New Diamondback Moth Species Discovered
Posted on August 29, 2013
The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, is a major pest that damages crops, including cabbage and broccoli. A global study of DNA barcodes by two Canadian entomologists revealed an unexpected new species. The new species was named Plutella australiana (pictured above) by study authors Dr. Jean-Fran�ois Landry of the Canadian National Collection in Ottawa and Dr. Paul Hebert.
The new species was initially detected by Dr. Hebert during a general survey of Australian moths aimed at developing a library of DNA barcodes representing all the species of the fauna. Subsequent study of the anatomy revealed significant, previously unsuspected, differences in internal reproductive organs between typical diamondbacks and the new species.
Their results have been published here in the open access journal ZooKeys.