Banana moth

Opogona sacchari

1. Identification

• Common name: Banana moth
• Scientific name: Opogona sacchari Bojer
• Order: Lepidoptera
• Family: Tineidae

2. Pest description

• Cream to yellowish caterpillars, which feed on dead, wounded or decomposing tissues.
• Small adults, greyish-brown, with narrow wings.
• It attacks pseudostems, fruits and weakened tissues of the banana plant.
• A polyphagous species, also present in sugarcane and various tropical ornamentals.

3. Main hosts

• Banana plant
• Sugarcane.
• Tropical ornamentals (Dracaena spp., Cordyline spp., Yucca spp., Agave spp.).
• Various plants with dead or wounded tissues.

4. Symptoms and damage

• Perforations in pseudostems and fruits.
• Internal galleries with residues and excrement.
• Secondary rotting due to the entry of microorganisms.
• Severe damage in nurseries and ornamental greenhouses.
• Significant commercial losses in banana and ornamental plants.

5. Biological cycle

• Several generations per year in warm climates.
• Eggs laid in crevices, dead tissues or damaged fruits.
• Caterpillars develop inside the tissues, feeding on dead or weakened plant matter.
• Pupation in silky cocoons inside the plant or in debris.
• Adults active throughout the year in tropical and subtropical regions.

6. Monitoring

• Observation of perforations and galleries in pseudostems and fruits.
• Inspection of dead or wounded tissues.
• Light or pheromone traps (when available).
• Assessment of the percentage of affected plants in nurseries and plantations.

7. Management measures

• Cultural: removal of dead tissues, damaged fruits and plant remains; strict hygiene in nurseries and plantations.
• Preventive: avoid wounds in the pseudostems; good ventilation and humidity control in greenhouses.
• Biological: conservation of natural enemies and use of pheromones for monitoring.
• Integrated protection: interventions only when justified and judicious application of authorised insecticides.

Bibliographic references

• EPPO Global Database – Opogona sacchari.
• CABI Invasive Species Compendium – Opogona sacchari.
• Robinson, G. S. (1986). The Tineid Moths of the World. British Museum (Natural History).
• Zimmerman, E. C. (1978). Insects of Hawaii, Vol. 9: Microlepidoptera. University of Hawaii Press.
• Sarto i Monteys, V., & Aguilar, L. (2005). Biology and spread of Opogona sacchari in Europe. Journal of Applied Entomology, 129, 1–5.
• Duyck, P. F., et al. (2012). Invasive Lepidoptera in tropical crops: case study of Opogona sacchari. Crop Protection, 42, 1–6.
• Nadel, H., et al. (2010). Pest status and management of Opogona sacchari in ornamental plants. Phytoparasitica, 38, 245–256.