A case of inflated identity.

A team of CSIRO entomologists has made a breakthrough in the battle to control heliothine moths, one of the world's most devastating agricultural pests. They have developed a way of distinguishing between heliothine species, an essential step towards biological controls.

Caterpillars of heliothine moths are the number one pest for more than 60 different crops throughout the world, and are notorious for their capacity to rapidly develop resistance to chemical pesticides. In India last year, caterpillars of heliothine moths consumed food and fibre crops worth about a billion US dollars, pushing whole communities to the brink of economic collapse, and in some cases, severe hunger.

Biological control of the insects is considered the obvious solution, but there's a catch. Of the 450-member family Heliothinae, fewer than a dozen species are pests. Some of the others are important plant pollinators. The challenge lies in singling out targets for host-specific biocontrol agents.

Complicating matters is the fact that most heliothine species look much the same. The only visible distinction between them is the penis -- hardly the easiest organ on such a tiny creature to find and identify. But that organ, with its gnarled contortions and spikes, provides instant identification ' so long as it can be seen.

Dr Marcus Matthews of CSIRO Entomology has invented a revolutionary device for doing just this. Nicknamed the 'phalloblaster', it pumps a stream of alcohol into the insect's penis, inflating it so that its unique structure can be seen through a microscope. The 'phalloblaster', as well as traditional taxonomy and techniques, such as DNA sequencing, will now help to identify and classify the pests doing the damage. 'This in turn will help scientists find insects or pathogens - biopesticides -- which attack only the pests.

The breakthrough has come at a crucial time. Dr Ebbe Nielsen, who leads the research team, says biopesticides should become the mainstay of a whole new system for controlling India's worst insect pest; saving harvests and reducing the toll on people and the environment of chemical excesses.

'It may seem quaint, but this moth's penis is the vital first step in a chain that leads to safe, effective pest control,' he says. 'That chain means millions of tonnes more food, less hunger, better incomes for the poor and ultimates, the greater regional stability and reduced risk of conflict that ...