ChileanJAR

Observations on artichoke fields of the Metropolitan Region (Chile) were carried out to identify the damaging species of the Noctuidae family on these plants. Out of 15 species collected with light traps in the area, larvae of only five of them were found feeding on the plants. Copitarsia consueta (Walker) was the most important one, attacking preferably the heads (85.1%). but it only accounted for 14.1% of the larvae found on the foliage. Syngrapha gammoides (Blanchard) was detected on the heads with a low frequency (8.5%); this lepidopterous insect, however, was the most abundant one on the foliage (78.6%). Agrotis bititura (Guenée) was detected on the heads and foliage, although in small numbers. Peridroma saucia (Hübner) and P. chitenaria Angulo and Jana-S were found only on the heads and in small numbers. Laboratory studies demonstrated that the first-stage larvae, hatched from eggs collected on the fol iage, are unable to feed on the heads' bracts. On the heads, the larvae preferably stay on the inner face of the outer bracts, producing cavities on these; in some cases, larvae were found feeding on the center of the heads; total or partial destruction of the newly formed flower buds, was also observed.