Greenidea ficicola Takahashi (Hemiptera: Greenideidae), a new aphid in Brazil

Greenidea ficicola Takahashi (Hemiptera: Greenideidae), um novo afídeo no Brasil

SCIENTIFIC NOTE

Greenidea ficicola Takahashi (Hemiptera: Greenideidae), a new aphid in Brazil

Greenidea ficicola Takahashi (Hemiptera: Greenideidae), um novo afídeo no Brasil

Carlos R. Sousa- Silva^I; José C. Brombal^II; Fernando A. Ilharco^III

^IDepto. Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva, [e-mail]

^IIPrograma de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Recursos Naturais, DEBE, [e-mail]. UFSCar, Rodovia Washington Luís, km 235, C. postal 676, 13565-905 São Carlos, SP, Brasil

^IIIEstação Agronómica Nacional, 2784-505, Oeiras, Portugal

ABSTRACT

Greenidea ficicola Takahashi (Hemiptera: Greenideidae) is recorded in the Neotropical Region. G. ficicola was collected in the municipality of São Carlos, São Paulo State, Southeastern Brazil. The specimens are apterous forms collected on Ficus microcarpa L. (Moraceae) leaves in September 2003 and September 2004.

Key words: Aphidoidea, Ficus, apterous form

RESUMO

Greenidea ficicola Takahashi (Hemiptera: Greenideidae) foi coletado pela primeira vez na região Neotropical no município de São Carlos, região sudeste do Brasil. Foram encontradas formas ápteras em Ficus microcarpa L. (Moraceae) em setembro de 2003 e setembro de 2004.

Palavras-chave: Aphidoidea, Ficus microcarpa, forma áptera

Greenidea ficicola Takahashi (Hemiptera: Greenideidae) is readily recognized by the dark, long (at least one third of body lenght), hairy siphunculi and apically curved siphunculi. The body is pear-shaped, yellowish-brown to dark-brown in apterae forms. Alatae forms have an elongate body with dark-brown abdomen, and siphunculi up two-thirds of body lenght (Blackman & Eastop 2000).

Up to now, G. ficicola has been found in continental Asia, Japan, Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, Australia and Indonesia (Blackman & Eastop 1994), but there are recent accounts for Burundi, Africa (Remaudière et al. 1992) and USA (Halbert 2004). Over most of its range, G. ficicola is recorded on Ficus species, including F. carica L. (common fig) (Moraceae) (Blackman & Eastop 1994, 2000), although there are records on Artocarpus integrifolia Lf. (Moraceae) (Devi et al. 1987) and guava (Psidium guajava L.) (Myrtaceae) (Ahmad et al. 1995, Blackman & Eastop 2000) in India.

In a survey in the municipality of São Carlos (22º 00' 43,1" S, 47º 53' 37,5" W, 821 m a. s. l.), São Paulo State, Southeastern Brazil, apterous forms of G. ficicola were found on F. microcarpa L. undersides of leaves in September 2003 and 2004 (late winter). Alate forms and visiting of ants were not observed. The specimens are deposited (sample 995) in the Aphid Collection of the Departmento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva of the Universidade Federal de São Carlos (Coleafis/DEBE/UFSCar) at São Carlos city, SP, Brazil.

As far as we know, this is the first report of G. ficicola in Brazil or in the Neotropics. The use of exotic and native Ficus species as ornamental trees in parks or streets is widely adopted in Southeast Brazil, and the international trade with Asian countries have increased in the past two decades. It is believed that these two factors may explain the occurrence of G. ficicola in South America. Several commercial orchards grow common fig in Southeast Brazil. Therefore, further studies about G. ficicola as a possible pest in Brazilian fig orchards are recommended.

Acknowledgments

To Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Brazil, for the financial support to JCB. We also thank Dr. Rodolfo Antônio de Figueiredo for identification of F. microcarpa and Dr. Odete Rocha for reviewing the manuscript.

Literature Cited

Received 16/V/05. Accepted 06/VII/05.

• Ahmad, M.D.E., Rajendra-Singh, S.-R. & M. D. Equbal-Ahmad. 1995. First record of the aphid parasitoid Archaphidus greenideae Stary & Schlinger (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae) from India. Entomon 20: 1-63.
• Blackman, R.L. & V.F. Eastop. 1994. (eds.), Aphids on the world's trees: An identification and information Guide. Wallingford, CAB, 986p.
• Blackman, R.L. & V.F. Eastop. 2000. (eds.), Aphids on the world's crops: An identification and information guide. Chichester, John Wiley & Sons, 466p.
• Devi, C.M., M.S. Paonam & T.K. Singh. 1987. Aphids (Homoptera: Aphididae) and their associated ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of fruit trees in Manipur, north-east India. J. Aphidol. 1: 102-104.
• Halbert, S.E. 2004. The genus Greenidea (Rhynchota: Aphididae) in the United States. Fla. Entomol. 87: 159-163.
• Remaudière, G., A. Autrique & L. Ntahimpera. 1992.Greenidea ficicola, première espèce de la tribu des Greenideini découverte en Afrique (Homoptera, Aphididae, Greenideinae). Rev. Fran. Entomol. 14: 132

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  20 Mar 2006
• Date of issue
  Dec 2005

History

• Accepted
  06 July 2005
• Received
  16 May 2005