Bulletin of Entomological Research (1990) 80, 417-425
B. Löhr, A.M. Varela and B. Santos (1990)
Exploration for natural enemies of the cassava mealybug, Phenacoccus manihoti (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae), in South America for the biological control of this introduced pest in Africa
Bulletin of Entomological Research 80 (4), 417-425
Abstract: Areas in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay were searched for the cassava mealybug, Phenacoccus manihoti Matile-Ferrero. The mealybug was located in the Paraguay River basin in the Santa Cruz de la Sierra area of eastern Bolivia, the Mato Grosso do Sul state in South-Western Brazil and in Paraguay east of the Paraguay River. Mealybug populations were extremely low in all areas but there was a period of increase from August to December. Eighteen species of natural enemies were found attacking P. manihoti: the most abundant and also most important were a solitary, internal parasitoid, Epidinocarsis lopezi (DeSantis) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), Hyperaspis notata Mulsant and Diomus spp. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), and Ocyptamus spp. (Diptera: Syrphidae). Collections of a closely related mealybug, Phenacoccus herreni Cox and Williams yielded two additional encyrtid parasitoids, Epidinocarsis diversicornis (Howard) and Aenasius sp. nr vexans Kerrich, but they did not survive on P. manihoti. Four parasitoids (E. lopezi, E. diversicornis, Parapyrus manihoti Noyes and Allotropa sp.) and four predators (H. notata, Diomus sp., Sympherobius maculipennis Kimmins, and Exochomus sp.) were sent for quarantine. With the exception of Parapyrus manihoti, all mentioned natural enemy species were forwarded to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture at Ibadan, Nigeria for mass rearing and subsequent release.
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Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Bernhard L. Löhr
Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
surveys/distribution/isolation
