Annex
Risk background: High priority pests of Zantedeschia tubers
Effective 26 October 2021When conducting an inspection, inspectors are encouraged to pay particular attention to specific potential pests arriving in/on Zantedeschia tubers. The following table includes but is not limited to common pests of Zantedeschia, which can be visible during inspection:
Pest type |
Common name |
DIPTERA (flies) |
|
Eumerus strigatus |
Lesser bulb fly |
HEMIPTERA (Mealybugs) |
|
Pseudococcus maritimus |
Grape mealybug |
Lesser bulb fly
Lesser bulb flies are 5 to 9 mm dark blue insects. On tubers, lesser bulb fly maggots scrape away the bulb tissue and tunnel in. The infested bulbs begin to decay and the interior of the bulb fills with a semiliquid mass. The maggots usually attack the base of the bulb although sometimes only the upper portion of the bulb is infested.
Source (http://ipm.ncsu.edu/AG136/fly2.html)
Grape mealybug
Grape mealybugs are small (about 3 mm in length). Adult mealybugs are soft bodied, segmented insects covered in a white powdery wax. Females are oval and flattened, flightless and have three nymphal stages with no pupal phase. Males are much smaller, have wings and go through four nymphal stages. The Grape mealybug has long tail filaments making the mealybug appear to have a tail.
(Source: http://www.planthealthaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Vine-and-Grape-mealybug-FS.pdf)