Pyroderces badia (Hodges, 1962)

Sathrobrota badia Hodges, 1962

Anatrachyntis badia (Hodges, 1962): Zimmerman, 1978

Pyroderces badia was described by R. Hodges (1962) from a specimen from the J. K. Small collection at the USNM.

Description. Egg. Very small size; completely silvery white and changing to snowy white before hatching. Larva. First instar is dark-pink, head and last abdominal segment dark-brown, thorax black with silver band in pronotum; Second to fifth instars similar to first, except color soft pink and length 5.8–8.9 mm (Fig. 1I). Pre-pupa. Similar in size and color to that of last instar but wider and paler. Pupa. Elongate, similar size to last larval instar. Adult. Sexually dimorphic, female larger and darker than male. Wing expanse: males 3.4–4.7 mm, females 4.9–5.8 mm. Wings. Dorsal surface: Forewings pale-brown with a series of transverse markings of different color shades ranging from dark-brown to white occasionally overlain with golden-brown or dark-gray scales. Hindwings dark-brown with overlaid with dark-gray or white scales. Ventral surface: Both wings dark-brown with overlaid with dark-gray or white scales. Head. Antennae: Filiform; nearly ¾ length of the body. Vertex: Brown. Mouthparts: Labial palpi with second and third segment longer than first; lines with different shades present. Body. Thorax and abdomen: Generally reddish-brown but sometimes pale-brown or brown blended with gray and dark-brown. Legs: Similar to labial palps in coloration (Fig. 2E).

Distribution. Pyroderces badia is found in the USA, mainly in Florida, but has also been reported in Louisiana, Washington, California, Maryland and Hawaii (Hodges, 1978; Adamski et al. 2006; Bella and Mazzeo 2006). It has also been observed in Costa Rica (Quesada-Jiménez 2013), Cuba (Alonso et al. 2015), Barbados (Bennett and Alam, 1985) and Honduras (Miller et al. 2012). Additionally, P. badia has been recorded in nine European countries: France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the UK (Koster and Sammut 2006; Seguna and Sammut 2007; Huemer and Wieser 2010; Corley et al. 2012; Davis 2012). It was also reported in Australia by Herbison-Evans and Crossley (2014).

Hosts. Cocos nucifera L. (Arecaceae); Brassica oleracea L. (Brassicaceae); Ananas comosus (L.) Merr (Bromeliaceae); Cycas revoluta Thunb. and Cycas circinalis L. (Cycadaceae); Cassia occidentalis L. (Fabaceae); Punica granatum L. (Lythraceae); Musa ssp. (Musaceae); Pinus elliottii Engelm., P. palustris Mill., P. pinaster Aiton (Pinaceae); Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench (Poaceae); Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl., Prunus persica (L.) Bastch (Rosaceae); Citrus spp. (L.) Swingle (Rutaceae); Ulmus spp. (Ulmaceae); Vitis vinifera L. (Vitaceae) (Hodges 1962 1978; Heckford and Sterling 2004; White et al. 2005; Adamski et al. 2006; Bella and Mazzeo 2006; Navarro-Campos et al. 2010; Herbison-Evans and Crossley 2014; Quesada-Jiménez 2013). Manilkara sapota (L.) van Royen, new host record and first record on Sapotaceae.

Natural history. The adults are polyphagous, and feed on many species, but almost all the resources that they consume are organic remains (dead flowers). Therefore, they are not a problem to most of their hosts, but sometimes they feed on some of the healthy flowers close to the dead ones. They were observed eating both healthy and dry flowers of M. zapota.

The adults are usually active at night or in the twilight in Florida during summer (June-September). The females lay eggs inside dry or healthy flowers. When the larvae hatch, they start to feed on the organic remains inside the flower. The larval stage lasts about 18–21 days, but if the inserted larvae do not have enough resources, they may enter diapause. Pupation occurs inside the flower usually in a rolled sepal. The pupal stage has a duration of 23–29 days.

Damage. The flowers infected by P. badia do not show external damage but turn yellowish brown until desiccated.

Management. We observed an unidentified parasitoid (Braconidae) on P. badia. The use of Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner, 1915 as a biological control agent has also been reported successfully (Quesada- Jiménez 2013). Chemical control has not been investigated.