Borges da Silva, E., & Mexia, A.M.M. 1999 The pest complex Cryptoblabes gnidiella (Milliere) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and Planococcus citri (Risso) (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae) on sweet orange groves (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) in Portugal: interspecific association.. Boletín de Sanidad Vegetal, Plagas 25(1): 89-98.

Notes: The honeydew moth, Cryptoblabes gnidiella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is a polyphagous pest of numerous crops and is recorded as a secondary pest in citrus groves, often associated with the attacks of other species such mealybugs and their honeydew. A study of C. gnidiella population dynamics on sweet orange groves (Citrus sinensis), the importance of damage caused by Cryptoblabes gnidiella, and the interspecific association between C. gnidiella and the citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae) were studied in four groves in Alagarve, Portugal. The percentage of the total C. gnidiella males captured in each grove showed a similar pattern and a greater percentage of males were trapped during the June-September period (except for the grove Fazenda Grande). It was possible to identify three or four distinct peaks. The results suggested a positive significant association (P_0.05) between C. gnidiella and P. citri, supporting the hypothesis of several authors that a P. citri infestation is necessary for attack by C. gnidiella in the case of citrus. Even in the case of low C. gnidiella larval infestation it can cause serious damage by fruit drop and, consequently, a high reduction of sweet orange production, mainly in Navel cultivars.