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Title: SOME INSECT PESTS NEW TO FLORIDA SUGARCANE

Author
item HALL, D - USDA/ARS
item Konstantinov, Alexander - Alex
item HODGES, G - FLA.DEPT. OF AGRICULTUR
item SOSA, O - PALM BEACH SOIL&WATER
item WELBOURN, CAL - FLA.DEPT AGRICULTURE
item WESTCOTT, R - ORGEON DEPT.AGRICULTURE

Submitted to: American Society of Sugar Cane Technologists
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/2/2005
Publication Date: 12/12/2005
Citation: Hall, D.G., Konstantinov, A.S., Hodges, G.S., Sosa, O., Welbourn, C., Westcott, R.L. 2005. Some insect pests new to Florida Sugarcane. Journal of American Society of Sugar Cane Technologists. 25:143-156.

Interpretive Summary: Plant feeding insects are immensely important for U.S. agriculture. Many are serious pests and feed on crops and destroy valuable plants; others are important biological control agents that can be used to kill unwanted weeds. This work reports six insect species for the first time recorded as pests of sugar cane in Florida. This study will be useful to taxonomists, ecologists, sugar cane growers, pest managers and anyone interested in phytophagous insects.

Technical Abstract: The number of insect and mite species attacking sugarcane in Florida has increased over time. Five new pest species were discovered during the 31-year period 1964 to 1995, one species indigenous to Florida with no previous association with sugarcane and four invasive species entirely new to the Everglades Agricultural Area where sugarcane is grown. Reported for the first time here are six new pest species that that were discovered attacking Florida sugarcane during the eight-year period 1995 to 2003: the desert flea beetle Chaetocnema ectypa Horn (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae); a leaf-mining buprestid beetle, Aphanisticus cochinchinae seminulum Obenberger (Coleoptera: Buprestidae); an armored scale, Duplachionaspis divergens (Green) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae); a spider mite, Oligonychus grypus Bakers and Pritchard (Acarina: Tertranychidae); the Diaprepes root weevil Diaprepes abbreviatus (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae); and the pink sugarcane mealybug, Saccharicoccus sacchari (Cockerell) (Hemiptera: Psuedococcidae).