Vitacea polistiformis

Vitacea polistiformis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sesiidae
Genus: Vitacea
Species: V. polistiformis
Binomial name
Vitacea polistiformis
(Harris, 1854)[1]
Synonyms
  • Aegeria polistiformis Harris, 1854
  • Trichilium polistiformis Fitch, 1856
  • Sciapteron seminole Neumoegen, 1894
  • Vitacea polistiformis f. huron Engelhardt, 1946

Vitacea polistiformis, the grape root borer, is a moth of the Sesiidae family. It is found throughout the midwest of the United States, south to Florida and Texas.[2] It is the most serious threat to grapes in Florida.

Adults are brown with thin yellow bands on the abdomen and resemble paper wasps. The front wings are brown while hind wings are transparent.

The larvae feed on grape species. The eggs hatch on the soil surface and the larvae tunnels into the root system of their host plant. The damage causes reduces vine growth, smaller leaves and reduced berry size.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Checklist of the Sesiidae of the World
  2. ↑ Bug Guide
  3. ↑ Insect Pests of Grapes
Wikispecies has information related to: Vitacea polistiformis
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vitacea polistiformis.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/24/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.