''Diaphania nitidalis'', the pickleworm, is a serious agricultural pest insect in the family

Crambidae Crambidae comprises the grass moth family of lepidopterans. They are variable in appearance, with the nominal subfamily Crambinae (grass moths) taking up closely folded postures on grass stems where they are inconspicuous, while other subfamilies ...

. It damages

squash Squash most often refers to: * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (plant), the fruit of vines of the genus ''Cucurbita'' Squash may also refer to: Sports * Squash (professional wrestling), an extr ...

primarily, but it is also a common pest of other

cucurbits The Cucurbitaceae (), also called cucurbits or the gourd family, are a plant family consisting of about 965 species in 101 genera.

such as

cucumber The cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant in the family Cucurbitaceae that bears cylindrical to spherical fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.melon A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. It can also specifically refer to ''Cucumis melo'', commonly known as the "true melon" or simply "melon". The term "melon" can apply to both the p ...

s. It is a tropical species which can be found in the southern United States. In the southern United States, earlier plants are less affected compared to later plantings. It does not tolerate cold temperatures. The species was first described by

Caspar Stoll Caspar Stoll (Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, Hesse-Kassel, probably between 1725 and 1730 – Amsterdam, December 1791) was a naturalist and Entomology, entomologist, best known for the completion of ''De Uitlandsche Kapellen'', a work on butterfl ...

in 1781. The pickleworm adult is a flashy moth with wide triangular wings and a wingspan of about one inch. The wings are mostly iridescent brown with a central band of yellow and thin white borders. The legs are white. The abdomen is mostly brown except for the tail segment, which is white and has a large fluffy tuft. Adults are not active during daylight hours and eggs are laid only at night. It lays tiny eggs in small clusters on growing areas of the plant, such as flowers, shoots, and new leaf buds. These areas are the feeding spots for the larvae, which emerge after a few days and eat voraciously for two weeks. The younger larvae are thin white caterpillars with numerous small black spots. As the larvae mature they become plump and darker in color and they lose their spots. The larvae tuck themselves into crumpled dead leaves to

pupa A pupa (; : pupae) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their life cycle, the stages th ...

te for 8 to 10 days. The life cycle varies by environmental conditions ranging from 22 to 55 days. In warm areas the pickleworm can produce four generations per year.

Infestation and impacts

Pickleworm damage on cucurbit crops is evidenced by the lack of flowers and new leaves and shoots, as these are the first parts of the plant to be consumed. The larvae also eat the fruit, burrowing down into the flesh and leaving a hole marked with a pile of white

frass Frass refers loosely to the more or less solid excreta of insects, and to certain other related matter. Definition and etymology ''Frass'' is an informal term and accordingly it is variously used and variously defined. It is derived from the ...

. Squash varieties that showed some resistance to pickleworms include the varieties butternut, Golden Hubbard, and Improved Green Hubbard.

Summer squash Summer squash are squashes that are harvested when immature, while the rind is still tender and edible. Most summer squashes are varieties of ''Cucurbita pepo'', though some are '' C. moschata''. Most summer squash have a bushy growth habit, un ...

varieties tend to be susceptible to pickleworm damage.

Gallery

File:Diaphania nitidalis damage.jpg File:Diaphania nitidalis damage1.jpg File:Diaphania nitidalis (6986668842).jpg

References

External links

pickleworm
on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site * Cranshaw, Whitney. (2004). ''Garden Insects of North America''. Princeton University Press {{Taxonbar, from=Q5271754 Diaphania Agricultural pest insects Moths described in 1781