Biological Peculiarities of Amblypalpis tamaricella (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae) in South-Eastern Kazakhstan and Its Potential for Biological Control of Exotic, Invasive Saltcedars (Tamarix spp.) in the USA

The narrow oligophagous gall-forming moth, Amblypalpis tamaricella Danilevsky, 1955, which causes severe damage to tamarisk in the wild, is one of the most promising biological agents for the biological control of saltcedars in the United States. The species is known from the deserts of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan (southeastern Kyzylkum), southern and southeastern Kazakhstan, and Mongolia (Altai Gobi). The species develops in a single generation per year, with eggs overwintering. In many bushes, not only individual branches but the entire crown is affected, and by the following spring, such plants die. Studies of the biological characteristics of this species across seven moth populations in Kazakhstan have shown a high degree of conservatism in host-plant use: females typically lay their eggs on the same plant on which they hatched. The introduction of the moth into the United States should ideally occur during the pupal stage, before it emerges as an adult in late September to early October.