Guatemalan Potato Tuber Moth

Tecia solanivora

1. Identification

• Common name: Guatemalan potato tuber moth
• Scientific name: Tecia solanivora Povolný
• Order: Lepidoptera
• Family: Gelechiidae

2. Pest description

• Whitish to pinkish caterpillars, reaching 12–15 mm, developing exclusively inside the tubers.
• Small, brownish adults, with narrow, fringed wings; wingspan of 12–16 mm.
• Highly destructive species, attacking only the potato, both in the field and in storage.
• Severe damage due to internal feeding and rapid multiplication under favourable conditions.

3. Main hosts

• Potato.
• No significant alternative hosts are known.

4. Symptoms and damage

• Entry holes in the tubers, generally barely visible externally.
• Extensive internal galleries, filled with dark excrement and destroyed tissue.
• Hollow tubers, with an unpleasant odour and high susceptibility to secondary rots.
• Very high losses in storage due to rapid spread.

5. Biological cycle

• Eggs laid on the soil surface, the base of plants or directly on exposed tubers.
• Caterpillars quickly penetrate the tubers, where they complete their entire development.
• Pupation in the soil, in plant debris or inside storage facilities.
• Adults emerge throughout spring and summer; several generations per year, accelerated by high temperatures.

6. Monitoring

• Observation of entry holes and internal galleries in harvested tubers.
• Sampling of tubers in the field and in storage for early detection.
• Pheromone traps for the detection of adults and tracking of flight peaks.
• Reinforced monitoring in areas with a history of the pest or risk of introduction.

7. Management measures

• Cultural: timely harvesting; avoiding exposure of tubers at the surface; destruction of crop debris.
• Preventive: use of certified seed; rigorous sanitation of storage facilities; control of temperature and ventilation.
• Biological: use of pheromones for monitoring and, where applicable, mating disruption techniques.
• Integrated protection: judicious use of authorised insecticides in the soil or on the crop; integration with hygiene measures and safe storage.

Bibliographic references

• CABI – Invasive Species Compendium – Tecia solanivora.
• EPPO Global Database – Tecia solanivora.
• Alford, D. V. (2007). Pest and Disease Management Handbook. Blackwell Publishing.
• Dangles, O. et al. (2008). Ecology and management of the Guatemalan potato moth. Journal of Applied Entomology, 132, 1–10.
• Sporleder, M. et al. (2004). Temperature‑dependent development of Tecia solanivora. Environmental Entomology, 33, 1–8.