''Coscinoptycha improbana'', the Australian guava moth, is a

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

of the family

Carposinidae Carposinidae, the "fruitworm moths", is a family of insects in the order Lepidoptera. These moths are narrower winged than Copromorphidae, with less rounded forewing tips. Males often have conspicuous patches of scales on either surface (Dugdal ...

and only member of the genus ''Coscinoptycha''. This species is native to Australia but is invasive to New Zealand since 1999 and New Caledonia since 2012. The larvae of this species have been recorded as feeding on a wide variety of fruits and nuts including agricultural crops such as citrus, plums, pears, peaches, feijoa and guava. As such this species is regarded as an agricultural pest. However using a pheromone dispenser armed with the synthesised sex pheromone of the asian peach moth can confuse ''C. improbana'' males and disrupt the breeding of this pest species.

Taxonomy

This species was first described by

Edward Meyrick Edward Meyrick (25 November 1854 – 31 March 1938) was an English schoolmaster and amateur entomologist. He was an expert on microlepidoptera and some consider him one of the founders of modern microlepidoptera systematics. Life and work Ed ...

in 1881. The

syntype In biological nomenclature, a syntype is any one of two or more biological types that is listed in a description of a taxon where no holotype was designated. Precise definitions of this and related terms for types have been established as part o ...

of this species is held at the

Natural History Museum, London The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum (Lo ...

Description

Meyrick described this species as follows:

Distribution

It is native to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, where it is found from Eungella in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

down through

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

and

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

. It also occurs on

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island ( , ; ) is an States and territories of Australia, external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head, New South Wales, Evans Head and a ...

, in

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

since 2012 and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

since 199.Mille C., Munzinger Jérôme, Jourdan Hervé. First record of the Australian guava moth Coscinoptycha improbana Meyrick (Lepidoptera : Carposinidae) in New Caledonia : implication for quarantine and biosecurity surveys in insular territories
Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology, 2012, 15 (2), p. 283-285. In New Zealand it has been observed in the Northland, Auckland and Waikato regions.

Behaviour

Adults are on wing year-round.

Hosts

The larvae have been recorded feeding on a wide variety of nuts and fruits including ''

Psidium ''Psidium'' is a genus of trees and shrubs in the family Myrtaceae. It is native to warmer parts of the Western Hemisphere (Mexico, Central and South America, the West Indies the Galápagos islands). Many of the species bear edible fruits, and ...

'' species (including ''

Psidium guajava ''Psidium guajava'', the common guava, yellow guava, lemon guava, or apple guava is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to the Caribbean, Central America and South America. It is easily pollinator, pollinated by insects; when cultivated, it ...

''), ''

Feijoa sellowiana ''Feijoa sellowiana'' also known as ''Acca sellowiana'' (O.Berg) Burret, is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. It is native mainly to the highlands of Colombia, southern Brazil and the hills of northeast Uruguay, but i ...

'', ''

Macadamia integrifolia ''Macadamia integrifolia'' is a small to medium-sized tree native to Australian rainforests. Common names include macadamia, smooth-shelled macadamia, bush nut, Queensland nut, Bauple nut and nut oak. Description ''Macadamia integrifolia'' tree ...

'', '' Eriobotyra japonica'', ''

Prunus domestica ''Prunus domestica'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae. A deciduous tree, it includes many varieties of the fruit trees known as plums in English, though not all plums belong to this species. The greengages and damsons als ...

'', '' Prunus persicae'', ''

Pyrus pyrifolia ''Pyrus pyrifolia'' is a species of pear tree native to southern China and northern Indochina that has been introduced to Korea, Japan and other parts of the world. The tree's edible fruit is known by many names, including Asian pear, Persian pea ...

'', ''

Citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is nativ ...

'' species (including ''

Citrus unshiu ''Citrus unshiu'' is a semi-seedless and easy-peeling citrus species, also known as the satsuma mandarin or Japanese mandarin. During the Edo period of Japan, kishu mikans were more popular because there was a popular superstition that eating ' ...

'' and ''

Citrus limon ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is native ...

''), ''

Cassine australis ''Elaeodendron australe'', commonly known as red olive-berry, red-fruited olive plum, or blush boxwood, is a species of flowering plant in the family Celastraceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a shrub or small tree with egg-shaped t ...

'' and ''

Schizomeria ovata ''Schizomeria ovata'', a medium to large Australian rainforest tree, is widespread in warm-temperate rainforest in coastal New South Wales north from Narooma (36° S) and southern Queensland south from Fraser Island (25° S). It is also found in ...

'' with the larvae eating into the flesh of fruits and nuts.

Interactions with humans

As the larvae of this moth causes damage to corps it is therefore regarded as being an agricultural pest. In New Zealand this species is considered a serious problem for those farmers in Northland growing macadamias and feijoas. It has been shown that by using an pheromone dispenser armed with the synthesised sex pheromone of the asian peach moth ('' Carposina sasakii''), this can confuse ''C. improbana'' males and disrupt the breeding of this species.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5173863 Carposinidae Moths of New Zealand Moths of Australia Moths described in 1881 Taxa named by Edward Meyrick