Host specificity ofPterolonche inspersa [Lep.: Pterolonchidae] and its potential as a biological control agent forCentaurea diffusa,diffuse knapweed,andC. Maculosa,spotted knapweed

In 1981 the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Biological Control of Weeds Laboratory (BCWL, Rome, Italy) started investigating the host specificity ofP. inspersa as a candidate for biological control ofC. diffusa andC. maculosa, and in 1985 the investigation was completed at the USDA Biological Control of Weeds Laboratory at Albany, California. Thirty five species of plants in the familyAsteraceae and 23 other species in 8 related families were tested. Larval survival beyond 1st instar occurred only onCentaurea spp. except for 1 larva found inCnicus benedictus L.P. inspersa is stenophagous onCentaurea, therefore, a good candidate for introduction into North America.