First record of Plectris aliena Chapin, 1934 (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae) as a potential sugarcane pest in Brazil

Gilmar Vieira Coutinho,Elias Soares Gomes,Mariana Alejandra Cherman,Crébio José Ávila,Eduardo Neves Costa,Ivana Fernandes Da Silva

doi:10.1590/1678-992x-2020-0128

Abstract

Plectris alienaChapin, 1934, a white grub that promotes serious damage to a variety of crops in North America and Australia, has been reported for the first time in Brazil. Larvae and adults of P. aliena were recorded in sugarcane crops in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, sampled by trenches in the soil with light traps, respectively, during 2012 and 2013. Root consumption was also determined for the first, second and third instar larvae. The species is univoltine; adults were found mainly in Aug and the peak of third instar larval density was in Apr in all fields sampled. Pupae and adults of P. aliena were observed in the soil profile at depths of up to 60 and 80 cm, respectively. Larvae of P. aliena of the second and third instar consumed the primary and secondary roots of sugarcane, causing serious damage. Third instar larvae consumed 916 mg of root fresh matter, representing 72 % of the sugarcane root system. These results assist in furthering the understanding of its larval dynamics in the soil and provide support for Integrated Pest Management.

Highlights

Plectris LePeletier and Audinet-Serville, 1828 is one of the richest genus within Macrodactylini, with 358 species distributed in the Neotropical region (Evans and Smith, 2009; Krajčik, 2012)
Plectris aliena Chapin, 1934, is the only species recorded outside the Neotropical region, and has been described from specimens collected in Charleston, South Carolina, USA (Chapin, 1934)
In May, the density of the third-instar larvae decreased, which matches with the increase of pupae in the soil profile, whose presence was confirmed only at depths greater than 30 cm

Summary

Introduction

Plectris LePeletier and Audinet-Serville, 1828 is one of the richest genus within Macrodactylini, with 358 species distributed in the Neotropical region (Evans and Smith, 2009; Krajčik, 2012). Plectris aliena Chapin, 1934, is the only species recorded outside the Neotropical region, and has been described from specimens collected in Charleston, South Carolina, USA (Chapin, 1934). The current records of this species are from the southeastern states of the USA, Queensland and New South Wales (Australia) (Brill and Abney, 2013; Allsopp and Hutchinson, 2018). The unique record of P. aliena in sugarcane, Saccharum officinarum L. (Poaceae) has been reported by Samson et al (2013) in New South Wales (Australia)

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Conclusion