Abstract
Rhizedra lutosa (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), native to Europe, was first found in North America in 1988 in southern New Jersey. The insect is reported to cause serious damage toPhragmites australis in the Netherlands, but it now appears to be relatively unimportant throughout central Europe. We are investigating this insect as part of an effort to characterize existing natural enemies ofP. australis in North America toward a goal of biological control of this invasive plant. We trapped adults ofR. lutosa with blacklights in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Delaware, and Maryland; we also found it in Ohio and Pennsylvania.R. lutosa larvae feed in stems and rhizomes ofP. australis growing in dry sites. Based uponR. lutosa damage surveys andP. australis biomass measurements, we have determined that this insect does cause a reduction of plant growth in some sites, however, because of low moth densities, this effect is small. Despite spreading rapidly,R. lutosa densities do not appear to be increasing at sites we have investigated, and this insect does not currently appear to have much of an impact uponP. australis in North America.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature Cited
Balme, G. 2000. Insects onPhragmites australis. Master's Thesis, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island.
Bretherton, R. F., B. Goater, andR. I. Lorimer. 1983. Noctuidae, p. 260–261.In J. Heath and A. M. Emmet (eds.), The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland, Volume 10. Harley Books, Colchester, U.K.
Häfliger, P., M. Schwarzländer, F. Lawlor, C. Kirkpatric, C. Lucas, andM. Grossrieder. 2000. Evaluating the Potential for Biological Control ofPhragmites australis. Annual report. CABI Bioscience Centre Switzerland, Delémont, Switzerland.
Jefferies, M. J. andJ. H. Lawton. 1984. Enemy free space and the structure of ecological communities.Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 23:269–286.
Maron, J. L., S. Harrison, andM. Greaes. 2001. Origin of an insect outbreak: Escape in space or time from natural enemies?Oecologia 126:595–602.
McCabe, T. L. andD. F. Schweitzer. 1991.Rhizedra lutosa (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) newly introduced to North America.Entomological News 102:130–132.
Mikkola, K. andJ. D. Lafontaine. 1994. Recent introductions of riparian noctuid moths from the Palaerctic region to North America, with the first report ofApamea unanimis (Huebner) (Noctuidae: Amphipyrinae).Journal of the Lepidoptera Society 48:121–127.
Schwarzländer, M. andP. Häfliger. 1998. Evaluating the Potential for Biological Control ofPhragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steudel. Annual report. CABI Bioscience Centre Switzerland, Delémont, Switzerland.
Schwarzländer, M. andP. Häfliger. 1999. Evaluating the Potential for Biological Control ofPhragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steudel. Annual report. CABI Bioscience Centre Switzerland, Delémont, Switzerland.
Tewksbury, L., R. Casagrande, B. Blossey, P. Häfliger, andM. Schwarzländer. 2002. Potential for Biological Control ofPhragmites australis in North America.Biological Control 23:191–212.
van der Toorn, J. andJ. H. Mook. 1982. The influence of environmental factors and management on stands ofPhragmites australis. I. Effects of burning, frost and insect damage on shoot density and shoot size.Journal of Applied Ecology 19: 477–499.
Source of Unpublished Materials
Husband, T. Personal Communication. Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island 02881.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Casagrande, R.A., Balme, G. & Blossey, B. Rhizedra lutosa, a natural enemy ofPhragmites australis in North America. Estuaries 26, 602–606 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02823735
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02823735