Employing pheromone traps to establish the distribution and seasonal activity of Theresimima ampellophaga in Turkey

The vine bud moth, Theresimima ampellophaga (Bayle-Barelle 1808) (Lepidoptera: Zygaenidae; Procridinae), is a pest on grape vine, Vitis vinifera (L.), and on the ornamental vine Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) and other Parthenocissus species. Its recent distribution in Europe is relatively well known, but there is a paucity of locality data for Turkey. As a consequence, we began a large-scale investigation into its distribution and seasonal activity in this country in 2008. The main tools for these investigations were pheromone traps that were baited with the synthetic pheromone of the species, viz. (2R)-butyl (Z7)-tetradecenoate. As a result of field work carried out in the eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey in 2008 and 2009, Th. ampellophaga was recorded in five provinces, viz. Adana, Mersin, Hatay, Kahramanmaras and Kilis. The only province where the pest was not found was Gaziantep. Theresimima ampellophaga produces one or two generations per year, depending on the local conditions and other unknown factors. The moths of the first generation fly in June, while those of the second generation occur in August. To the best of our knowledge the present paper provides the first well-documented evidence of the occurrence of a second generation of the vine bud moth in Turkey.