Persistent populations of males of the African armyworm, Spodoptera exempta (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), in Malawi

Abstract

AbstractRegular catches of males of Spodoptera exempta (Walker) were made in 41 pheromone disc traps scattered throughout Malawi in 1978–82. Each trap had a vial, replaced monthly, containing 2 mg of a 13·3:1 mixture of two sex-pheromone components of the female. Over the five-year period, males were caught every month at a majority of sites throughout the country, suggesting that they came from populations resident in Malawi. Sites at which moths were regularly caught had areas with green grass throughout the year which could have sustained larvae within their vicinity. A few sites at which moths were caught only occasionally had very dry immediate surroundings in the dry season, and it is suggested that moths caught at these sites are primarily migrants from either within or outside Malawi. There was no obvious relationship between site elevation, monthly rainfall and monthly moth catches or whether moths were caught persistently or irregularly. The results strongly suggest that some of the moths captured throughout the year in Malawi developed locally while some originate in other countries such as Mozambique.