Acrapex azumai Sugi (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) as a possible biological control agent of the invasive weed Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv. (Poaceae) in the United States

摘要

A field survey was conducted to seek potential biological control agents of Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv. (Poaceae), which was introduced from Japan and the Philippines into the southeastern USA, and became a highly serious weed there. Lepidopteranlarvae were discovered boring in the basal stems of I. cylindrica in Itoshima city, Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan in 2013. Adults reared from these larvae were identified as Acrapex azumai Sugi (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). This is the first host recordfor A. azumai. Sequencing of the COI (cytochrome oxidase I) gene revealed significant similarity to other Acrapex spp.， for which comparative sequence data is available. Acrapex azumai may have potential as a biological control agent of I. cylindrica inthe southeastern USA.