Cotonou, Benin – The identity of a mysterious plague of caterpillars and moths that are devastating crops and contaminating water supply in northern Liberia has been established through joint efforts by the FAO, IITA and CABI.
The mystery insect has been identified as Achaea catocaloides by Georg Goergen, IITA entomologist and taxonomist. He explains, “The moth plague in Liberia is not African armyworms, or Spodoptera exempta, as earlier reported in the media, but belongs to the species A. catocaloides. Although Spodoptera and Achaea moths are related, their feeding and breeding habits are quite different. For example, caterpillars of armyworms generally don’t attack trees as larvae of A. catocaloidesdo.” His finding was based from vital information provided by the FAO and CABI from the outbreak sites.
On Tuesday, 3 February, Liberian Minister of Agriculture Chris Toe confirmed Goergen’s finding in a press conference in Monrovia, announcing that “the caterpillars infesting villages, destroying crops and threatening food security of an estimated 350,000 people are of the A. catocaloides species”. The name is now commonly used in Liberia to refer to the insect.
Achaea catocaloides is a member of Lepidoptera group known as fruit-sucking moths. The adults pierce the ripening fruit and suck the juice. Rot-causing organisms then enter through these feeding punctures and cause early fruit drop.
“Without proper identification, the FAO and the Liberian government would have engaged in a huge effort fighting the wrong insect,” emphasizes Manuele Tamò, IITA entomologist.
Eric Boa, Head of the Global Plant Clinic at CABI, adds, “Correct taxonomic identification of this insect is crucial for managing this worrying problem. Now efforts can be focused in the right direction.”
According to Goergen, the larvae, or caterpillars, of A. catocaloides are primarily forest insects that feed on trees. However, populations can develop in large numbers and attack agricultural crops, especially in the absence or inefficiency of natural enemies brought about by climatic disturbances, such as the sudden interruption in rains, thereby leading to outbreaks of the moth.
(Banner image shows moth of A. catocaloides. Photo courtesy of the Royal Museum for Central Africa, Belgium)
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For more information, please contact:
Dr Georg Goergen, g.goergen@cgiar.org
Entomologist
Dr Manuele Tamò, m.tamo@cgiar.org
Entomologist
IITA – Benin
BP 08 0932
Cotonou, Republic of Benin
Jeffrey T. Oliver, o.jeffrey@cgiar.org
Corporate Communications Officer (International)
Godwin Atser, g.atser@cgiar.org
Corporate Communications Officer (West Africa)
Communication Office
IITA – Headquarters
Ibadan, Nigeria
About IITA
Africa has complex problems that plague agriculture and people’s lives. We develop agricultural solutions with our partners to tackle hunger and poverty. Our award winning research for development (R4D) is based on focused, authoritative thinking anchored on the development needs of sub-Saharan Africa. We work with partners in Africa and beyond to reduce producer and consumer risks, enhance crop quality and productivity, and generate wealth from agriculture. IITA is an international non-profit R4D organization since 1967, governed by a Board of Trustees, and supported primarily by the CGIAR.
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