Oswaldo García-Martínez

Laboratory Development and Field Validation of Phormia regina (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

ABSTRACT Immature blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) collected from decomposing human remains are often used to determine the minimum postmortem interval (PMImin). Phormia regina (Meigen) is a common blow fly of cosmopolitan distribution that is often associated in such cases. P. regina development at two different cyclic temperatures was examined in this study. A field validation study was conducted to determine the accuracy of applying these data to determine the PMImin. Minimal total development time was 32.52 d at cyclic 14.0 ±2.0°C and 16.60 d at cyclic 20.5 ±3.1°C. The minimal larval development was significantly different (P < 0.05) across temperatures. Larval development needed 15.5 d at 14.0°C and 7.5 d at 20.5°C. For the validation study, instar, mean, and maximum of length and weight data of the larvae collected in the field were analyzed with data generated from the 20.5°C treatment, as it more closely reflected the field conditions experienced. Accuracy in estimating PMImin, was highly variable depending on the unit of measurement used and instar of P. regina collected from the field. Using the oldest instar to estimate a PMImin resulted in ranges that always encompassed the true time of colonization. Accuracy in hours when using measurements units as mean length or weight, and maximal length or weight, varied among the larval instars. In the first instar the greatest overestimation was made with maximal weight while the greatest underestimation was made with mean weight. The most accurate estimate produced with first instars was based on maximal length. In the second instar, there was no overestimation and the greatest underestimation was made with mean weight and the most accurate estimate produced was with maximal length. In the third instar, the greatest overestimation was made with maximal length, and the greatest underestimation was made with mean weight. The estimated time of colonization based on maximal weight was most accurate for third instars.

New Records for Mexico: Gynaikothrips uzeli, Androthrips ramachandrai (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae) and Montandoniola confusa (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae)

The presence of the thrips Gynaikothrips uzeli Zimmerman, Androthrips ramachandrai Karny, and the anthocorid Montandoniola confusa Streito & Matocq are reported for the first time associated with galls of Ficus benjamina in San Blas, Santiago Ixcuintla, and Tepic of Nayarit, Mexico.

New Records of Thrips from Mesoamerica and Comments Regarding Specific Characters (Tubulifera: Phlaeothripidae)

Several genera in the Tubulifera are mono typic, and in some cases species were described based on a sole original holotype (Mound, 1976). This scenario complicates the study of morpholog ical variation in species, and in several cases, in traspecific variation may be greater than varia tion between species (Retana-Salazar & Mound 1994). Reports of taxa from new localities and de scriptions of specific character variation are fun damental in the study of these groups. Modest publications of this sort advance the construction of a more complete landscape of morphological variation on an interspecific and intraspecific level.

Escarabajos de la Savia1 de Coahuila, México y Atrayentes Efectivos Para su Recolecta

Resumen. Especímenes de Nitidulidae fueron recolectados en diferentes localidades de Coahuila, Méx. durante 2011 al 2013. Trece géneros y 27 especies se reportan, 23 son primeros registros para Coahuila y para México y 4 de ellos reportados anteriormente. Aethina tumida Murray es considerada una importante especie invasora de Apis mellifera Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Apidae); Stelidota geminata Say y Lobiopa insularis Castelnau dañan al fruto maduro de la fresa; Carpophilus lugubris Murray y C. hemipterus Dobson causan daños en mazorcas secas de maíz y en maíz en estado de elote, respectivamente. Se describen los métodos y técnicas utilizadas con los que se recolectaron estos primeros taxones, y el uso específico de los cebos a base de frutos en descomposición como son: frutos secos, bebidas alcohólicas, jugos fermentados, carne descompuesta de puerco, masa de maíz mezclada con azúcar morena, entre otros. Se presenta una lista de las especies de Nitidulidae como primer marco taxonómico para el estado de Coahuila y para México.

Descripción de Una Especie Nueva del Género Aleuropleurocelus1 de México

Resumen. Se describe e ilustra a Aleuropleurocelus guerrerensis Carapia y Sánchez sp. nov., encontrada en Acapulco, Guerrero y Ayala Morelos, México en hojas de Ficus insipida Willd y Ficus crocata (Miq.) Miq. La presencia de esta mosca blanca es muy común en arboles de Ficus conocidos como amates, se alimentan succionando la savia de estos y las secreciones azucaradas provoca el desarrollo de fumagina aunque el grado de daño no ha sido evaluado. La descripción de esta especie pretende contribuir al conocimiento taxonómico del género Aleuropleurocelus.

Diversidad y Abundancia de Chicharritas en Jatropha curcas L., en Mazatepec, Morelos, México

Resumen. Las chicharritas (Cicadellidae) son un grupo de insectos de importancia fitosanitaria; sus daños varían desde alteraciones fisiológicas y necrosis, producto de sus hábitos de alimentación y oviposición, hasta intensas infecciones causadas por los virus y otros patógenos que trasmiten. El trabajo tuvo como objetivo evaluar la diversidad y abundancia de especies de chicharritas en una plantación comercial de piñón (Jatropha curcas L.) en Morelos, México. Se capturaron 372 especímenes de Cicadellidae, distribuidos en 10 géneros; de éstos, los más abundantes fueron Draeculacephala (41.4%), Oncometopia (18.0%), y Dikrella (15.6%). El mayor número de individuos (132) se colectó en el estrato medio de los árboles de piñón. Los valores de los índices de diversidad de Shannon-Weaver (H′ = 0.60 bits/individuo) y Simpson (Dsi = 0.33 bits/individuo) revelaron baja diversidad poblacional y de moderada a baja dominancia entre los géneros recolectados. La mayor riqueza de géneros se localizó en octubre y de especímenes en noviembre. Estos resultados enriquecen la información faunística de los cicadélidos y el conocimiento de los estratos arbóreos en que regularmente se refugian; pero sobre todo, se identificó la presencia de géneros con gran potencial para afectar diversas especies de plantas de interés agrícola.

Descripción de Dos Especie Nuevas del Género Aleuropleurocelus1 de México

Resumen. En este estudio se describen a Aleuropleurocelus annonae Carapia-Ruiz y Sánchez-Flores sp. nov., encontrada en los estados de Morelos en hojas de Annona reticulata L., y a Aleuropleurocelus guazumae Carapia-Ruiz y Sánchez-Flores sp. nov., encontrada en el estado de Guerrero, en el envés de hojas de Guazuma ulmifolia Lam. Se proporcionan fotomicrografías de estructuras morfológicas de puparios, y se discute la separación con otras especies elípticoovales de Aleuropleurocelus.

New Records of the Genus Encarsia Förster1 and Hosts at Veracruz, Mexico

Abstract. The Mexican state of Veracruz is renowned for biological diversity based on limited studies in the ecoregion. Fifteen species of Encarsia Förster are reported to occur on numerous hosts. Our objective was to intensively survey the Encarsia genus in the northern part of the state to detect new and previously unreported species that might be present, along with their hosts. Whitefly nymphs from a wide range of hosts were collected at Tampico el Alto and Ciudad Cuauhtémoc during 2013 and 2014. Six species of Encarsia not reported for the State of Veracruz, Mexico were identified and recorded: E. andrewi Myartseva & Coronado Blanco, E. nigricephala Dozier, E. pergandiella Howard, E. Sophia (Girault & Dodd), E. tapachula Myartseva, and E. trialeurodis Myartseva, parasitizing: Aleurodicus sp., Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), Tetraleurodes acacia Quaintance, T. vaporariorum (Westwood), Aleuropleurocelus sp., and Aleurotrachelus sp., respectively. The six species of Encarsia are new records for the State of Veracruz, increasing to 21 the number of species known. In addition, six new Aleyrodidae hosts were recorded for Encarsia species. The Aleyrodid complex includes many agricultural pests, and these findings will aid scientific understanding of tritrophic interactions in nature and agriculture.

A New Species of the Genus Encarsia1, Parasitoid of the Whitefly Aleurodicus rugioperculatus Martin2 in Mexico

Abstract. Encarsia fernandae Sánchez & Myartseva, sp. nov., parasitoid of the whitefly Aleurodicus rugioperculatus Martin, 2004, collected on Persea americana Mill. in Puebla, Mexico is described. A key for the identification for females of the genus Encarsia (noyesi group) of Mexico was prepared. A new junior synonym for Encarsia noyesi (Hayat) (=Encarsia narroi Gómez y García) was proposed.

The Whitefly Tetraleurodes perileuca (Cockerell) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in Mexico and the First Record of its Parasitoid Amitus granulosus MacGown and Nebeker (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae)

Whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) are important members of ecological communities and primary pests of agriculture worldwide (Naranjo and Ellsworth, 2005; Asiimwe et al., 2013). Knowledge of the whiteflies and their natural enemies is essential for a better understanding of whitefly population fluctuation and regulation, and in biological control projects. During a survey of whiteflies on oak trees (Quercus spp.: Fagaceae) in Mexico, infested leaves were collected at selected localities of the Mexican states of Coahuila, Puebla, Tlaxcala and Queretaro, and in Mexico City, from January to December of 2016. Infested leaves were placed in petri dishes lined up with slightly moistened filter paper, and incubated for four weeks under laboratory conditions at room temperature (24–27◦C) under a 12 hr daily photoperiod, in order to obtain emerging whitefly adults and/or their internal parasitoids. Additional nymphs and pupae of whiteflies and of parasitoids were prepared for observation on permanent slides following the methodology given by Martin (1987). Identification of whiteflies was conducted using Carapia-Ruiz et al. (2016). Parasitoids mounted on permanent slides (Martin, 1987) were photographed under the compound microscope and identified using MacGown and Nebeker (1978). Nymphs and pupae of Tetraleurodes perileuca (Cockerell) (Fig. 1a) were observed on leaves of the oak species Quercus castanea Née, Q. crassipes Bonpl., Q. pringlei Seemen ex Loes, and Q. rugosa Née from the states listed before (Table 1). This whitefly was abundant and widespread at these localities and at those reported by Carapia-Ruiz et al. (2016). Tetraleurodes perileuca is a little-studied species and it was recently reported from Mexico City and the state of Queretaro on Citrus, avocado (Persea), guava (Psidium) and oak trees (Carapia-Ruiz et al. 2016). This whitefly species was reported as Tetraleurodes perileucae (sic) feeding on oak leaves in Galveston, Texas, USA (MacGown and Nebeker, 1978). Several T. perileuca pupae on leaves of Q. pringlei were parasitized by solitary endoparasitoids identified as Amitus granulosus MacGown and Nebeker (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) (MacGown and Nebeker, 1978) (Fig. 1b-d). Both, parasitized and non-parasitized pupae presented a dark-blackish color (Fig. 1a). This parasitoid was collected only at Cañon de San Lorenzo, Saltillo, Coahuila (coordinates 25◦20′04′ ′N, 100◦58′36′ ′). From the 15 T. perileuca nymphs collected in this locality, seven (47%) were parasitized by A. granulosus as determined by parasitoid emergence in the laboratory. Previously, this wasp had been reported only from North America north of Mexico, from the same whitefly species as host (MacGown and Nebeker, 1978). Among species of Amitus from the Americas, A. granulosus (Fig. 1b-d) is clearly identified by the short, oblique process on the fourth antennal segment of males (Fig. 1d; compare to figure 4 in MacGown and Nebeker, 1978). The aforementioned segment thus looks like a “mitten” (Fig. 1d). This species possesses also a vertical carina originating at the antennal base and extending more than halfway to the frons. Also, the mesonotum and scutellum are covered with abundant scales (Fig. 1c) (MacGown and Nebeker, 1978); however, this character may be shared with some other Amitus species (see figures in MacGown and Nebeker, 1978). Including this new record, there are five species of Amitus reported from Mexico (MacGown and Nebeker, 1978; Carapia-Ruiz et al., 2009). Table 2 is a list of Amitus species and their main whitefly hosts reported in this country. Acknowledgment