Leaf butterflies: distinctive features and lifestyle. Leafworm in the garden - a dangerous pest of fruit trees External description of the leaf butterfly

The buildings 16.06.2019

The buildings

Ecology

Animal world never ceases to amaze. Wherever you look, there are creatures with the most amazing natural or acquired mechanisms. Both large and small organisms can make you gasp in surprise. The living creatures that are presented here have original abilities to mimic their environment for the purpose of disguise. They copy appearance leaves, branches, flowers and even algae. Truly, simply unique animals!

1) Ghost Mantis

It is not clear whether this is a dry leaf or creature? Most people will answer that it is a leaf, even if they notice that it is moving. The only member of the genus Phyllocrania, this type of praying mantis lives in Africa. They are small and reach a length of no more than 5 centimeters. These insects are very reminiscent of fallen leaves, and completely different colors. They can be brown, with different shades, green or gray. On average, ghost mantises live for 2 years.

2) Beetle torpedo

Nicknamed "torpedo beetle", these insects are scientifically called Siphanta acuta. They feed on plants, live in trees and disguise themselves as foliage. When they rest, green wings cover the body, forming a "house". In length, the beetles reach a size of no more than 15 millimeters. They got the name "torpedo beetle" due to the fact that their larvae can jump to a height of more than half a meter. Their homeland is Australia, although they can currently be found in Hawaii and New Zealand. Some have even seen them in California.

3) Stick insect

As the name suggests, these creatures disguise themselves as small tree branches. Most of all, they resemble eucalyptus branches, and not by chance, because eucalyptus is the main food source for these unusual creatures. They have a long thin body, and they can also fly. Stick insects grow up to 18 centimeters in length. They are mainly found in Australia, preferring to live near water, although they are also often found in the wooded areas of New South Wales and Victoria.

4) rag-picker

This "seahorse" is very reminiscent of marine vegetation. On closer examination, you can see that this is not algae at all, but a fish, which is a close relative of seahorses. Under water, these creatures resemble the leaves of marine plants. Their leaf-like body parts aren't actually used to move underwater at all. These accessories help you disguise yourself as environment. Transparent fins, which are difficult to see, help them swim, so the rag-picker least of all resembles an animal, but more like a plant, whose appearance it is trying to imitate.

5) Mantis "Devil's Flower"

This is another type of praying mantis that masquerades as plants. The insect has a bright color, sometimes it is called the "King of the Praying Mantis" due to its beautiful and unusual appearance. It is easy to confuse it with a flower or a leaf if the insect sits on plants. It lives in northern Africa and the Canary Islands.

6) Sea Dragon Algae

Another relative of the seahorse and the rag-picker, the algae sea dragon cannot boast of such an amazing appearance as, for example, the rag-picker, but it also looks very funny. This type of fish Phyllopteryx taeniolatus easily hides among seaweed thanks to its shoots, we look like leaves. This species is native to the southern coast of Australia and can be found in waters from 3 to 50 meters deep. When a fish moves in shallow water, it can easily be confused with a detached piece of algae.

7) Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko

These geckos are mostly found on the island of Madagascar and have received some interesting nicknames. Some call this creature the "leaf-tailed eyelash gecko", others the "fantastic leaf-tailed gecko". The last name was given due to the amazing, almost fantastic appearance of this creature. This gecko has an absolutely flat tail that resembles a leaf, the body itself also looks like dry foliage, so it doesn’t cost him anything to hide in anticipation of prey, and also hide from enemies.

8) Monkfish

One group of fish famous for their ability to imitate, the monkfish are experts in underwater camouflage. Thanks to such an inconspicuous appearance, she easily catches prey and hides from predators. Some species of this group imitate stones or corals, others turn into sea squirts or sponges. Some of them can imitate other underwater creatures, for example, sea urchins, others disguise themselves as rocks covered with algae. Without this kind of careful disguise, the sea devils would be too vulnerable, so they adapted with the help of a strange appearance to hide from enemies.

9) Scorpion fish

This creature also knows how to disguise itself as fallen leaves. Only underwater. They use this camouflage to remain undetected by prey. Fish hide between corals near the bottom, resembling plants. Their movements are smooth, driven by undercurrents. The victims of these creatures, without suspecting anything, swim closer to the fish, thinking that they are plants. The cunning scorpion fish at the same second grabs the unfortunate victim.

10) Eastern Serpent-necked Tortoise

These turtles have a long neck that sticks out far from the shell in order to look around. They live in Australia, mainly in fresh water swamps, ponds and lakes. In fact, they do not exactly mimic plants, but allow algae to grow on their shells, so the shell resembles a stone with vegetation. This appearance allows the turtle to be well camouflaged.

The Javan leaflet is one of the most unusual insects in the world, which surprises with its shape and protective coloration.

Javanese leaflets belong to, they are common in the rainforests of India, Mauritania, Borneo, Sri Lanka, Malacca, Java and Sumatra.

Appearance of Javanese leaflet

The body length of an adult female Javanese leafworm is 7 centimeters, and males do not exceed 5 centimeters in length.

A distinctive feature of the Javanese leafworm, in comparison with other members of the genus, are 2 small brown spots on the abdomen with red specks. Due to the wide elytra, these insects look like leaves.

The camouflage of the Java leafworm is simply amazing, it is almost invisible in the greenery, such camouflage is explained by the fact that these insects are completely defenseless against predators: they are inactive, non-aggressive and non-poisonous.

Adult females have wings, but they do not use wings. In males, the abdomen is less wide, they have longer wings that cover the abdomen. The antennae of males are also several times longer than those of females.

Keeping Javanese leaflets at home

These insects are kept in ordinary vertical-type insectariums, in which good ventilation.

Javanese leaflets are kept at a temperature of 24-26 degrees, also for comfortable life they need lighting for 8-10 hours, preferably natural light.

leaflet feeding

They feed Javanese leaflets with raspberry, oak and blackberry leaves, they can also be given strawberry, guava, and privet leaves.

It should be borne in mind that young leafworms prefer tender parts of plants, but they should not be given leaves that have just unfolded from the buds, since they contain substances that are poisonous to insects.

You can’t feed the dried leaves of leaflets, so you will have to solve the problem with winter food: you will need to plant room strawberry bushes and germinate oaks from acorns. It must be borne in mind that with a sharp change in food, the insect may die, so leaflets are accustomed to new food gradually.

Cultivation of Javanese leaflets

In insectariums, as a rule, the parthenogenetic form is common, which means that females lay unfertilized eggs, and females hatch again after 4-6 months.

Newborn individuals have a red-brown color. Their body is wide and flat, so they disguise themselves as small leaves.

Class: Insecta = Insects
Order: Phasmida Leach, 1815 = Stick insects, ghosts
Family:
Genus: Phyllium Brunner = Leaflets
Species: Phyllium giganteum = Giant Leaflet

Family: Phylliidae \u003d Leaf-like, leaf-bearing

The family of leaf-shaped or leaf-bearers (Phylliidae) is very small in number, and among stick insects it occupies a special place. These are rather large stick insects - their body length is up to 12.5 cm. Female leafworms are characterized by a wide and flattened body. At the same time, its shape and venation are such that they make these insects very similar to a tree leaf, since the color and venation of the elytra imitate plant leaves. This similarity is reinforced by their leaf-like extended legs. The wings of the leafworms are reduced, so they move slowly through the plants or hang motionlessly on the branches or petioles of the leaves. Leaflets are characterized by sexual dimorphism. Males do not look like leaves and have short elytra, mobile, fly well. All leafworms are herbivorous insects.

Representatives of the Leaf-like family are distributed only in the tropics, and they are not found outside them. Leaflets are found in Southeast Asia from Pakistan to northeastern China and the Malay Archipelago, they live in the northeastern part of Australia, as well as on the islands of Melanesia.

Species: Phyllium crucifolium Brunner = Green Ceylon leaflet

In the Ceylon green leaflet (Phyllium crurifolium), the elytra can have the most various colors. As a result, different individuals of females look like leaves of different shades. Some have a reddish-yellow body color, others are reddish-brown, and still others can be bright green.

The adaptive behavior of leaflets is also interesting. Sometimes you can observe leaflets hanging under a branch or petiole of a leaf, which, clinging to them with only two or three legs, regularly, but slowly rotate their body in one direction or the other. Such a movement of the leafworm makes this insect even more like a leaf hanging “on a thread”, which sways from the slightest breath of the wind and it seems that it is about ready to fall to the ground.

The females of the Ceylon green leafworm move very slowly over the substrate, and due to their reduced wings they are not capable of flight. But the males behave quite differently. Unlike females, males are very active and mobile. They have greatly shortened elytra and do not possess a patronizing resemblance to a leaf. On the other hand, the males of leafworms have well-developed wings, thanks to which they freely fly from one place to another in search of females or better habitats. Leafworm larvae also do not look like leaves at all, but they have a protective coloration of the body, due to which they are easily camouflaged in any foliage.

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05.05.2017

The name "leaflet" this harmful insect received for the ability to fold leaves. fruit trees into tubules, braiding them with cobwebs and pulling them into bundles, which is why the leaves die.

The leaf roller is a member of the Lepidoptera family of butterflies ( lat. Tortricidae or Olethreutidae), which has more than ten thousand species of insects (about a hundred of which are considered to be pests).

Of particular danger to the garden are caterpillars of the leafworm, which during the growing season can cause irreparable harm to fruit trees, damaging flower buds (buds), succulent leaves and fruits. Leafworm larvae cause tangible damage to young fruit trees, as they gnaw at the tops of green shoots during the formation of the crown.

With mass reproduction, a population of caterpillars can destroy the lion's share of the crop, because as soon as the first ovaries appear on the trees, the caterpillars attack them, eating out inflorescences and pedicels blooming garden. After the fruit trees have faded, the caterpillars switch to the leaves, thus disrupting the normal process of photosynthesis, and with the advent of the fruit, they settle inside, making them unsuitable for consumption.

leaf roller caterpillar

The following types of leaf rollers are of particular danger to the garden:

Omnivorous (lat. Archips podana)
Fruit (lat. Hedya (Argyroploce)
Rose (lat. Acleris bergmanniana)
Currant (lat. Pandemis rideana)
Kidney twirl (lat. Spilonota ocellana)

Adult insect (imago)

In appearance, the leaflet is a small full-bodied butterfly (from two centimeters long) with a terry body and a wingspan of over two and a half centimeters. The color of the wings of the insect has a high variability, but, as a rule, varies within gray-brown and olive tones with various patterns, stripes and spots on them in the form of a colorful ornament.

leaf roller omnivorous

The wings of a leaflet moth are either triangular or trapezoid and do not fold like most members of the butterfly family (in the vertical plane), but lie horizontally, covering the entire body when folded. The forewings are darker than the hindwings.

The leaflet butterfly leads an active nocturnal lifestyle, flying out at dusk (at air temperatures above fifteen degrees Celsius), and during daylight hours is in shelter (located on trunks in or on side branches under leaves).

Eggs

Butterfly flight begins in April-May. The female leafworm is extremely prolific and begins the mating process as early as three days after metamorphosis and exit from the pupa. One female is capable of laying from four hundred to eight hundred eggs per season.

Immediately after mating (on the same day), the female lays eggs, choosing fruit trees for this, which she determines by smell.

Rose leaf

The clutch is most often a small group of eggs, which has dark color and is located either in the area of \u200b\u200bforks, or in crevices and depressions of the bark, but can be settled directly on the ovaries, inflorescences and leaves.

Leafworm eggs overwinter on the tree.

Caterpillar

The development of the laid eggs occurs within about two weeks, after which voracious larvae hatch from them. Leafworm caterpillars have a smooth yellowish-brown or greenish body. The head of the pest is dark.

The larvae feed by building their nests in leaf bundles, which are a clear sign of the presence of a pest. If you touch the caterpillar, it will not fall to the ground, but will hang in the air not like a cobweb.

Approximately in June, the process of pupation of caterpillars takes place, which lasts about two weeks, after which an adult insect appears from the cocoon, which, having adapted, flies out, mates and immediately produces new clutches with future offspring.

Fruit leaflet

Caterpillars of the second generation, born at the end of summer, overwinter in a densely packed cocoon. The cocoon can be found in rolled leaves, in the recesses of branches, or on the forks of branches of fruit trees.

In early spring, the larvae wake up and move closer to the swelling young buds, after which they produce a thin cobweb thread, thanks to which they bind the leaves, forming a shelter (nest), in which they continue to feed and develop.

pest control

At favorable conditions the pest manages to give two generations.

The first generation of insects can infect up to thirty percent of the leaves in the garden, which is a dangerous threshold of damage, since it significantly reduces the quality and quantity of the crop.

If the leaves of a fruit tree are damaged by more than fifty percent, urgent control measures must be taken, because this factor is an indicator that the second offspring of the pest is growing and rapidly developing in the garden.

Leaf Roll Currant

To avoid more serious damage, fruit trees should be treated with insecticides (it is advisable to use systemic preparations that can destroy caterpillars and leafworm oviposition), since the second generation of leafworm larvae destroys not only leaves, but also affects the fruits of garden trees.

In any case, in order not to lose the entire crop, gardeners need to regularly inspect the trees in the garden for the presence of rolled leaves and nests of leafworm larvae.

Chemical treatment should be carried out if more than five pest caterpillars are found on one branch.

Chemicals pest control

Insecticides must be used throughout the growing season garden plants, but it is important not to forget that the duration of exposure to chemicals is strongly influenced by ultraviolet rays, which reduce the duration of the effective action of drugs.

A high result in the fight against harmful caterpillars shows the drug " Dimilin”, which has a strong contact and intestinal effect on insects. The duration of the drug is approximately one and a half months. The chemical has low toxicity and does not harm humans, beneficial pollinating insects and other warm-blooded animals.

Leaf Roller Bud Spinner

Another effective broad-spectrum drug is called " Ditox". It is produced in the form of a concentrated emulsion and also has a strong contact and intestinal effect on the leaf roller. An environmentally friendly chemical, which, importantly, after the treatment of trees is not washed off by precipitation, and pests die en masse already three hours after spraying.

The next systemic drug that has earned confidence among experienced gardeners is a systemic insecticide " Calypso”, which also has an effect on sucking and gnawing insects. The chemical is environmentally friendly for both humans and warm-blooded animals. Safe for bees and other beneficial pollinating insects. " Calypso"does not cause addiction, which is an important factor.

Another effective and environmentally friendly insecticide is a systemic preparation " fastak”, affecting insects at various stages of their development. Showed good resistance to high temperatures. Doesn't wash off with rain.

Among other insecticides, the preparation " Avant", available in the form of a concentrated suspension. The chemical has an intestinal effect on insects and has shown good results at all stages of caterpillar development. It is effective even in the treatment of leafworm oviposition, as it kills the larvae at the moment when they hatch from the egg. The drug withstands high air temperatures and is not washed off by precipitation. It is safe for people, animals and bees, however, it is not recommended to carry out processing more than twice a season. Allows processing of trees throughout the growing season, including the fruiting period.

Another effective biological preparation in the form of a concentrated emulsion is called " Fitoverm". The chemical is valuable in that it can also be used in any phase of tree development, up to fruiting. And what is important, at high air temperature, the drug increases the effectiveness of its impact.

It is important to remember that before treating the garden with insecticides, you must first read the instructions, strictly follow the recommendations given in it, and in no case exceed the consumption rates of chemicals.

Leaflet socket

It is necessary to spray trees with insecticides completely (from bottom to top), especially during the mass summer of moths, and do not forget to treat all other trees and shrubs growing nearby.

Choose a drug for treatment orchard should, taking into account the period of its vegetation, be sure to assess the degree of damage to trees, pay attention to weather and air temperature.

Other types of pest control

If a leafworm (butterflies and caterpillars) has massively appeared in the garden, a thorough cleaning of the leaves under the trees will be a good preventive measure, which will certainly lead to the destruction of all kinds of wintering larvae, pupae and butterflies. The collected leaves must be burned, and the soil under the tree trunks must be dug up, removing all weeds.

If the trees are slightly affected by the pest, then the twisted leaves must be cut off and the larvae destroyed (it is better to burn). If the damaged leaves are simply thrown away (for example, taken out of the garden or lowered into compost pit), then in the nest the larva will again pass full cycle development and will return to the garden already in the form of a butterfly, in order to lay a new batch of eggs to give life to a new generation of pests.

It is also useful to cut out all dry and diseased branches and make sure that the crown of the trees is not too dense.

In the spring, it is useful to treat tree boles with whitewash (lime milk or special garden paint), which will prevent the survival of pests located in the recesses of the trunk bark and under it.

Whitewashing fruit trees

From folk ways fight against leafworm, trees are treated with infusions and decoctions of tobacco or shag, as well as chamomile and wormwood.

To control insects in the garden, it is useful to lure birds. To do this, it is necessary to arrange feeders in the garden, but do not pour a lot of food, otherwise the birds will get fed up and stop collecting insects.

in winter great help in the fight against the pest, titmouse will become, so they must be attracted by hanging unsalted pieces of fat on tree branches.

Against crawling insects, it is useful to arrange from various materials.

Stick insect photo: Chun Xing Wong

Here is the first representative« «: a careful examination of the plant sometimes leads to an unexpected result: the revived “branches” leave their previously occupied place and hide in dense foliage.

photo:geart1

This type of praying mantis ( very similar to dry leaves. This type of disguise not only helps to hide yourself from predators, but also to be unnoticed during the hunt.

photo: mnn.com

Butterfly - dry leaf ( as well as the praying mantis is very similar to a dry leaf, which saves it 100% from.

The camouflage of this grasshopper is so precise that it even mimics the spots of a leaf.

photo: David W. Leindecker

Some of the strangest inhabitants on the planet. When one of these amazing creatures is resting on a branch or at the end of a tree branch, they are almost impossible to spot.

Orchid mantis (lat. Hymenopus coronatus) . These predators look bright and very beautiful, but in fact they are ruthless killers. They use a species that mimics a petal to be invisible to their prey.

photo: Nandini Velho

These insects are stick insects and, as their name suggests, they evolved to mimic leaves rather than sticks.

photo: Henrik Larsson

Moths, or surveyors (Geometridae). During the Industrial Revolution in Britain, there was only one color variety of the birch moth. White butterflies with small dark spots on their wings perfectly imitated the color of the birch bark overgrown with lichens, on which they rested during the day, and due to this they were hardly noticeable.