Conopomorpha cramerella

Conopomorpha cramerella, the cocoa pod borer, is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from Saudi Arabia, China, India (West Bengal, Andaman Islands), Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia (Sumatra, Sulawesi, Papua, Papua Barat, Java, Kalimantan, Moluccas), Malaysia (Peninsula, Sarawak, Sabah), Vietnam, Australia, New Britain, the Philippines, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Vanuatu.[2]

Cocoa pod borer
Adult specimen, emerged from larva collected on rambutan
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Gracillariidae
Genus: Conopomorpha
Species:
C. cramerella
Binomial name
Conopomorpha cramerella
(Snellen, 1904)[1]
Synonyms
  • Gracilaria cramerella Snellen, 1904

The larvae feed on Cynometra cauliflora, Swietenia species, Dimocarpus longan, Litchi chinensis, Nephelium lappaceum, Nephelium litchi, Nephelium malainse, Nephelium mutabile, Pometia species (including Pometia pinnata), Cola species and Theobroma cacao. The larvae tunnel into the center of the fruit, where they feed on the seeds for about two to three weeks. They chew their way out of the fruit to pupate.[3]

The economic impact of this pest on cacao-dependent economies is enormous.[4]

References
  1. Australian Faunal Directory
  2. Global Taxonomic Database of Gracillariidae (Lepidoptera)
  3. Australian Insects
  4. Conopomorpha cramerella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) in the Malay Archipelago: Genetic Signature of a Bottlenecked Population?


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