A New Invasive Jack Beardsley Mealybug,Pseudococcus jackbeardsleyi(Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) on Papaya in India

Abstract

Mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) trilocular pores on sclerotised area. All other cera are major pests of a wide range of agricultural, rii on a membranous area. Anterior cerari with horticultural and ornamental plants worldwide relatively smaller setae and with 2 to 3 auxiliary (Miller et al. 2002). Certain of attributes of the seate. Cerarii number C7 and cerarii on head with Pseudococcidae, viz., wide host range, short 3-4 conical setae. Dorsal surface with small se generation time, cosmopolitan nature, ability to ate and trilocular pores scattered almost evenly, transmit some important plant viruses, etc., have All frontal cerarri with oral rim tubular duct just contributed to their enormous damage potential behind them. Other oral rim tubular ducts pres (Meyer et al. 2008). In this regard, Pseudococcus ent submedially and submarginally on thorax jackbeardsleyi Gimpel and Miller (Hemiptera: and abdomen. Anal lobe and penultimate cerari Pseudococcidae), known as the Jack Beardsley with oral collar tubular duct between them. Ven mealybug, is a polyphagous species of neotropitral surface with slender setae. Multilocular disc cal origin that is known to attack 93 plant spepores present on V to VII abdominal segments, cies including several vegetable and fruit and Oral rim tubular duct and oral collar tubular ornamental crop species (CAB Intl. 2001). The ducts same as dorsum. (Fig. 1). earliest record of this mealybug in Asia was from The invasive mealybug is grayish in color; thin Singapore in 1958, followed by Malaysia in 1969, filaments around the body, caudal pair about one Indonesia in 1973, Philippines in 1975, Brunei in half of the length of the body, and ovisac cover 1979, Thailand in 1987, the Maldives, and Vieting hind part of the body. All other morphological nam in 1994 (Williams 2004a,b;Muniappan 2011) characters also match the description given by and not reported yet from India. In the current reWilliams (2004a). Quick and correct identifica port during the survey for monitoring the activity tion of an invasive pest like P. jackbeardsleyi is of papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus Wilimportant in order to initiate suitable manage liams and Granara de Willink and its parasitoid ment measures that may include quarantine. Mo Acerophagus papayae Noyes & Schauff in Satyalecular identification, at this juncture is handy as mangalam (N 11.5200° E 77.2500°) Tamilnadu, it is not limited by life stage, polymorphism and India, a short tailed mealybug and P. marginatus gender. Incursion of this pest into India has been were found colonizing 2 papaya plantations on proven so far by identifying it by morphological or Jun 2012. Mealybugs were found scattered on molecular methods. Hence, in this paper we are the leaves, fruits and trunks and were observed providing evidence that identifies P. jackbeards sucking the sap from various parts of the papaya leyi in India by both morphological and molecular plants including leaves, stems, flowers and fruits, methods. No serious damage was observed on the papaya Standard protocols were followed for DNA ex plant caused by this new mealybug. Specimens traction, Polymerase Chain Reaction, sequencing of this mealybug were collected and preserved in of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (CO-I) ethyl alcohol (100%) and were stored at 20 °C ungene fragment and sequence alignment (Hajiba til further use. The mealybug was identified as baei et al. 2005). Small portion of the abdomen the Jack Beardsley mealybug, P. jackbeardsleyi, from individual P. jackbeardsleyi was used for at the National Bureau of Agriculturally Imporgenomic DNA and PCR was carried out in a ther tant Insects, Bangalore. mal cycler (ABI-Applied Biosystems, Veriti, USA) Morphological characters used for identifywith the following cycling parameters; 94 °C for 4 ing P. jackbeardsleyi are as follows: Body of the min as initial denaturation followed by 35 cycles female oval to elongate. Antenna 8 segmented, of 94 °C for 30 s, 47 °C for 45 s, 72 °C for 45 s and Legs well developed, translucent pores present on 72 °C for 20 min as final extension using univer hind femur and hind tibia. Discoidal pores pressal CO-I primers (LCO-14905'-GGT CAA CAA ent near eye on sclerotised rim. Cerarii 17 pairs. ATC ATA AAG ATA TTG G-3' and HCO-21985' Anal lobe cerari with 2 conical setae and many TAA ACT TCA GGG TGA CCA AAA AAT CA-3',