Environmental Entomology (1984) 13, 482-491

Ted D. Center (1984)
Dispersal and variation in infestation intensities of waterhyacinth moth, Sameodes albiguttalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), populations in peninsular Florida
Environmental Entomology 13 (2), 482-491
Abstract: Sameodes albiguttalis (Warren), a pyralid moth released in Florida for the biological control of waterhyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms, in 1977, established several populations mostly in south Florida, and by January 1979 these began to expand. Within 18 months S. albiguttalis could be found throughout the peninsular portion of the state. The most dramatic dispersal period occurred during midsummer 1979, when range extension averaged ca. 4 km x day^-1. After the dispersal phase, population intensities varied seasonally and geographically and were somewhat dependent upon the type of waterhyacinth plant present. Analysis of data to remove the effects of plant type indicated higher populations in the south during spring and summer than during winter and fall. The reverse was true in the north, and little seasonal variation occurred in the central part of the state. Established populations persisted throughout the state in spite of a very cold winter in the northern regions.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Database assignments for author(s): Ted D. Center

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
classical biocontrol/new introduction
population dynamics/epizootiology

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Pontederia crassipes (weed)		U.S.A. (SE)
Niphograpta albiguttalis (weed bioagent)	Pontederia crassipes (weed)		U.S.A. (SE)