Preferencia de oviposición en tres especies de polilla de la papa (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae).

Abstract

Insect pests are a major cause of losses in crops and storage globally. In the Tropical Andes, the potato tuber moth (PTM) complex (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is composed of three main species: Tecia solanivora, Symmetrischema tangolias and Pthhorimaea operculella.

This complex is a major pest of potato crops and stores in several countries of the Andean region. It has been shown that interactions between larvae of the three species have a significant effect on the population dynamics of the PTM complex and damage to crops. However, patterns of inter- specific interactions during other phases of the life cycle of these species are unknown. This study analyzed the oviposition preference of females of the CPP by conducting two experiments in which females of the CPP had to choose the oviposition site. Females of three PTM complex species showed oviposition preference for artificially damaged tubers over the healthy ones because the damaged tubers may have better conditions for the development of the offspring. When females of the PTM complex had to choose laying eggs between healthy tubers and previously infested ones showed different behaviors, we found that T. solanivora have not preferred sites for oviposition while S. tangolias and P. operculella have preferred oviposition sites.