Plodia interpunctella

Identification of 9,12-tetradecadienyl (9,12-14) compounds began with studies on two cosmopolitan pests of stored products, the almond moth (Cadra cmtella, Pyralidae Phycitinae) and the Indian meal moth (Plodia interpunctella, Phycitinae) [38,39]. This 9,12-14 structure has been reported from another 13 Pyralidae (only in Phycitinae) species and 11 Noctuidae species (9 species in Amphipyrinae, and 1 species each in Hadeninae and Plusiinae). These two families, however, are not closely related. Most likely, the females classified in distant groups happened to produce the same chemical in the train of their perpetual evolution of modifying the original systems for pheromone biosynthesis. The 5,7-dodecadienyl (5,7-12) structure is a carbon skeleton common... 

Trichogramma evanescens Plodia interpunctella Ephestia spp. Host sex pheromone component [attraction, arrestment] (9Z, 12E) - Te tr ade ca- 9,12- dienyl acetate 28 [64]... 

Ramos-Rodriguez O, Campbell JF, Ramaswamy SB. Efficacy of the entomopathogenic nematode Steinemema riobrave against the stored-product insect pests Tribolium castaneum and Plodia interpunctella. Bio Cont. 2007 40 15-21. 

A number of moth species are found associated with food storage structures. Plodia interpunctella (Hiibner) (Indianmeal moth) is one of the most damaging stored-product moths for the food processing industry, retail stores,... 

Bell, C. and Savvidou, N. 1991. Tolerance of the diapausing stages of Plodia interpunctella and Ephestia cautella (Lepidoptera Pyralidae) to methyl bromide and its correlation with diapause... 

Doud, C.W. and Phillips, T.W. 2000. Activity of Plodia interpunctella (Lepidoptera Pyralidae) in and around flourmills. J. Econ. Entomol. 93, 1842-1847. 

Mankin, R.W., Arbogast, R.T., Kendra, P.E., and Weaver, D.K. 1999. Active spaces of pheromone traps for Plodia interpunctella (Lepidoptera Pyralidae) in enclosed environments. Environ. Entomol. 28, 557-565. 

Mankin, R.W., Vick, K.W., Coffelt, J.A., and Weaver, B.A. 1983. Pheromone-mediated flight by male Plodia interpunctella (Hubner) (Lepidoptera Pyralidae). Environ. Entomol. 12, 1218-1222. 

Mullen, M.A. and Dowdy, A.K. 2001. A pheromone-baited trap for monitoring the Indianmeal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hubner) (Lepidoptera Pyralidae). J. Stored Prod. Res. 37, 231-235. 

Nansen, C., Phillips, T.W., Parajulee, M.N., and Franqui, R.A. 2004. Comparison of direct and indirect sampling procedures for Plodia interpunctella in a maize storage facility. J. Stored Prod. Res. 40, 151-168. 

Vail, P., Tebbets, J.S., Cowan, D.C., and Jenner, K.E. 1991. Efficacy and persistence of a granulosis virus against infestations of Plodia interpunctella (Hubner) (Lepidoptera Pyralidae) on raisins. 

Hirashima A., Eiraku T., Watanabe Y., Kuwano E., Taniguchi E. and Eto M. (2001) Identification of novel inhibitors of calling and in vitro [C-14]acetate incorporation by pheromone glands of Plodia interpunctella. Pest Manag. Sci. 57, 713-720. 

Rafaeli A. and Gileadi C. (1995a) Factors affecting pheromone production in the stored product moth, Plodia interpunctella a preliminary study. J. Stored Prod. Res. 31, 243-247. 

Greenfield M. D. (1982) The question of parental investment in Lepidoptera male-contributed proteins in Plodia interpunctella. Int. J. Invert. Reprod. 5, 323-330. 

Both the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella, and the almond moth, Cadra cautella, utilize (, Ej-9,12-tetradecadienyl acetate as a primary sex pheromone (92, 93). In addition, (Z -9-tetradecen-l-ol has been identified as part of the sex pheromone of C. cautella (94). Significantly, attraction of almond moth males to their females is strongly inhibited in the presence of Indian meal moth females (95). These results emphasize the probable presence of secondary components in the sex pheromone blend that may play key roles in jamming the olfactory responses of closely-related and sympatric species. 

Indian meal moth (Plodia interpunctella) Bt var. kurstaki Bt var. aizawai... 

In addition to carboxylesterases, another hydrolyzing enzyme, proteinase, is also involved in resistance. Oppert et al. (1997) showed that two Bt-resistant strains of the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella, lack a major gut proteinase that activates Bt protoxins as compared with susceptible strains. The absence of this enzyme is genetically linked to larval susceptibility to the toxin. 

Aminopeptidases have also been identified from other insect species as Cryl binding protein. Aminopeptidase cDNAs have been cloned from M. sexta [124], Plutella xylostella [129], Plodia interpunctella [130,131], Helicoverpa punctigera [132], B. mori [133-135], Epiphyas postvittana [136], Trichoplusia ni [137], andX. dispar [138,139]. Based on homology analysis of aminopeptidases clones from these insects it appears tiiat lepidopteran insects each have at least four aminopeptidases with different affinities for Cryl A toxins (Figure 2). 

Animals. Manduca sexta larvae were reared on an agar-based diet (11) at 28 C and 60% relative humidity with a 16-h photophase. The Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella Hubner, and American cockroach, Periplaneta americana L., were taken from laboratory cultures. Dissection was performed under anesthesia by cooling to 5°C (12). 

While these results are encouraging, recent studies on the Indian mealmoth, Plodia interpunctella, and tobacco budworm, H. virescens, discussed below, have shown that under certain conditions the risk for resistance remains high. 

Potential for fir resistance. During the relatively short gap in time between discovery and commercialization of rDNA insecticides, researchers will hopefully have an opportunity to explore an important potential limitation to the use of Br-based insecticides-the development of resistance. In 1985, McGaughey reported evidence for the only documented case of Bt resistance in a field population of insects (291. The Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella, is a lepidopteran pest of stored grain that was successfully controlled with Bt variety kurstaki for several years. However, McGaughey s study showed that an observed decline in the efficacy of Bt was due to the development of resistance among treated Plodia populations. 

Parasitoids applied in the storage environment include Anisopteromalus calan-dreae, where two to three releases at nine-day intervals of the parasitoid at 10 x the density of the prey, Sitophilus oryzae were recommended (Smith, 1994). Choetospila elegans has also been applied against S. oryzae (Williams and Floyd, 1971), while Bracon hebetor and Trichogramma pretiosum (Brower and Press, 1990) have been used against Ephestia cautella and Plodia interpunctella, and Ventura canescens against only the former host. 

The development of the moths, Plodia interpunctella and Ephestia elutella at 11 humidities was the subject of a study by Imura (1981). Humidity had little effect on eggs laid, % hatch, or pupal mortality. Development of E. elutella from egg to adult varied from 37 days at 76% r.h. to 92 days at 33% r.h. P. interpunctella took 29 days at 76% r.h. and 71 days at 43% r.h. However, the crucial effect of r.h. was on the death of the developing moths, so that E. elutella failed to develop at 23% r.h., due to cumulative mortality of the stages, and P. interpunctella failed to complete development at 38% r.h. 

Kellen, W.R. and Hoffmann, D.F. (1987) Laboratory studies on the dissemination of a granulosis virus by healthy adults of the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Lepidoptera Pyralidae). Environmental Entomology 16, 1231-1234. 

Scholler, M. and Prozell, S. (1996) Response of Trichogramma evanescens to synthetic (Z, E)-9, 12-tetra-decadienyl acetate (TDA), a sex pheromone component of Ephestia kuehniella and Plodia interpunctella (Hymenoptera Trichogrammatidae - Lepidoptera Pyralidae). In Proceedings of the 20th International Congress on Entomology, p. 646, Florence, Italy. 

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