Classification

Pyraloidea: Pyralidae: Phycitinae: Cadra cautella (Walker)

Common name

almond moth, tropical warehouse moth

Synonyms

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

Larval diagnosis (Detailed)

The larvalarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
of almond moth, C. cautella, has been illustrated many times. Some examples are Hinton (1942, 1943), Ensminger (1958)Ensminger (1958):
Ensminger, L. G. 1958. Identification of stored product insects by the micromorphology of the exoskeleton. VIII. Moth larvae. Journal of the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists 41: 704-738., Aitken (1963)Aitken (1963):
Aitken, A. D. 1963. A key to the larvae of some species of Phycitinae (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) associated with stored products, and of some related species. Bulletin of Entomological Research 54: 175-188., Carter (1984)Carter (1984):
Carter, D. J. 1984. Pest Lepidoptera of Europe with special reference to the British Isles. Dr. W. Junk Publishers. Series Entomologica vol. 31. 431 pp., Weisman (1986, 1987), Neunzig (1987, 1990), Solis (1999, 2011) and Schnitzler et al. (2012)Schnitzler et al. (2012):
Schnitzler, F. R., J. W. Haw, L. Kumarasinghe and S. George. 2012. Identification Guide to Lepidoptera Larvae Intercepted on Trade Pathways. Bulletin of the Entomological Society of New Zealand 15. 105 pp.. Passoa (1985)Passoa (1985):
Passoa, S. 1985. Taxonomy of the larvae and pupae of economically important Pyralidae in Honduras. Master's Thesis. University of Florida. Gainesville. 486 pp. illustrated the larvalarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
in color. Keys to selected larval structures (mandible, antenna, etc.) of stored product pests, including C. cautella, are given by Gentry et al. (1991)Gentry et al. (1991):
Gentry, J. W., K. L. Harris and J. W. Gentry, Jr. 1991. Order Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). In Microanalytical Entomology for Food Sanitation Control. Association of Official Analytical Chemists. Melbourne, Florida. Volume 1: 255-299..

Typically, C. cautella has pigmented body pinaculapinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
, 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 1986Weisman 1986:
Weisman, D. M. 1986. Keys for the identification of some frequently intercepted lepidopterous larvae. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine series 81-47. 64 pp.). In addition, the coronal suture is absent because the adfrontal area does not reach the epicranial notchepicranial notch:
the V-shaped dorsomedial space delimited laterally by the cranial halves
(Weisman 1987Weisman 1987:
Weisman, D. M. 1987 (1991). Larval moths (Lepidoptera). In: J. R. Gorham (ed.). Insect and mite pests in food. An illustrated key. Volume 1. U. S. Department of Agriculture Handbook 655. 767 pp.). Other significant characters of C. cautella include: D1 and D2 on A1-7 in a horizontal line, mandible lacks an inner tooth (Passoa 1985Passoa 1985:
Passoa, S. 1985. Taxonomy of the larvae and pupae of economically important Pyralidae in Honduras. Master's Thesis. University of Florida. Gainesville. 486 pp.), and the spiracles of A6 and A7 approximately equal in size (Schnitzler et al. 2012Schnitzler et al. 2012:
Schnitzler, F. R., J. W. Haw, L. Kumarasinghe and S. George. 2012. Identification Guide to Lepidoptera Larvae Intercepted on Trade Pathways. Bulletin of the Entomological Society of New Zealand 15. 105 pp.). Weisman (1987)Weisman (1987):
Weisman, D. M. 1987 (1991). Larval moths (Lepidoptera). In: J. R. Gorham (ed.). Insect and mite pests in food. An illustrated key. Volume 1. U. S. Department of Agriculture Handbook 655. 767 pp. reported that SD2 is below the level of the SD1 pinaculumpinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
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 chaetotaxychaetotaxy:
the arrangement and nomenclature of setae; see setal map
of the SV group on A3-6 and A8 to help define C. cautella in his work.

Some keys (Weisman 1986Weisman 1986:
Weisman, D. M. 1986. Keys for the identification of some frequently intercepted lepidopterous larvae. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine series 81-47. 64 pp., Solis 2011Solis 2011:
Solis, M. A. 2011. Key to selected Pyraloidea (Lepidoptera) larvae intercepted at U. S. ports of entry: revision of Pyraloidea in "Keys to some frequently intercepted lepidopterous larvae" by Weisman 1986 (updated 2006).) 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: plateplate:
a larger sclerotized area of the body; = shield
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 1987Neunzig 1987:
Neunzig, H. H. 1987. Pyralidae (Pyraloidea), pp. 464-494. In F.W. Stehr (ed.). Immature Insects. Kendall Hunt Publishing Company. Dubuque, Iowa.).

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 larvalarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
is associated with stored products from a building or at least is from dried fruits, nuts or similar substrate. Larvaelarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
that resemble C. cautella from living plant tissue are best left at subfamily because this feeding habit is not typical.

Capps (1963)Capps (1963):
Capps, H. W. 1963. Notes on the order Lepidoptera. From lectures presented by Hahn W. Capps. U.S. Department of Agriculture training aid. Reproduced 1964. 29 pp. warned that larvaelarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
of Ribua can be confused with Ephestia; this would also apply to Cadra. Ribua are associated with fungi on various plant substrates (Neunzig 1990Neunzig 1990:
Neunzig, H. H. 1990. Pyraloidea, Pyralidae (part). In R. B. Dominick et al. (eds.). The moths of America north of Mexico. Fascicle 15.3. The Wedge Entomological Research Foundation. 165 pp.). They are intercepted on pineapple from Latin America, and unlike Cadra or Ephestia, the cuticle is dark and granulose with obvious tonofibrillary platelets (Capps 1963Capps 1963:
Capps, H. W. 1963. Notes on the order Lepidoptera. From lectures presented by Hahn W. Capps. U.S. Department of Agriculture training aid. Reproduced 1964. 29 pp.).

Hinton (1943: 192) studied the first instarinstar:
the stage between molts
of three Cadra and Ephestia. They could be recognized to subfamily, all have a sclerotizedsclerotized:
hardened and tanned, so that it is yellow to black in color
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 larvaelarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
of C. cautella may have some pink markings, but they do not form longitudinal stripes and they usually fade in preserved larvaelarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
(Aitken 1963Aitken 1963:
Aitken, A. D. 1963. A key to the larvae of some species of Phycitinae (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) associated with stored products, and of some related species. Bulletin of Entomological Research 54: 175-188.).

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.

Records on trees (birch, pine) and toxic plants (Hypericum) are especially suspect.