Leek moth

Leek moth
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Acrolepiidae
Genus: Acrolepiopsis
Species:
A. assectella
Binomial name
Acrolepiopsis assectella
(Zeller, 1839)
Synonyms
  • Roeslerstammia assectella Zeller, 1839
  • Acrolepia assectella
  • Digitivalva assectella
  • Lita vigiliella Duponchel 1842
  • Acrolepia caucasica Zagulajev, 1980
  • Acrolepia obscurella Rocci, 1931

The leek moth or onion leaf miner (Acrolepiopsis assectella) is a species of moth of family Acrolepiidae (formerly Glyphipterigidae) and the genus Acrolepiopsis. The species is native to Europe and Siberia, but is also found in North America, where it is an invasive species. While it was initially recorded in Hawaii, this was actually a misidentification of Acrolepiopsis sapporensis.[1]

The leek moth is similar in appearance to other members of the genus Acrolepiopsis, with mottled brown and white wings. Its wing span is approximately 12 mm across.[1]

It is a pest of leek crops, as the larvae feed on several species of Allium by mining into the leaves or bulbs.[2] The shape of the leaf mine is variable, ranging from a corridor to a blotch, and can be with or without frass. This leaf mining can occur in the tubular leaves or in the stem. In the case of onions and shallots, the larvae mine into the bulb. In North America, where the moth is an invasive species and has few known natural predators, the species threatens the production and biodiversity of Allium, and it has the potential to destroy entire crops.[3] The parasitoid Diadromus pulchellus is used to control the spread of and damage caused by the leek moth in Europe and North America.[4]

  1. ^ a b Landry, Jean-François (2007-06-01). "Taxonomic review of the leek moth genus Acrolepiopsis (Lepidoptera: Acrolepiidae) in North America". The Canadian Entomologist. 139 (3): 319–353. doi:10.4039/n06-098. ISSN 1918-3240. S2CID 86748199.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference P.G. Mason was invoked but never defined (see the help page).