Distribution and host range of Bephratelloides cubensis Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae) in Mexico

SCIENTIFIC NOTE

Distribution and host range of Bephratelloides cubensis Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae) in Mexico

Alvaro Castañeda-Vildózola^I; Cristian Nava-Díaz^II; Jorge Váldez- Carrasco^II; César Ruiz-Montiel^III; Librado Vidal-Hernández^III; Santiago Barrios-Matias^IV

^IFundación Salvador Sánchez Colín CICTAMEX, S.C, Ignacio Zaragoza núm 6, 51700 Coatepec Harinas, México; [e-mail]

^IIColegio de Posgraduados, Campus Montecillo km 36.5, Carretera México-Texcoco, 56230 Montecillo, México

^IIIUniv Veracruzana, Instituto de Genética Forestal, Parque Ecológico El Haya, Carretera Antigua a Coatepec, 91000 Xalapa, Veracruz, México

^IVUniv Autónoma de Guerrero, Instituto de Investigación Científica, Av Lázaro Cárdenas s/n, colonia Haciendita, 39000 Chilpancingo, Guerrero, México

ABSTRACT

The annona fruit borer wasp Bephratelloides cubensis Ashmead was recorded for the first time damaging "ilama" fruits Annona diversifolia (Anonaceae) in Coatlan del rio, Morelos, Cacahuamilpa and El Ocotillo, Guerrero, Mexico. Geographical distribution, hosts and damage are mentioned.

Key words: Annona fruit borer wasp, ilama, bullock heart, sugar apple

The genus Bephratelloides is native from the neotropics, and includes six species (Grissel & Foster 1996), five of them associated to Annona spp. (Grissell & Schauff 1990). Bephratelloides cubensis (Ashmead) and B. pomorum (Fabricius) are the most important pests of high value Anonaceae, such as, soursop (Annona muricata), atemoya (A. cherimola x A. squamosa), sugar apple (A. squamosa) and bullock heart (A. reticulata) (Nadel & Peña 1991a).

Bephratelloides cubensis has been reported in the United States of America (Florida, Hawaii), Mexico, Central America, Caribe and the north of South America (Dozier 1932, Korytkowski & Ojeda 1966, Heu 1988, Peña & Bennett 1995). However, its detailed distribution, host range and behavior in Mexico are unknown. This species was only reported from Nayarit and Tabasco states on soursop fruits, without further details (Sánchez-Soto & Franco-Mora 2001, Hernández-Fuentes et al 2008).

Considering the importance of this pest of Anonaceae, several sites in five states in Mexico were sampled to determine the distribution, host range and behavior of B. cubensis (Table 1). Twenty fruits were collected per site, incubated at room temperature in circular plastic containers (15 x 8 cm) covered with cheese cloth to avoid adult escape. Species confirmation was carried out using the taxonomic key published by Grissell & Schauff (1990).

Based on the morphological traits of the obtained adults (a detailed description of the species may be found in Dozier 1932, Korytkowski & Ojeda 1966, Bruner & Acuña 1967, Grissell & Schauff 1990), the insects attacking A. reticulata, A. squamosa and A. diversifolia in Guerrero, Morelos, Puebla, Veracruz and Yucatan, Mexico were identified as B. cubensis. Annona diversifolia is reported for the first time as a host of B. cubensis in America, supplementing previous reports (Sánchez-Soto & Franco-Mora 2001, Hernández-Fuentes et al 2008) that mentioned that the only host of B. cubensis in Mexico was soursop. Annona cherimola was not observed as a host of B. cubensis in our survey, as reported by others (Nadel & Peña 1991a). However it is reported as a host of this insect elsewhere (Korytkowski & Ojeda 1966). In Mexico, B. cubensis was found from 0 to 1,254 m above the sea level and A. cherimola grows above 1,500 meters above the sea level. The fact that A. cherimola is outside the altitudinal range of B. cubensis in Mexico supports both reports (Korytkowski & Ojeda 1966, Nadel & Peña 1991a). However, further studies are required to test this hypothesis.

We observed that B. cubensis larvae feed and destroy Annona seeds (Fig 1a), where they pupate. Up to 26 adults were observed to emerge per fruit (Fig 1b). Males (Fig 1c) emerge before females (Fig 1d). This behavior was reported by Suarez de Lima et al (1997) in B. pomorum. The exit channels serve as entrance point for other insects and microorganisms. Incidence of B. cubensis on Annona spp. ranged from 30% to 40%.

 

Bephratelloides cubensis was found during the four seasons in Mexico, probably due to the fact that susceptible hosts and weather conditions favor its reproduction. In Nayarit, B. cubensis occurred from March to October, while in Tabasco, adults were found only in July. Adults were observed in February and March in Morelos, Puebla, Guerrero, Veracruz and Yucatan states on A. reticulata. Typically, adults emerge from A. squamosa fruits during July and August and from A. diversifolia in September.

Bephratelloides cubensis has been reported as a thelytokous species, males are very rare and female reproduce by parthenogenesis (Grissell & Schauff 1990, Nadel & Peña 1991b). However, our observations show a 1:1 proportion of male to female, supporting the hypothesis that under our conditions, B. cubensis does not reproduce by thelytoky. Voucher specimens were deposited in the fruit pest collection at the "Fundación Salvador Sánchez Colín CICTAMEX, S.C" and "Universidad Veracruzana".

Received 09/VII/09.

Accepted 15/IX/09.

Edited by Roberto A Zucchi - ESALQ/USP

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Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  17 Jan 2011
• Date of issue
  Dec 2010

History

• Accepted
  15 Sept 2009
• Received
  09 July 2009