Prophantis smaragdina (Butler)

Bustillo, Alex, 2015, Part II. Pests, Compendium of Coffee Diseases and Pests, United States of America: The American Phytopathological Society, pp. 45-60 : 54

The adult Prophantis smaragdina (Butler) ( Lepidoptera : Pyralidae )

lays eggs singly, usually on green berries. The eggs are flat, translucent, very small, and difficult to see with the naked eye. Larvae emerge 7 days after the eggs are laid. They are reddish and start feeding on flowers and small berries. When the berries are larger, P. smaragdina feeds on one berry and then goes to the next one. The whole cluster of berries is webbed together with silk. The attacked berries turn brown. The larva feeds inside the berry for about 14 days until completion of the larval development. To pupate, the larva leaves the berry at night and drops to the ground, covering its body with debris found in the soil. The pupal stage lasts 7-42 days, depending on the level of soil moisture. The stage is shorter with high moisture levels. The adult moth is nocturnal and golden brown. Moths are mostly found on the lower side of the lower branches.

Damage

P. smaragdina has recently become a serious pest of coffee in eastern Africa, causing up to 25% of the crop losses. Losses are caused by the damage to the coffee berries, and this damage also facilitates attack by the coffee berry disease fungus.

Population Management

Management is complicated because the eggs and small larvae are difficult to see and the larvae enter the berries very quickly. Once the berry cluster is webbed, insecticide sprays will not penetrate the cluster. In heavy infestations, cultural control is recommended by stripping off the infested berry clusters by hand. This material should be placed in holes in the ground and covered with a fine mesh to prevent the adult moths from escaping and to allow the adult parasitoids to go back to the coffee fields.