Horticultural-trade
Guides
Caloptilia azaleella
Azalea Leafminer Moth, azalea leaf miner
Caloptilia azaleella is a small moth in the family Gracillariidae, commonly known as the azalea leaf miner. Native to Japan, it has been introduced globally through the horticultural trade of azalea plants and is now established in Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand. The species is a specialist herbivore whose larvae mine and roll leaves of Rhododendron species. It is frequently encountered in gardens, greenhouses, and sheltered urban plantings.
Cryptopidae
Bark Centipedes
Cryptopidae is a family of scolopendromorph centipedes characterized by complete absence of eyes (lacking ocelli) and possessing 21 pairs of legs as adults. The family is dominated by the genus Cryptops, which comprises over 150 species worldwide. Members are commonly known as bark centipedes and occur across diverse geographic regions, with some species showing strong synanthropic tendencies and human-mediated dispersal.
Euborellia arcanum
Euborellia arcanum is a recently described earwig species (Dermaptera: Anisolabididae) first documented in tropical greenhouses in Germany and Austria. The species is considered alien to Europe, likely introduced from Florida via plants or potting soil, though its native range remains unknown. It was formally described in 2015 based on specimens from Leipzig, Potsdam, and Vienna.
Lathrotelinae
Spotted-costa Crambid Snout Moths
Lathrotelinae is a small subfamily of crambid moths comprising approximately 54 species in six genera, distributed mainly in tropical regions. The subfamily was established by Clarke in 1971 but remained classified within Spilomelinae until phylogenetic studies in the mid-2010s demonstrated its distinctiveness. Larvae are root-feeders on monocotyledonous plants, with some species causing economic damage to cultivated palms and sugarcane.
Pseudoloxops coccineus
Pseudoloxops coccineus is a small plant bug in the family Miridae, originally described from Europe in 1843. The species has been introduced to North America, with established populations documented in Ontario, Canada since approximately 1973. Its introduction is believed to have occurred accidentally via nursery stock importations of European ash (Fraxinus excelsior). The species belongs to a genus that has undergone significant taxonomic revision in recent years, with integrative approaches revealing substantial cryptic diversity in Pacific island populations.
Sufetula
Sufetula is a pantropical genus of moths in the family Crambidae (subfamily Lathrotelinae), established by Walker in 1859. The genus contains at least 32 described species, including several that are economically significant pests of cultivated plants. Sufetula anania is a destructive root borer of pineapple (Ananas comosus) in Central America, causing damage that can destroy the root system. Sufetula culshawi, described in 2024, is a previously unrecognized species associated with cultivated palms (Areca Palm, Chrysalidocarpus lutescens), spread through horticultural trade. Larvae of at least some species are root-feeders that create tunnels within plant tissues.