Small tomato borer

Neoleucinodes elegantalis

1. Identification

• Common name: Small tomato borer
• Scientific name: Neoleucinodes elegantalis Guenée
• Order: Lepidoptera
• Family: Crambidae

2. Pest description

• Adults: Small moths (≈ 18–22 mm wingspan); whitish forewings with brown patterns; pale hindwings with a dark margin.
• Larvae: Whitish to pinkish caterpillars, with a brown head; up to 12–15 mm long; develop inside the fruits.
• Eggs: Isolated or in small groups, laid on the surface of the fruits or calyx.

3. Main hosts

• Tomato.
• Eggplant.
• Pepper and chilli.
• Other cultivated and spontaneous Solanaceae.

4. Symptoms and damage

• Holes in the fruit, usually close to the calyx.
• Internal galleries with dark excrement.
• Secondary rotting due to the entry of pathogens.
• Premature fruit drop.
• Significant loss of commercial quality.

5. Biological cycle

• Winter spent as a pupa in the soil or in crop residues.
• Adults emerge in spring and summer.
• Females lay eggs directly on the young fruits.
• Caterpillars quickly penetrate the fruit, where they complete their development.
• Pupation in the soil or in protected structures.
• 3 to 6 generations per year, depending on climatic conditions.

6. Monitoring

• Observation of recent holes in the fruits.
• Opening of suspect fruits to detect caterpillars and galleries.
• Pheromone traps to detect and track flights.
• Assessment of losses in the field and post-harvest.

7. Management measures

• Cultural: Removal and destruction of infested fruits; elimination of crop residues; use of insect-proof nets; choice of less susceptible varieties.
• Biological: Conservation of natural parasitoids (e.g.: Trichogramma spp.); use of selective biological agents.
• Integrated protection: Intervention based on pheromone monitoring; synchronisation of treatments with the start of larval hatching; preference for selective products compatible with beneficials.

Bibliographic references

• EPPO Global Database – Neoleucinodes elegantalis.
• CABI Invasive Species Compendium – Neoleucinodes elegantalis.
• Díaz, A. E. et al. (2016). Biology and management of Neoleucinodes elegantalis.
• Souza, J. C. et al. (2008). Tomato fruit borer in Solanaceae.