Tuta absoluta

Tuta absoluta is a species of moth in family Gelechiidae known by the common names tomato leafminer, tomato pinworm and South American tomato moth. It is well known as a serious pest of tomato crops in Europe, Africa, western Asia and South and Central America. T. absoluta was originally described in 1917 by Meyrick as Phthorimaea absoluta, based on individuals collected from Huancayo (Peru). Later, the pest was reported as Gnorimoschema absoluta, Scrobipalpula absoluta (Povolny), or Scrobipalpuloides absoluta (Povolny), but was finally described under the genus Tuta as T. absoluta by Povolny in 1994. Its life-cycle comprises four development stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Adults usually lay eggs on the underside of leaves or stems, and to a lesser extent on fruits. After hatching, young larvae penetrate leaves, aerial fruits (like tomato) or stems, on which they feed and develop.Pupae (length: 5–6 mm) are cylindrical in shape and greenish when just formed becoming darker in colour as they are near adult emergence. Adults are 6–7 mm in length and present filiform antennae and silver to grey scales . Black spots are present on anterior wings, and the females are wider and more voluminous than the males. The pest mainly presents nocturnal habits, and adults usually remain hidden during the day, showing greater morning-crepuscular activity with adults dispersing among crops by flying. Among a range of species within the Solanaceae, tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Miller) appear to be the primary host of T. absoluta. The larva feeds voraciously upon tomato plants, producing large galleries in leaves, burrowing in stalks, and consuming apical buds and green and ripe fruits. It is capable of causing a yield loss of 100%. Tomato is the main host plant, but T. absoluta also attacks other crop plants of the nightshade family, including potato, eggplant, pepino, pepper and tobacco. It is known from many solanaceous weeds, including Datura stramonium, Lycium chilense, and Solanum nigrum.