Since the phytoplankton moth Parapoynx crisonalis (Walker, 1859) is a tropical/subtropical pest and only limited information is available, a complete Express Risk Analysis was not conducted.
Parapoynx crisonalis is native to Southeast Asia and does not yet occur in the EU. The moth has occasionally been introduced into Great Britain with aquatic plants from the Far East.
It was first recorded in Great Britain in May 1979 in Enfield, Middlesex, but, according to the Checklist of Lepidoptera of the British Isles, only survives on aquatic plants in heated greenhouses.
In Asia, P. crisonalis is a widespread pest of aquatic plants. It occurs in China, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India. It has also been detected in Australia.
According to the literature, Parapoynx crisonalis infects both cultivated ornamental species and many aquatic vegetable species, e.g., Trapa natans (water chestnut), Nymphoides peltatum (European pitcher plant), Euryale ferox (spiny water lily), Nymphaea tetragona (dwarf water lily), and Nymphaea spp. (water lilies) and Ludwigia adscendens (synonym: Jussiaea repens).
Damage to host plants occurs primarily due to the skeletonization of their leaves due to feeding by the larvae. The butterfly can successfully complete its life cycle between 21°C and 36°C; the optimal development temperature is between 24°C and 30°C.
It is assumed that damage in the PRA area would be very limited locally due to the lack of suitable climate. The potential for spread is considered low.
Parapoynx crisonalis is not classified as a quarantine pest, and Article 29 of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 therefore does not apply.
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