Temperature as the main driver of Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) moth abundance

The occurrence and abundance of E. lignosellus were documented in the Florida Panhandle, a transition climate zone, which weather change rapidly daily. This species is an economic pest of peanut in the southeastern United States, and its occurrence and abundance have been associated with warm and dry conditions. A year-round sex pheromone trapping was conducted using Trécé delta trap in a dryland area at the Jay Research Facility, West Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Jay, FL. The trap was examined every two weeks, and sex pheromone lures (Alpha Scents, Inc.; West Linn, OR) were replaced monthly. Our results indicated that E. lignosellus was present from April to December in the region, with a similar number of moths captured in July and August. Moths were also caught from January to March, but only in one year. The association between the number of insects captured and weather using a generalized additive model was estimated. Our model indicated that 64% of the deviance was explained by temperature and relative humidity. The temperature increased the number of moths collected with a lesser effect from relative humidity. Our results indicate a region-specific pattern in the Florida Panhandle for E. lignosellus abundance, where we found moths present from April to December with peaks in warm and high humidity conditions. These results support that region-specific weather information are relevant when trapping this species occurrence in IPM programs.