2026-08-20 九州大学
レモンニセスガの幼虫と成虫（上段） 加害された花と蕾（下段）
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/ja/researches/view/1553?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13355-026-00986-4
日本における侵入性ミカンハナガ（ Prays nephelomima）（鱗翅目：ハナガ科）：形態図、侵入経路、レモンへの食害被害 Invasive citrus flower moth, Prays nephelomima (Lepidoptera: Praydidae) in Japan: illustrated morphology, invasion pathways, and feeding damage on lemons
Taiyo Oka & Sadahisa Yagi
Applied Entomology and Zoology Published:20 August 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/s13355-026-00986-4
Abstract
Invasive citrus pests threaten lemon production and island biodiversity; however, the identity and invasion history of several species remain unclear. We report the first confirmed records of the citrus flower moth Prays nephelomima Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Praydidae) in Japan and clarify its taxonomy and distribution by integrating morphology and DNA barcoding. Adults and larvae from the Ogasawara, Tsushima, Okinawa-jima, and Iriomote-jima Islands have been examined, compared with a syntype series of P. nephelomima, and analyzed using a 658 bp fragment of the COI barcode together with publicly available sequences. We provide the first illustrated diagnostic description of P. nephelomima, including genitalia of its syntypes, and demonstrate that P. semilunata Li is conspecific with P. nephelomima. The COI barcodes from Japan match BIN BOLD:AAM9790, which comprises four COI haplotypes of P. nephelomima worldwide. All Japanese specimens share the most common haplotype within this BIN, which also occurs in specimens from Australia, New Zealand, and Madagascar. Haplotype diversity is highest in Australia, suggesting that it represents the most plausible origin for P. nephelomima. Field observations of Kikuchi lemons (Citrus × limon) in the Ogasawara Islands reveal that larvae bore into flower buds and young fruits and also feed on leaves. Our findings demonstrate that P. nephelomima is an introduced citrus pest in Japan and illustrate how type material, museum collections, and global DNA barcode data can resolve species complexes and estimate a plausible origin.
