Schreckensteinia festaliella (Lepidoptera: Heliodinidae)

Alien (biocontrol agent)

Larva - I have no larval picture. The larva is small (last instar 5mm long) and green with dorsal setae. The pupa is also green and surrounded by a green network cocoon (somewhat visible below the moth in the picture below).

Adult

The adult has metallic forewings.

The larva skeletonizes leaves. It was introduced to Kaua`i for control of alien Rubus in 1963 from Santa Barbara, California, and established in Koke`e by 1964 (Zimmerman, 1978: Insects of Hawaii, vol. 9: Microlepidoptera).

Host plants recorded from the Alaka`i Swamp:

• Rubus argutus* (Rosaceae) Blackberry; Alien

This is one of two biocontrol agents on Rubus argutus that I collected (in addition a sawfly, much less common, was also introduced for this purpose). I did not have any of the native Hawaiian Rubus hawaiensis on my plots, although it does occur in the vicinity of Koke`e State Park. According to the Nature Conservancy, the biocontrol agents introduced against alien Rubus also attack R. hawaiensis as well.

Development time in the laboratory at 20°C:

• Larva: 1 month
• Pupa: 2 weeks

Larval parasitoids recorded from the Alaka`i Swamp:

A biocontrol agent is probably most effective and desirable when not attacked by any parasites or predators, and is a specialist. At least the no-parasites condition apparently holds true in the case of S. festaliella and the other Rubus biocontrol agent, Croesia zimmermani.