Report of Earias biplaga as a New Insect Species in Cotton Fields in Syria

Aleisa, Z. and M.N. Al-Salti. 2024. Report of Earias biplaga as a New Insect Species in Cotton Fields in Syria. Arab Journal of Plant Protection, 42(4): 452-455. https://doi.org/10.22268/AJPP-001282 Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is considered a strategic crop in Syria, and it is attacked by many pests, including bollworms which are the most important. Recently, cotton spiny bollworm is reported to be the most dominant pest, which caused economic losses especially when infestation occurs during the earlier phenological stages. Because of the changes in the timing of infestation of spiny bollworm infestation and because of its dominance in cotton fields, studies to investigate the causes of such change were initiated. The larvae of spiny bollworm were collected in the fall of the 2020 and 2021 seasons from cotton fields in the governorates of Aleppo and Hama. Investigations showed that 3- 10% of the collected larvae and emerged adults were different from Earias insulana which is endemic. Based on taxonomic references and morphological characters of the studied samples, it was evident that we have a new type of the species E. biplaga Walker, 1866, and that might explain the observed change in infestation timing of the pest and the economic losses in cotton fields associated with it. Keywords: Cotton, E. biplaga, new taxa, climate change.