Phthorimaea operculella
Encyclopedia
The Potato tuber moth (Phthorimaea operculella), also known as the tobacco splitworm, is a major pest on potato
es in New Zealand
and South Africa
. It has a world-wide distribution.
The body length is about 10mm and the wingspan is about 12mm. The larva is called potato tuberworm.
In South Africa, the spider Selenops
radiatus has proved to be an effective controlling agent for this species.
The potato tuberworm is becoming a pest in North Carolina. It seems to be interchangeable in the Solanaceae
family. In tobacco
, the larvae are leaf miners and can cause severe damage to leaves, making them weigh less.
An older synonym is Bryotropha solanella, where solanella stands for its host, the potato (Solanum tuberosum).
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It has a world-wide distribution.
The body length is about 10mm and the wingspan is about 12mm. The larva is called potato tuberworm.
In South Africa, the spider Selenops
Selenops
Selenops is a spider genus that is found in many deserts of the world. It is very hard to distinguish the 115 species.S. australiensis is found on or under dry bark in Australia. The female reaches 9mm, the male 7mm. It looks superficially like a huntsman spider.S...
radiatus has proved to be an effective controlling agent for this species.
The potato tuberworm is becoming a pest in North Carolina. It seems to be interchangeable in the Solanaceae
Solanaceae
Solanaceae are a family of flowering plants that include a number of important agricultural crops as well as many toxic plants. The name of the family comes from the Latin Solanum "the nightshade plant", but the further etymology of that word is unclear...
family. In tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, the larvae are leaf miners and can cause severe damage to leaves, making them weigh less.
An older synonym is Bryotropha solanella, where solanella stands for its host, the potato (Solanum tuberosum).