Maruca

Walker, 1859

bean pod borers

Species Guides

Maruca vitrata(legume pod borer)

Maruca is a of in the Crambidae, commonly known as bean pod borers. The genus includes economically significant agricultural pests, particularly Maruca vitrata (legume pod borer), which attacks a wide range of legume crops. in this genus are distributed across tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, the Americas, and the Pacific. The larvae are specialized feeders on leguminous plants, causing damage to pods and seeds.

Maruca vitrata by no rights reserved, uploaded by Vijay Barve. Used under a CC0 license.

Maruca vitrata , Bean Pod Borer Moth by Shino jacob koottanad. Used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Maruca vitrata photographed at night, in West Bengal, India by Billjones94. Used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Maruca: /məˈruːkə/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Distribution

Widely distributed across tropical and subtropical regions. Maruca vitrata occurs throughout sub-Saharan Africa (Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and others), South and Southeast Asia (India, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and others), the Americas (Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and others), and Australasia/Pacific Islands (Australia, Fiji, Hawaii, Papua New Guinea, and others).

Diet

Larvae feed on leguminous plants. Maruca vitrata has been observed attacking Vigna unguiculata (cowpea), groundnuts, Phaseolus , and other legumes. plants documented for related include Cajanus, Canavalia, Dolichos, and Vigna.

Host Associations

Vigna unguiculata - plantcowpea, primary for M. vitrata
Phaseolus - plantbean
Arachis hypogaea - plantgroundnut
Cajanus - plantpigeon pea
Canavalia - plantjack bean
Dolichos - planthyacinth bean

Human Relevance

Maruca vitrata is a major agricultural pest of legume crops, particularly cowpea in sub-Saharan Africa and mungbean in Asia. Larval feeding damages flowers, pods, and seeds, causing significant yield losses. The is a target for research, including studies of such as Apanteles taragamae.

More Details

Taxonomic note

Maruca testulalis has been treated as a synonym of Maruca vitrata in some sources, though distribution maps have been published under both names. The contains four recognized : M. amboinalis, M. fuscalis, M. nigroapicalis, and M. vitrata.

Viral pathogen

Maruca vitrata (MaviNPV) is a native to Taiwan that infects M. vitrata. It represents a distinct of group I lepidopteran NPVs with a reduced compared to the type species Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus.