Spread of red-banded mango caterpillar, Deanolis sublimbalis Snellen (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), in Cape York Peninsula, Australia.
Royer J.
Author Affiliation: Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries, PO Box 652, Cairns, Qld 4870, Australia.
Australian Entomologist 36 : 119-130
Abstract : Deanolis sublimbalis Snellen (red-banded mango caterpillar) is a serious pest of mango (Mangifera indica L.) fruit. In 1990 it was first recorded in Australia in Torres Strait and in 2001 it was detected on the Australian mainland in the Northern Peninsula Area (NPA) at the tip of Cape York Peninsula, Queensland. Results from annual surveillance conducted from 2001-2007 in the NPA indicated that D. sublimbalis was spreading through natural adult dispersal at an average rate of 7 km/year. This provides the first record of this pest's rate of spread, the understanding of which is necessary in formulating control strategics.