Search

Comones dulcis Mottern new species is described from specimens reared from flat grass scale, Aclerda takahashii Kuwana, on sugarcane in Palm Beach County, Florida. The new species exhibits considerable size variation and apparent allometric scaling of body parts that are often used for encyrtid species diagnosis. Therefore, both morphological and molecular data are presented to describe and diagnose the species. Photographs of the congeners C. ferrierei (Burks) and C. gastron (Walker)_ are included for comparison. Prospects for incorporating C. dulcis into a biological control program targeting flat grass scale are discussed.

A new parasitoid-host association between Davidsonaspis aguacatae (Evans, Watson & Miller) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) and Encarsia lounsburyi (Berlese & Paoli) (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) is documented, and an overview of armored scales infesting Hass avocados intercepted in Florida is given. An observation of the occurrence of crawler scales developing inside a parasitized female scale is discussed.

Summary The rugose spiraling whitefly, Aleurodicus rugioperculatus Martin (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), is a polyphagous pest that has caused significant damage in the Florida landscape. Various plants have been identified as primary hosts in affected areas. Rugose spiraling whitefly was confirmed in 22 counties, and surveys for biological control agents have found several important natural enemies and other species that collectively provide appreciable control of this whitefly pest.

Several new whitefly (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) species have become established in Florida in the past decade. Three of these, fig whitefly (FW), rugose spiraling whitefly (RSW), and Bondar's nesting whitefly (BNW), have caused noticeable damage to residential plants in the landscape including ficus hedges, palms, and bird of paradise. Whiteflies are difficult to identify and 4th instar nymphs are needed for morphological identification making whiteflies good candidates for identification via DNA barcoding. A DNA barcoding cocktail to amplify the 5′ end of the coxI mitochondrial gene from these species was developed. Subsequently, primers were developed for each species, validated with multiple populations collected throughout Florida, and a phylogenetic tree was constructed for placement of the 3 species in the whitefly tree of life. Besides FW, RSW, and BNW, 2 additional species of whiteflies were detected in collections, namely Paraleyrodes pseudonaranjae Martin (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) and a sp...

Larvae of the debris-carrying green lacewing Ceraeochrysa lineaticornis (Fitch) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) are known to construct their dorsal packets from foliar trichomes of Arizona sycamore (Platanus wrightii S. Watson; Platanaceae) and to prey on nymphs of the lace bug Corythucha confraterna Gibson (Hemiptera: Tingidae). From 2008 to 2018, we observed larvae in a South Carolina botanical garden incorporate plant trichomes, the waxy flocculence and exuviae of flatid planthoppers, and cuticular fragments of assorted arthropods to construct their packets. This represents the first recorded use of planthopper wax by larvae of a debris-carrying chrysopid. Larvae were observed on 61 plant species (31 families), including 30 species of Eurasian ornamentals. Nymphs of the flatids Metcalfa pruinosa (Say) and Ormenoides venusta (Melichar) were present with larvae of C. lineaticornis on all but two of the Eurasian plants. Chrysopid larvae and coccons were found within aggregations of planthopper nymphs on abaxial leaf surfaces of paperplant (Fatsia japonica [Thunb.] Decne. & Planch.; Araliaceae). Larvae preyed on planthopper nymphs in the laboratory. The composition of the larval packets is described, and notes on seasonality of the chrysopid and flatid planthoppers are provided.

A pheromone-based system to locate and monitor Planococcus minor (Maskell), a pest of over 250 plants including citrus, grape, and cacao, was tested. The difficulty in distinguishing P. minor from the citrus mealybug, P. citri, makes finding and evaluating the impact of the pest challenging. Studies conducted in Puerto Rico determined that synthetic P. minor pheromone lures preaged 120 d in the field caught similar number of males as lures not aged (fresh). Molecular analysis of trapped mealybug males using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase-1, the internal transcriber space two locus, and 28S-D2 gene showed the pheromone traps to be species specific. Traps baited with P. minor pheromone were used to monitor the pest in south Florida and to locate potential infestations. P. minor males were found at all locations studied in South Florida and were present in low numbers (1.03 ± 0.69 mean ± SE/trap/14 d). Over 14,000 terminals, fruit, and flowers were visually inspected over a 6 mo period of peak tra...

We present the results of a field study conducted in 2011 to assess native epiphytic orchids in South Florida for infestations of armored scales (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Diaspididae). A total of 1,726 orchids spanning 10 taxa were surveyed at 7 locations at 3 sites. Boisduval scale, Diaspis boisduvalii Signoret, was detected on 2.3% of the orchids from 6 of the 10 orchid species, and was present at all 3 primary sites surveyed. Prosthechea cochleata and Epidendrum amphistomum (Asparagales: Orchidaceae) appeared to be most vulnerable to this scale, with infection totals of 5.8% and 2.1%, respectively. Of 44 scales from the 39 orchids, 27% hosted hymenopteran parasitoids in various stages of development. The presence of D. boisduvalii adds an additional burden to state-endangered orchid populations and indicates that resource managers may need to expand management approaches to include plant-parasitic insect control.

A new addition on the list of whitefly species found in Florida, Aleurodicus rugioperculatus Martin, was originally called the gumbo limbo spiraling whitefly, but is now named the rugose spiraling whitefly. Being a fairly new species to science – identified less than a decade ago, not much information is available about this pest. It is an introduced pest, endemic to Central America, and was reported for the first time in Florida from Miami-Dade County in 2009. Since then it has become an escalating problem for homeowners, landscapers, businesses, and governmental officials throughout the southern coastal counties of Florida. Feeding by this pest not only causes stress to its host plant, but the excessive production of wax and honeydew creates an enormous nuisance in infested areas. The presence of honeydew results in the growth of fungi called sooty mold, which then turns everything in the vicinity covered with honeydew black with mold. This 5-page fact sheet was written by Vivek Kumar, Cindy L. McKenzie, Catharine Mannion, Ian Stocks, Trevor Smith, and Lance S. Osborne, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, October 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1015

The mealybug Hypogeococcus pungens Granara de Willink (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is a new record for the Dominican Republic, based on specimens collected on 21 May 2010 from the ornamental plant Gomphrena globosa L. (Caryophyllales: Amaranthaceae), in Santo Domingo. La especie Hypogeococcus pungens Granara de Willink (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) fue encontrada el 21 de mayo del 2010 como un nuevo record para la Republica Dominicana, especimenes fueron colectados en Santo Domingo sobre la planta ornamental Gomphrena globosa L. (Caryophyllales: Amaranthaceae). View this article in BioOne

A probably adventive mealybug species, Paracoccus gillianae sp. n. is described from North America. Its entry into the United States was likely to have been via the horticultural trade of Agave spp. (Liliales: Agavaceae) and other host plants in the family Agavaceae. Illustrations of the adult female and male, and diagnosis from congeners in the New World and from other Paracoccus species known to feed on Agavaceae, are provided.

'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' (Las) is the primary causal agent of huanglongbing (HLB), the most devastating disease of citrus worldwide. There are three known insect vectors of the HLB-associated bacteria, and all are members of the Hemiptera: Diaphorina citri (Psyllidae), Trioza erytreae (Triozidae), and Cacopsylla (Psylla) citrisuga (Psyllidae). In this study, we found that another hemipteran, the striped mealybug Ferrisia virgata (Cockerell) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), was able to acquire and retain Las bacteria. The bacterial titers were positively correlated with the feeding acquisition time on Las-infected leaf discs, with a two-weeks feeding period resulting in Ct values ranging from 23.1 to 36.1 (8.24 × 10(7) to 1.07 × 10(4) Las cells per mealybug). We further discovered that the prophage/phage populations of Las in the mealybugs were different from those of Las in psyllids based on Las prophage-specific molecular markers: infected psyllids harbored the Las populations with prophage/phage FP1 and FP2, while infected mealybugs carried the Las populations with the iFP3 being the dominant prophage/phage. As in the psyllids, Las bacteria were shown to move through the insect gut wall to the salivary glands after being ingested by the mealybug based on a time-course quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay of the dissected digestive systems. However, Las populations transmitted by the mealybugs did not cause disease in host plants. This is the first evidence of genetic difference among Las populations harbored by different insect vectors and difference among Las populations with respect to whether or not they cause disease in host plants.