Pest categorisation of Spodoptera eridania

Abstract

The EFSA Panel on Plant Health performed a pest categorisation of Spodoptera eridania (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) for the European Union (EU). S. eridania (southern armyworm) is a highly polyphagous pest native to the Americas which has spread to Africa being first reported there in 2016. There are multiple generations per year. Although it can endure short freezing periods, prolonged frosts are lethal. Eggs are laid in batches on the leaves of host plants. Five to seven larval instars follow. Like other armyworms, early instars are gregarious and cause leaf skeletonisation. Older instars disperse and become more solitary and nocturnal. Larvae feed on field vegetables and can bore into tomato fruit. They can eat apical portions of branches and can bore into stems and tubers if preferred foods are scarce. Pupation takes place in the soil. S. eridania is regulated in the EU by Directive 2000/29/EC (Annex IAI). Within this Directive, a prohibition of soil imported from countries where S. eridania occurs, prevents the entry of S. eridania pupae. However, immature stages on plants (excluding seeds), fruit and flowers provide potential pathways for entry into the EU. S. eridania adults have been intercepted in the EU as hitchhikers. Climatic conditions and the wide availability of host plants provide conditions to support establishment in frost-free regions of the EU. It could spread more widely forming transient populations during summer months. Impacts on field vegetables and ornamentals would be possible. Phytosanitary measures are available to reduce the likelihood of entry. S. eridania satisfies the criteria that are within the remit of EFSA to assess for it to be regarded as a potential Union quarantine pest. S. eridania does not meet the criteria of (a) occurring in the EU, and (b) plants for planting being the principal means of spread for it to be regarded as a potential Union regulated non-quarantine pest.

Azadirachtin‐based insecticide impairs testis morphology and spermatogenesis of the southern armyworm Spodoptera eridania (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

“…The larva of the southern armyworm, Spodoptera eridania (Stoll, 1782) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a polyphagous pest that has a wide distribution throughout the American continent and has already spread to Africa, affecting more than 200 vegetable plant species, including several cash crops 18–21 . Considering the risk of this species spreading to other regions, the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) recently listed S. eridania as an A1 quarantine pest in Europe because it is a pest absent from the EPPO region 22 .…”

“…16,17 The larva of the southern armyworm, Spodoptera eridania (Stoll, 1782) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a polyphagous pest that has a wide distribution throughout the American continent and has already spread to Africa, affecting more than 200 vegetable plant species, including several cash crops. [18][19][20][21] Considering the risk of this species spreading to other regions, the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) recently listed S. eridania as an A1 quarantine pest in Europe because it is a pest absent from the EPPO region. 22 Because S. eridania is an insect pest of great economic importance, it has become a target for control by cultural and physical methods, synthetic insecticides and biopesticides, 16,23 therefore it is necessary to investigate the action of active ingredients, such as azadirachtin, in the reproductive organs to elucidate its action on managing this insect pest in agroecosystems.…”

Biología de Spodoptera eridania (Stoll) en el cultivo de uva (Vitis vinifera L.) en condiciones de laboratorio

“…Entre los insectos plagas tenemos a los lepidópteros y entre ellos a Spodoptera eridania (Stoll, 1782), especie polífaga originaria de los trópicos americanos (Capinera, 2018), que recientemente invadió África (Weinberg et al, 2022;Sampaio et al, 2020), plaga importante de muchos cultivos (Pogue, 2022), en particular de maíz, soja, algodón, camote y tomate y en los últimos años en el cultivo de uva (Bortoli et al, 2012;Bowling et al, 2019, de Sousa et al, 2019Luz et al, 2019;Machado et al, 2020;CABI, 2021;Parra et al, 2022;Scudeler et al, 2023) debido tanto a la tolerancia a la alta densidad de la población así como, por el alto grado de defoliación causada por la alimentación de las larvas (Bortoli et al, 2012;Sardina de Souza et al, 2012). Cuando esta especie se propagó a África occidental fue registrado como invasiva (Goergen, 2018), y ha sido catalogada como plaga cuarentenaria A1 para Europa (Bragard et al 2020). Doscientas dos especies de plantas pertenecientes a 58 familias se enumeran como huéspedes naturales de S. eridania, incluidas principalmente Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Solanaceae, Poaceae, Amaranthaceae y Malvaceae (Montezano et al, 2014).…”