First Record of Lepidopteran Borers in Macadamia Nuts in Brazil

Abstract

Brazil recently began commercial cultivation of macadamia nuts, making it necessary to identify the insect pests attacking them in order to develop a pest management program. This study reports the occurrence of lepidopteran borers in macadamia fruits of orchards from the municipality of Jaboticabal, state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Sampling was performed biweekly by visually searching for attacked fruits. The nuts collected had circular holes caused by lepidopteran larvae. The borers identified were Elaphria hypophaea (Hampson) (Noctuidae), Gymnandrosoma aurantianum (Lima) (Tortricidae), and Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller) (Pyralidae), which occurred in the stages of fruit formation and growth, ripe fruits, and dropped fruits, respectively. This is the first record of E. hypophaea as a macadamia fruit borer worldwide, and the first record of G. aurantianum and E. ceratoniae as macadamia fruit borers in Brazil. Sumario O Brasil recentemente comecou a cultivar macadâmia comercialmente, e isso torna necessario identificar os insetos-praga que atacam as nozes de macadâmia, a fim de desenvolver um programa de controle de pragas. Este estudo relata a ocorrencia de brocas de lepidopteros em frutos de macadâmia de pomares do municipio de Jaboticabal, estado de Sao Paulo, Brasil. As amostragens foram realizadas quinzenalmente, procurando visualmente por frutos atacados. As castanhas coletadas tinham orificios circulares causados por lagartas. As especies de lepidopteros brocas identificados foram Elaphria hypophaea (Hampson) (Noctuidae), Gymnandrosoma aurantianum (Lima) (Tortricidae), e Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller) (Pyralidae), que ocorreram nas fases de formacao e crescimento dos frutos, frutos maduros e frutos em queda, respectivamente. Este e o primeiro registro mundial de E. hypophaea como broca de macadâmia e o primeiro registro de G. aurantianum e E. ceratoniae como broca de macadâmia no Brasil. Key Words: Macadamia integrifolia; insect pest; lepidopteran larva; damage; Proteaceae View this article in BioOne