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Thrips are serious crop pests with a worldwide distribution. The first step in the design of control methods is accurate species identification. However, the morphological identification of thrips can be complex, especially as there is morphological variation amongst individuals of the same species. Analyzing a fragment of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) has been used successfully in the identification of insects and other arthropods. Citrus is among the most important crops in the world, and Mexico is one of the largest producers. Despite this, formal reports on the species diversity of thrips found in Mexican citrus orchards are scarce. We explored the species diversity of thrips in selected citrus orchards (of Mexican orange, Key lime and Persian lime), based on morphological taxonomy and on partial sequences of COI. We analyzed 111 thrips specimens, distributed in two genera: Frankliniella, including Frankliniella insularis, Frankliniella invasor and Frankliniella occidentalis; and Scirtothrips, including Scirtothrips citri and Scirtothrips dorsalis. Frankliniella insularis and F. invasor were the most abundant species in Mexican orange (Citrus × sinensis) and Persian lime (Citrus × latofolia) orchards. Scirtothrips dorsalis was the most abundant species in Key lime orchards (Citrus × aurantiifolia). Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) and haplotype analyses performed on F. insularis sequences (the most abundant species) showed no significant effect of geographical origin or plant host on its genetic population structure. DNA barcoding is a valuable method to complement the morphological identification of thrips in citrus orchards, allowing more accurate identification to species level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mexico has a rich history and significant expertise in biological control and is a megadiverse country and center of crop domestication. The latter two features are particularly relevant to classical biological control because megadiverse countries are frequent locations for biological control problems, and crop domestication centers are regular sources of biological control solutions for other regions. Aside from species richness, Mexican megadiversity implies a diversity of environments in which numerous non-native crops, particularly susceptible to invasive pests, are cultivated (e.g., citrus, coffee, sugarcane). Also, many crops originating from Mexico are cultivated worldwide (e.g., maize, chili pepper, avocado) and associated herbivores and pests in Mexico frequently become invasive pests elsewhere. We reviewed six case studies in which Mexico was either a stage for biological control of invasive pests on introduced and native crops, or a source of biological control solutions for invasive pests of Mexican crops elsewhere. First, we reviewed biological control efforts in Mexico targeting coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei), pink hibiscus mealybug (Maconellicoccus hirsutus), and Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri). Second, we reviewed potential solutions for classical biological control of native Mexican pests in other regions: fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) in Africa, Asia, and Oceania; false carmine cochineal scale (Dactylopius opuntiae) in the Mediterranean; and pepper weevil (Anthonomus eugenii) in Canada and Europe. We concluded by discussing how Mexico, and megadiverse and center of crop domestication countries, generally, are rich sources of experiences and solutions for managing invasive pests worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis sacchari, is a worldwide pest that significantly affects sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. In the USA this pest can cause up to 100% yield losses, mainly when no action is taken to control this pest. In this study, the potential of three species of Chrysoperla for biological control of M. sacchari was assessed by comparing predation capacity and functional responses of the three species. Individuals of Chrysoperla carnea were collected in a crop of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in the State of Guanajuato, México, while C. externa and C. comanche were obtained from a laboratory colony reared on cereal moth, Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier), and from a commercial planting of pecan, Carya illinoensis (Wangenh), respectively. Our results suggested that C. carnea is a good option for an augmentative biological control program against M. sacchari in sorghum because the species had a mean predation capacity of 119.4 nymphs in 24 hours, and a type II functional response; they were able to locate and consume 80% of their prey even at the low prey density of 64. C. carnea had a high coefficient of attack (0.10) and a short handling time (0.10 hour) compared to the other Chrysoperla species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Colombiana de Entomología is the property of Universidad del Valle and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Chapingo Serie Ciencias Forestales is the property of Universidad Autonoma Chapingo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Stenoma catenifer Walsingham is a quarantine pest of avocado. Therefore, its detection in avocado-growing regions of Mexico that had been designated pest-free can halt national and international trade. One option for monitoring S. catenifer is the use of synthetic sex pheromone traps. In this study we determined the optimal density of pheromone-baited traps for monitoring S. catenifer. The experiment was conducted in 4 commercial Hass avocado orchards in Colima, Mexico, each with different pest infestation levels. Trap densities were established at 0.5, 1, 2, or 3 traps per ha. The traps were checked every 15 d and the number of moths recorded. The density of 3 traps per ha captured the most moths per trap followed by 1 trap per ha; similar small numbers of moths were captured at densities of 0.5 and 2 traps per ha. In general, there was a linear relationship between trap catch and trap density per ha. The overall default error rate, i.e., the proportion of traps did not detect moths when they were present, was 5.5% at a density of 3 traps per ha and 2.7% at trap densities of 0.5 and 2 traps per ha. Furthermore, at a density of 1 trap per ha all traps captured moths and so there was no default error. Since S. catenifer is a quarantine pest that must be detected promptly to reduce the risk of dispersal and establishment in moth-free areas, it is suggested that a density of 1 trap per ha should be used in avocado orchards to effectively monitor for the presence of this pest. However, this estimate was obtained through the bootstrapping technique, which involves the creation of pseudoreplicate datasets by resampling. Randomized field experiments with true replicates are needed to corroborate this result. La presencia de Stenoma catenifer Walsingham, una plaga cuarentenaria, puede cancelar la comercialización nacional e internacional de aguacate Hass de zonas libres de plagas reglamentadas del aguacatero. Una opción para su oportuna detección es el uso de trampas con feromona sexual sintética. El objetivo del estudio fue determinar la densidad de estas de trampas para el monitoreo de S. catenifer. El experimento se estableció en cuatro huertos comerciales de aguacate Hass, con diferentes niveles de infestación de la plaga, en Colima, México. En los huertos, se establecieron las densidades siguientes: 0.5, 1, 2, y 3 trampas por ha. Las trampas se revisaron cada 15 días para registrar el número de palomillas capturadas. La densidad de 3 trampas por ha capturó el mayor número de palomillas, seguida de la densidad de 1 trampa por ha, mientras que las capturas con 0.5 y 2 trampas por ha fueron las menores, pero muy similares entre sí. En general, las densidades de 0.5, 1, y 2 trampas por ha en relación con la densidad de 3 trampas por ha estuvieron linealmente relacionadas en la mayoría de los casos. La tasa de error global por omisión, i.e., no detectar la palomilla cuando está presente, con referencia a la densidad de 3 trampas por ha fue de 5.5%, y de 2.7% para las densidades de 0.5 y 2 trampas por ha, mientras que en la densidad de 1 trampa por ha siempre se detectaron palomillas y no tuvo omisión de error. Por tratarse de una plaga de importancia cuarentenaria y por el interés de detectarla oportunamente y así reducir el riesgo de dispersión y establecimiento a las áreas libres, se sugiere usar la densidad de una trampa por hectárea de aguacate. Sin embargo, este estimado se obtuvo mediate la técnica de bootstrapping que utiliza pseudor-replicas. Para validar este resultado, se requieren experimentos de campo con repeticiones verdaderas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jaliscoa hunteri (Crawford) (Hymenoptera Pteromalidae) is a generalist ectoparasitoid that has received attention because it can parasitize the pepper weevil Anthonomus eugenii (Cano) (Coleoptera Curculionidae). Since J. hunteri adults perform host feeding to get protein and to increase their reproductive potential, the objective of this work was to describe its ovarioles and to evaluate if feeding adults with three protein supplements (casein, pollen and hydrolysed protein) had any effect on them. Five treatments were considered: honey, honey and host, and mixtures of honey with casein, pollen or hydrolysed protein. The number of oocytes, eggs and egg size (quality) were evaluated in each case. For evaluation, we dissected 10 J. hunteri females at 0, 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 day of age. J. hunteri ovarioles are of the polytrophic meroistic type, with one pair of ovaries and three ovarioles per ovary. The amount of oocytes in J. hunteri that were honey-host fed was 25% higher than any other treatment, followed by honey, honeycasein, and honey-pollen which produced 15% more oocytes than honey-hydrolysed protein. Honey-host produced 59% more eggs than treatments with no host, followed by honey-casein, which produced 38% more eggs than treatments with no host. Egg size was not affected by treatments. The highest production of oocytes and eggs occurred on days 5, 10 and 15, and honey-host resulted in the highest number of both variables. Though more experimentation is needed, results with no host suggest that casein has an effect on the reproductive biology of J. hunteri. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]