Geraldo Salgado-Neto

Biological and Ecological Consequences of Diolcogaster sp. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) Parasitizing Agaraea minuta (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) and the Effects on Two Costus (Costaceae) Plant Species in Brazil

ABSTRACT Costus spicatus (Jacq.) Sw. and Costus spiralis (Jacq.) Roscoe var. spiralis (Costaceae) are economically important plants due to their pharmacological and medicinal properties and ornamental value. These plants are natives from the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest and are fed upon by Agaraea minuta Schaus, 1892 (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae). This study describes the damage done by A. minuta on C. spicatus and C. spiralis and the biological and ecological aspects of parasitism of A. minuta by Diolcogaster sp. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Twenty stems of C. spicatus and C. spiralis with 100 last-instar caterpillars of A. minuta, were collected per plant in each of 2 years. The stem heights (F, P > 0.05), leaf lengths (F, P > 0.05), leaf widths (F, P > 0.05) and the number of leaves per stem (F, P > 0.05) of both plant species; number of pupae obtained from caterpillars of A. minuta (F, P > 0.05), adult emergence of this defoliator (F, P > 0.05) and of Diolcogaster sp. (F, P > 0.05) were similar during the 2 study periods. Agaraea minuta fed on C. spicatus and C. spiralis, and Diolcogaster sp. was shown to be a parasitoid suppressor of populations of this defoliator.

Parasitism of Argon lota Hewitson (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) by Brachymeria pandora (Crawford) (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

This note reports the first record of parasitism of Argon lota Hewitson pupae by the facultative gregarious parasitoid Brachymeria pandora (Crawford). Up to six adults (three males and three females) of B. pandora were observed to emerge from a single A. lota pupa.

First report of the occurrence of Ophiocordyceps melolonthae (Ascomycota: Hypocreales: Ophiocordycipitaceae) in larvae of Diloboderus abderus Sturm (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae) in Brazil

This note is the first report on the infection of Diloboderus abderus Sturm (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae) larvae by the fungusOphiocordyceps melolonthae (Hypocreales: Ophiocordycipitaceae) in subtropical Brazil. Identification was made possible by extraction and sequencing of the fungal DNA that was covering the larvae’s mouthparts, prothorax, cuticle, and digestive tract (alimentary canal). Amplification, sequencing and comparison of the ITS region of the ribosomal DNA with voucher sequences of GenBank were performed and were 95% similar to Ophiocordyceps melolonthae. The fungus is an entomopathogen which attacks Melolonthidae larvae, having scientific and economic importance because of the need for increased knowledge on its distribution and on alternatives for biological control of white grubs.

Dispersion of the soybean root rot by Cycloneda sanguinea (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

The dispersion of pathogenic microorganisms consists of the transport of pathogens from their source to inoculate a new host. Agricultural and economic importance of the Soybean root rot justifies studying this disease, especially the role of insects as dispersers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of the ladybird beetle, Cycloneda sanguinea Linnaeus (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in the dispersion of pathogens that cause Soybean root rot. Three pathogen species, Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) (Sphaeropsidales: Botryosphaeriaceae), Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti species complex (FIESC), and F. commune (Skovgaard) O’Donnell & Nirenberg were isolated from the midgut of ladybird beetles and cultured. Macrophomina phaseolina was identified by morphology while for the other two species, DNA was sequenced. The DNA extracted was amplified in the Internal Transcriber Spacer (ITS) region, sequenced and compared to voucher sequences deposited in the GenBank. Sequences of nucleotide ITS1-5.8 S were identified in the regions of rDNA-ITS4 ribosomal DNA. This is the first report of Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) (Sphaeropsidales: Botryosphaeriaceae), Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti species complex (FIESC), and F. commune (Skovgaard) O’Donnell & Nirenberg, being dispersed by C. sanguinea in Brazilian soybean fields.

First report of parasitism on pupae of Opsiphanes invirae amplificatus Stichel (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) by Conura (Conura) maculata (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera, Chalcididae) in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

First report of parasitism on pupae of Opsiphanes invirae amplificatus Stichel (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) by Conura (Conura) maculata (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera, Chalcididae) in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. This scientific note records the parasitism on pupae of Opsiphanes invirae amplificatus Stichel (1904) by Conura (Conura) maculata (Fabricius). This is a report of this interaction in the subtropical region of South America and the first report of the occurrence of this parasitoid in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

First record of Xanthozona melanopyga (Diptera: Tachinidae) on Brassolis astyra (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) for Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Xanthozona melanopyga (Wiedmann, 1830) (Diptera: Tachinidae) is recorded here as a parasitoid of Brassolis astyra Godart, 1824 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Dipteran endoparasitoids have been recorded as pupal endoparasitoids of Brassolis sophorae (L.), due to the scientific and economic importance of these interespecific relationships, and aiming to increase the knowledge on natural and conservative biological control, I hereby record Xanthozona melanopyga (Wiedmann) as larval-pupal parasitoid of Brassolis astyra Godart for the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. For the first time.