Júlio César Melo Poderoso

Lasioderma serricorne (Coleoptera: Anobiidae): First Record in Dehydrated Bee Pollen in Sergipe State, Brazil

SUMMARY Bee pollen, which is the material that adheres to honeybees as they collect nectar from flowers, is agglutinated into balls with nectar and bee saliva substances and is important to the survival of colonies of these insects. Damage to bee pollen stored at 10% RH was found in samples collected in Sergipe State, Brazil. Insects found in the pollen were identified as Lasioderma serricorne (Fabricius, 1792) (Coleoptera: Anobiidae), a cosmopolitan insect and one of the main insects infesting tobacco and many stored food products. This is the first record of damage by this insect in dehydrated pollen balls, which makes this product unfit for human consumption.

New Record of Grasshopper (Orthoptera: Acrididae & Romaleidae) Defoliators and Population Dynamics of Insects on Crops of Heliconia spp in the Amazon

ABSTRACT Despite the expansion of floriculture, little is known about insects associated to this crop in northern Brazil. The objective was to identify the main species of defoliator grasshoppers, associated to crops of Heliconia spp. in the northeastern region of State of Pará, Brazil , in the municipalities of Castanhal, Belém and Benevides, from Aug 2004 to Mar 2005. Representatives with higher abundances in these municipalities were the orders Coleoptera, Thysanoptera, Hemiptera and Orthoptera. The collected species of Orthoptera were Cornops frenatum frenatum (Marshall) and Eutropidacris cristata L. (Orthoptera: Acrididae), Prionolopha serrata L. and Chromacris speciosa Thunberg (Orthoptera: Romaleidae), which present a substantial potential to damage heliconias crop in northeastern Pará, Brazil.

Comparative Morphology of Eggs of the Predators Brontocoris tabidus and Supputius cincticeps (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)

ABSTRACT Brontocoris tabidus (Signoret)and Supputius cincticeps (Stal) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) are natural enemies of lepidopteran defoliator pests. Therefore, more detailed information regarding the morphology of their eggs will certainly enhance the identification of these predators during the initial developmental stages for easy recognition of their presence in the field. In this study, eggshell morphology and morphometry of B. tabidus and S. cincticeps were examined. The diameter of the B. tabidus eggs was 2.03 ± 0.12 mm, height of 2.86 ± 0.08 mm, and the number of aero-micropylar processes were 14.8 ± 0.74; for eggs of the S. cincticeps, the diameter was 1.80 ± 0.32 mm, height 2.05 ± 0.27, and aero-micropylar processes 12.6 ± 1.18 mm. The eggs are oval to subglobose in shape, narrowing from the base to the apex; the operculum is circular convex with a circular array of aero-micropylar process on the anterior pole of the egg. The spicules seen on the flattened side of the B. tabidus and S. cincticeps eggs are fewer than those found in the operculum. Egg height and the number of aero-micropylar processes were higher in B. tabidus than in S. cincticeps. Such distinctive characters enable the identification of these predators eggs.

Dechorionation and Permeabilization of Podisus nigrispinus (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) Eggs: Limiting Factors for Cryopreservation

Abstract Cryopreservation protocols have been developed for eggs of Diptera, Lepidoptera, and Hymenoptera; however, for Heteroptera, such as Podisus nigrispinus Dallas, 1851 (Pentatomidae), no procedures have been described yet. The objective of this study was to evaluate the processes of dechorionation and permeabilization on the viability of eggs of P. nigrispinus with different embryonic ages. In the laboratory, embryos of 24, 48, 72, and 96 h of age were submitted to sodium hydroxide, sodium hypochlorite, isopropyl, and hexane solutions for dechorionation and permeabilization.The experiment was carried out in a 4 × 8 factorial scheme. Sodium hydroxide affects embryo viability; however, 96-h-old embryos showed higher viability when compared with 24, 48, and 72-h-old embryos. Microscope observations showed that, after the treatments, the chorion of P. nigrispinus eggs was reduced to 5.11 ± 0.30 µm. These solutions for dechorionation and permeabilization of P. nigrispinus eggs together with embryonic age affect the viability of embryos to be cryopreserved.

Effects of Temperature on the Development of Podisus nigrispinus (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae): Implications for Mass Rearing

Abstract Predatory stinkbugs such as Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) have been mass-reared in the laboratory and released for use in integrated pest management programs. However, the rearing of this natural enemy may not coincide with pest outbreaks in the field, which indicates the need for techniques to manipulate the life cycle of the predator. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different temperatures on the development and other biological characteristics of the stinkbug predator P. nigrispinus. Six temperatures were used (13, 17, 21, 25, 29, and 33 °C ± 0.2 °C), and the following parameters were evaluated: duration of egg and nymphal stages; survival rate of the nymphal stages and newly emerged adults; adult longevity; number of eggs per female; pre-oviposition, oviposition, and post-oviposition periods; and adult weight. At 4 temperatures it was possible to obtain survival at all nymphal stages. Longer adult longevity, pre-oviposition, oviposition, and post-oviposition periods were obtained at 17 °C. However, the number of eggs, weight, and size were negatively affected by this cooler temperature. Temperatures of 21 and 25 °C were the most appropriate for the development of the predator; however, the temperatures 17 and 29 °C allowed delay or acceleration of the predators life cycle, thereby facilitating release of the predators when they are needed in the field for biological suppression of pests.

Foraging behavior: the food choice and quality of honey from Melipona scutellaris latreille (hymenoptera: Apidae)

Data on the preferred foraging times and identification of pollen collected by stingless bees has led to further insights into the bees’ behavioral and ecological habits, thus enabling the analysis of the honey produced which in turn will facilitate quality control of this product. Present study reveals the foraging times and food preferences of the stingless bee Melipona scutellaris (hymenoptera: Apidae) together with a physicochemical evaluation of the honey produced by this bee. M. scutellaris tended to be more active in the morning during the winter, visited a wide variety of plants in their search for food, and produced a good quality honey. In winter the bees showed generalist behavior foraging many different plants.

Palmistichus elaeisis (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) parasitizing pupae of the passion fruit pest Agraulis vanillae vanillae (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

Summary Agraulis vanillae vanillae L. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) is a pest of Passiflora species (Malpighiales: Passifloraceae). The parasitism of A. vanillae vanillae pupae by Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare & LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) was evaluated. Ten 72-h-old mated P. elaeisis females were confined for 48 h with each 24-h-old A. vanillae vanillae pupa. These exposed pupae were transferred to glass tubes until the emergence of the parasitoid adults. The percentages of parasitism and emergence, number that emerged, sex ratio, body size, width of the head capsule, and longevity of P. elaeisis females and males were similar to those of P. elaeisis reared with various other hosts. These results this indicated that it is practical to rear this parasitoid with A. vanillae vanillae pupae to provide the parasitoid for use in biological control programs.

First Report of Caryedes brasiliensis (Thunberg) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae) Preying on Seeds of Dioclea violacea Mart. ex Benth. (Fabaceae) In Brazil

The genus Dioclea Kunth (Fabaceae: Papilionoideae: Diocleinae) has over 50 species that occur in tropical zones, mostly in Central and South America, especially in the Amazon forest (Perez et al. 1990; Souza and Lorenzi 2012). Dioclea violacea Mart. ex Benth. is a climbing woody vine characterized by trifoliate leaves and a pink corolla. It is found in Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil. In Brazil, this plant occurs in the biomes Caatinga (Burkart 1970; Mendonça-Filho 1996; Fernandes et al. 2015), Atlantic Forest, Pampa, and Pantanal (Fernandes et al. 2015) in the states of Bahia, Sergipe, Pernambuco, Piauí (northeastern region), Mato Grosso do Sul (mid-eastern region), Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo (southeastern region), Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná, and Santa Catarina (southern region) (Fernandes et al. 2015). The ethyl extract from D. violacea seeds is used as a formicide and parasiticide and applied to the skin damaged by insect bites or poisonous animals (Leprevost 1952; Mello et al. 1971). Bruchinae, or seed beetles, are presently assigned to the family Chrysomelidae. Their larvae develop in plant seeds, mostly Fabaceae. Several species are of agricultural importance (Southgate 1979; Terborgh 1990; Romero-Nápoles 2002; Kingsolver 2004) because their host plants are grown for human food or livestock fodder (Southgate 1979). The bruchine larvae feed inside the seeds on the seed endosperm, and they can also consume the embryo. Studies reporting the presence of Coleoptera causing damage to Dioclea seeds are restricted to the genera Caryedes Hummel and mostly in Costa Rica (Jansen 1969, 1971; Rosenthal et al. 1976; Rosenthal 1983). Therefore, this study aims to record and identify the causal agent of damage to seeds of D. violacea in Brazil. Dioclea violacea seeds (Fig. 1) were collected at Fazenda Santo Antonio, Pacatuba, Sergipe,

First report Thaumastocoris peregrinus in Eucalyptus plantations in the State of Sergipe, Brazil (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae)

Abstract Thaumastocoris peregrinus (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae) is a new insect pest that is associated with the Eucalyptus plantations. The damage caused by this insect on eucalyptus is easily identifiable. There is an initial silvering of the leaves, which progresses to tanning of the treetops. This is the first record of T. peregrinus attacking isolated Eucalyptus plants located in the municipality of São Cristóvão-Sergipe.