Copyright, Citation, and Disclaimers
Objectives
This identification tool was created to allow users to identify the larvae and adults of the pink bollworm and distinguish them from similar species.
Intended Audience
This tool is designed for users participating in survey and monitoring programs for the pink bollworm in the cotton belt of the United States. The keys have been constructed in a manner that allows users to have little or no background knowledge of the group to focus on characters of importance for accurate identification.
Background
Native to Asia, the pink bollworm (PBW) is an invasive moth in most of the world's cotton-growing regions, including the cotton belt of the southern United States. The pink bollworm moth is a significant pest of cotton in the United States. The larvae eat through the cotton bolls, destroying the cotton fibers and exposing them to other harmful agents. Many countermeasures have been taken to suppress the damage caused by the pink bollworm including planting genetically modified Bt cotton and releasing sterile adults into cotton fields. You can read about the International Pink Bollworm Eradication Program here. These methods require constant monitoring to assess their effectiveness.
This identification tool contains two interactive keys, one to adult pink bollworm and similar looking moths collected in Delta traps in the southwestern United States, and one to pink bollworm larvae and other lepidopteran larvae also found in cotton bolls. You can find tips for using interactive keys here.
Scope
Species included in the adult key were obtained from two sources. First we asked for a species list from individuals involved in PBW monitoring in Arizona and New Mexico, and second, we identified specimens from approximately 1000 Delta traps deployed in southern Arizona during the 2010 pink bollworm monitoring season. Therefore, only species found in pheromone traps within Arizona are included in this key. When using this key for other geographic areas or with other collection methods, please use caution in interpreting the results of the key. In particular, many other species may not key out at all, or may possess the same character suite as species in this key, resulting in a misidentification.
The adult key is designed to allow users to identify the pink bollworm and distinguish it from other adult moths collected in PBW pheromone traps. Characters (features) in the key include previous observations made by other workers and our own examination of moths found in the traps. Over twenty moth species are collected in the traps, but most species are much larger in size than the pink bollworm. The pink bollworm has a wingspan of approximately 1.25 cm, and a body length of approximately 0.5 cm. Only five other species collected in the traps are near this size. All other species are much larger. The interactive key to adults will allow you to identify the pink bollworm and distinguish it from the four other similarly-sized species collected in the traps. Since the sticky substance in the pheromone traps often obscures diagnostic characters this key contains a wide variety of traits.
Many of these traits will exclude all taxa except the PBW. However, we strongly encourage the user to find as many characters as can be seen in the specimen, rather than stopping with one unique character, because this will strengthen the support for a positive identification. This will reduce the possibility of misidentifying a PBW look-alike as the pink bollworm especially if new moths are encountered in the traps that were not obtained in the summer of 2010.
When a specimen is identified as a PBW, the surest way to confirm that ID is to dissect out the genitalia. The male genitalia of the PBW is distinctive and easy to distinguish from the genitalia of other moths found in the traps. If a female is found in the trap, it is most likely not a PBW because the traps are scented with female pheromones. However, there is a possibility that a female could land in the trap by chance, in which case genitalia dissections will not be of use and the user will need to rely on other characters.
We found one specimen that looks similar to Pyroderces rileyi but we could not identify it. Its genitalia are unique and coded in the key. However, it is a small specimen in poor condition. For this moth, use of genitalia is recommended for a positive identification.
The larval key is designed to allow users to distinguish pink bollworm moth larvae from other moth larvae found inside cotton bolls. This information is summarized from Heinrich (1921).
Molecular Identification
This tool also allows users to confirm the identity of the pink bollworm using molecular sequence data as we have submitted sequences from the barcoding region of COI for 7 pink bollworm specimens from Arizona, Texas and Israel to GenBank (accession numbers JF815075-JF815081). The 688 base pair sequence is also provided here.
Terminology
Primarily, only basic entomological terminology is used in the key. In cases where less common terms are used, definitions are provided in the glossary.
Images
Images used within the keys usually demonstrate key characters with lines or arrows indicating important features but do not always show that character on each taxon that possesses it. Images of moths on the fact sheets and on the entities pane of the key correspond to species found in the traps, except for Pyroderces rileyi, which was not found in the traps in 2010 but has been found in the traps in previous years (Ernie Miller, personal communication). Images of genitalia are figured with the posterior end pointing up, as is customary for illustrating slide-mounted Lepidoptera genitalia.
Many states in the keys have multiple images. Be sure to use the arrows in the upper left of the image pane to view all the associated images. When opening images in Lucid Player, sometimes the image appears compressed and distorted. Enlarging the window in which the image is being shown will fix this problem.
Copyright, Citation, and Disclaimers
