean climate. We propose the Maltese name “Opogona taz-Zokkor”, after the transliteration of the word sacchari.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Mr. Jan Šumpich, Department of Entomology, National Museum, Czech Republic, for the identification of the species; Mr. Ole Karsholt, Associate curator (Lepidoptera), Natural History Museum, Denmark for his helpful suggestions, and Dr. Antonio Vives for providing the Spanish translation.

References

CABI (2022). Opogona sacchari (Bojer, 1856). CAB https://www.cabi.org/isc.

Koppert (2022). Opogona sacchari Banana moth. https://www.koppert.com/challenges/caterpillars/banana-moth/.

Van Der Gaag., D. J. Van Der Straten, M., Ramel, J.-M., Baufeld, P., & Schrader, G. (2013). Pest Risk Analysis for Opogona sacchari. https://pra.eppo.int/institute/5

Gaedike, R., Sammut, P., & Seguna, A. (2011). Proterospastis orientalis Petersen, 1959, a species new to the lepidopterofauna of Malta, Greece and the whole of Europe (Lepidoptera: Tineidae, Tineinae). SHILAP Revista de lepidopterología, 39(153), 37-38.

Rennwald, E. (2022). Opogona sacchari (Bojer, 1856) Banana Borer Moth. https://lepiforum.org/wiki/page/Opogona_sacchari

Sammut, P. (2020). Systematic and Synonymic list of the Lepidoptera of the Maltese Islands. Malta.

Author notes

*Autor para la correspondencia / Corresponding author