LepIntercept

PYRALIDAE - Cadra cautella (Walker) Non-Rep

Taxonomy

Pyraloidea: Pyralidae: Phycitinae: Cadra cautella (Walker)

Common names: almond moth, tropical warehouse moth

Synonyms: Cadra defectella, Cryptoblabes formosella, Ephestia irakella, Ephestia passulella, Ephestia pelopis, Ephestia rotundatella, Nephopteryx [sic] desuetella

Larval diagnosis (Summary)

Pigmented body pinacula
A8 with SD2 separated from the spiracle by the horizontal diameter of the spiracle
D2 seta on A1-7 two to two and a half times the length of the D1 seta
Adfrontal area on the head does not reach the epicranial notch

Host/origin information

Larvae of Cadra cautella are commonly intercepted from countries throughout the world on a variety of hosts. The number of reported hosts in PestID exceeds 300, although those that are not dried plant material or stored products are questionable. Approximately 25% of all interceptions are from India. Other common origin/host combinations are listed here:

Origin Host(s)

Ecuador Theobroma

El Salvador Phaseolus

India Arachis, Glycine, Oryza

Peru Zea

Recorded distribution

Cadra cautella is a cosmopolitan pest that is most common in tropical and subtropical regions.

Identification authority (Summary)

Because of the worldwide distribution of this species, origin information is not useful in identification. Larvae associated with stored products, dried fruits, nuts, or similar substrate are more easily identified to species using the above morphological characters. Larvae with these characters from living plant tissue should be identified only to subfamily because this feeding habit is not typical.

Pest characterization

(based on Cavey 2001, Neunzig 1990)

Taxonomy: High. Identification to species is routine in late instars.
Distribution: Low. Cadra cautella occurs in the U.S.
Potential Impact: High. Cadra cautella is considered a pest.

This ranking characterizes Cadra cautella as not a quarantine significant species for the U.S.

PYRALIDAE - Cadra cautella (Walker) Non-Rep

Larval diagnosis (Detailed)

The larva of almond moth, C. cautella, has been illustrated many times. Some examples are Hinton (1942, 1943), Ensminger (1958), Aitken (1963), Carter (1984), Weisman (1986, 1987), Neunzig (1987, 1990), Solis (1999, 2011) and Schnitzler et al. (2011). Passoa (1985) illustrated the larva in color. Keys to selected larval structures (mandible, antenna, etc.) of stored product pests, including C. cautella, are given by Gentry et al. (1991).

Typically, C. cautella has pigmented body pinacula, A8 with SD2 separated from the spiracle by the horizontal diameter of the spiracle and D2 of A1-7 being two to two and a half times the length of D1 (Weisman 1986). In addition, the coronal suture is absent because the adfrontal area does not reach the epicranial notch (Weisman 1987). Other significant characters of C. cautella include: D1 and D2 on A1-7 in a horizontal line, mandible lacks an inner tooth (Passoa 1985), and the spiracles of A6 and A7 approximately equal in size (Schnitzler et al. 2011). Weisman (1987) reported that SD2 is below the level of the SD1 pinaculum on A1-7, although we have found this character difficult to interpret in some specimens. Hinton (1943: 168, 193, 194) added the diameter of the head punctures, size of the spiracles on T1 and A8, body color and chaetotaxy of the SV group on A3-6 and A8 to help define C. cautella in his work.

Some keys (Weisman 1986, Solis 2011) have a couplet that asks for an evaluation of the cuticular granules. This requires caution because it is easy to select the wrong option if a reference specimen of C. cautella is not available. Ensminger (1958: plate 17: fig. 5) illustrated the cuticle of C. cautella with faint pavement granules but the condition is scored as smooth in the above keys for this species if low magnification is used. Although A8 has SD2 separated from the spiracle by the horizontal diameter of the spiracle, there is some variation in this character. It can be slightly less or slightly more than the spiracle diameter, but does not overlap with other species (see Neunzig 1987).

Identification authority (Detailed)

Origins are not helpful because C. cautella is a cosmopolitan pest, although it is more common in warmer regions. Identifications are more accurate if the larva is associated with stored products from a building or at least is from dried fruits, nuts or similar substrate. Larvae that resemble C. cautella from living plant tissue are best left at subfamily because this feeding habit is not typical.

Capps (1963) warned that larvae of Ribua can be confused with Ephestia; this would also apply to Cadra. Ribua are associated with fungi on various plant substrates (Neunzig 1990). They are intercepted on pineapple from Latin America, and unlike Cadra or Ephestia, the cuticle is dark and granulose with obvious tonofibrillary platelets (Capps 1963).

Hinton (1943: 192) studied the first instar of three Cadra and Ephestia. They could be recognized to subfamily, all have a sclerotized ring around SD1 on T2 and A8. Identification to genus at U.S. ports would require looking at more than a few species given the diversity of our interceptions.

Living larvae of C. cautella may have some pink markings, but they do not form longitudinal stripes and they usually fade in preserved larvae (Aitken 1963).

PYRALIDAE - Cadra cautella (Walker) Non-Rep

Origin records

Cadra cautella has been intercepted from the following locations:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Bahamas (?), Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote D'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan (?), Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestinian Territory, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Lucia, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and N. Ireland, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Host records

Cadra cautella has been intercepted on the following hosts:

Abelmoschus esculentus, Abelmoschus sp., Acrocomia aculeata, Aegle marmelos, Aegle sp., Agaricus sp., Aleurites sp., Allium sativum, Allium sp., Anacardium occidentale, Ananas comosus, Ananas sp., Annona cherimola, Annona reticulata, Annona sp., Annonaceae, Arachis hypogaea, Arachis sp., Arctium lappa, Areca catechu, Artocarpus altilis, Artocarpus heterophyllus, Artocarpus sp., Bambusa sp., Bertholletia excelsa, Bertholletia sp., Betula sp., Blighia sapida, Bouea sp., Brassica juncea, Brassica oleracea, Brassica rapa, Brassica sp., Cajanus cajan, Calamus sp., Camellia sinensis, Camellia sp., Capsicum annuum, Capsicum sp., Carica papaya, Carica sp., Carthamus tinctorius, Carum carvi, Castanea sativa, Castanea sp., Chamaedorea sp., Chamaemelum nobile, Chenopodium quinoa, Chenopodium sp., Chicorum sp., Cicer arietinum, Cicer sp., Citrullus colocynthis, Citrullus lanatus, Citrus sinensis, Citrus sp., Cocos nucifera, Cocos sp., Coffea arabica, Coffea sp., Coix lacryma-jobi, Coix sp., Cola acuminata, Cola sp., Colocasia sp., Coriandrum sativum, Corylus sp., Crotalaria longirostrata, Crotalaria sp., Cucumeropsis mannii, Cucumis melo, Cucumis sativus, Cucumis sp., Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita sp., Cucurbitaceae, Cuminum cyminum, Cuminum sp., Curcubita sp., Cydonia oblonga, Cymbopogon citratus, Cyperus esculentus, Cyphomandra sp., Dactylis sp., Dendrobium sp., Dennettia tripetala, Desmoncus sp., Dillenia indica, Dimocarpus longan, Dioscorea rotundata, Dioscorea sp., Diospyros sp., Dischidia sp., Elaeis guineensis, Elettaria cardamomum, Erythrina sp., Eucalyptus sp., Euphorbiaceae, Euryale sp., Fabaceae, Fagus sp., Ficus carica, Ficus sp., Genipa americana, Gingko sp., Glycine max, Glycine sp., Gnetum sp., Gossypium sp., Guizotia abyssinica, Helianthus annuus, Hordeum sp., Hordeum vulgare, Hylocereus sp., Hypericum sp., Ipomoea batatas, Irvingia gabonensis, Jatropha sp., Juglans regia, Juglans sp., Kalanchoe sp., Lablab purpureus, Lansium domesticum, Laurus nobilis, Lavandula sp., Leguminosae sp., Lens culinaris, Lens sp., Leonotis leonurus, Linum sp., Linum usitatissimum, Lonchocarpus sp., Lupinus sp., Macadamia integrifolia, Magnoliophyta sp., Malpighia glabra, Malus domestica, Malus sp., Malus sylvestris, Malvaceae, Mangifera indica, Mangifera sp., Manihot esculenta, Matricaria recutita, Medicago sativa, Mentha sp., Minthostachys sp., Momordica charantia, Morus alba, Morus rubra, Morus sp., Murraya koenigii, Musa paradisiaca, Musa sp., Myristica fragrans, Myristica sp., Nelumbo nucifera, Nelumbo sp., Nephelium lappaceum, Nigella sativa, Olea europaea, Olea sp., Origanum majorana, Origanum vulgare, Oryza punctata, Oryza sativa, Oryza sp., Passiflora edulis, Persea americana, Persea sp., Phaseolus coccineus, Phaseolus lunatus, Phaseolus sp., Phaseolus vulgaris, Phoenix canariensis, Phoenix dactylifera, Phoenix sp., Pinus sp., Piper nigrum, Pistacia vera, Pisum sativum, Pisum sp., Pithecellobium dulce, Plumeria sp., Poaceae, Prunus americana, Prunus armeniaca, Prunus cerasus, Prunus domestica, Prunus domestica ssp. insititia, Prunus persica, Prunus sp., Psidium guajava, Psidium sp., Psophocarpus tetragonolobus, Pterocarpus sp., Punica granatum, Pyrus sp., Raphanus sp., Rhapis sp., Rosa sp., Rosmarinus sp., Rubus fruticosus, Rubus sp., Rubus ursinus, Rumex acetosa, Rutaceae, Saccharum sp., Salvia hispanica, Sesamum indicum, Sesamum sp., Solanum lycopersicum var lycopersicum, Solanum melongena, Solanum sp., Solanum torvum, Solanum tuberosum, Sorghum bicolor, Sorghum sp., Spondias sp., Tamarindus indica, Tamarindus sp., Tetrapleura sp., Tetrapleura tetraptera, Theobroma cacao, Theobroma sp., Thevetia sp., Trigonella foenum-graecum, Triticum aestivum, Triticum durum, Triticum sp., Vaccinium sp., Vicia faba, Vigna mungo, Vigna radiata, Vigna sp., Vigna unguiculata, Vitis sp., Zea mays, Zea sp., Zingiber officinale, Zingiber sp., Ziziphus jujuba, Ziziphus sp.