The giant conifer aphid, Cinara atlantica (Wilson, 1919) (Hemiptera, Aphididae), is one of the main insect pests on pine reforestation areas in Southern Brazil, nowadays. Since there is very few information about its damage, the objective of this study was to characterize and quantify the damage of C. atlantica on Pinus taeda. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse, using a random design, with three infestation levels: 0 (control), 10 ± 2, 20 ± 2 and 50 ± 2 aphids on each P. taeda seedling of 90 and 150 days old, with 20 replicates/treatment. The main damage observed were stunting, twisting, oversprouting and large amount of sooty mold on honeydew. The basal diameter was significantly reduced by 16.1% under 50 ± 2 aphids/plant of 90 days compared to the control. For the 150 days old seedlings, there was no statistical difference between the infestation levels. The plant height reduction was of 24.4% for the 90 days old plants with 50 ± 2 aphids and 32.6% for the 150 days old with 20 ± 2 aphids.
Aphid damages; giant conifer aphid; infestation level; loblolly pine
