Abstract
SUMMARYEvidence is presented for the involvement of a range of invertebrates in the epidemiology of black pod disease of cocoa. Tent‐building ant species, notably Crematogaster striatula, Camponotus acvapimensis and Pheidole megacephala, are considered to contribute to vertical spread of the pathogen within the cocoa tree. The building material used in tent construction is a potential source of inoculum. Certain phytophagous invertebrates and sugar‐feeding Diptera colonize black pods in the field and may carry viable inoculum externally, on their bodies and mouthparts, or internally, in their faeces. Two species, Brachypeplus pilosellus (Coleoptera) and Chaetonerius latifemur (Diptera), stand out as important vectors because of their abundance, their habit of visiting wounded pods and their proven efficiency in transmission experiments. These vector species quickly colonize the lesions of pod‐wounding insects (mirids, pod borers) and are considered to be the main means of local and long‐distance horizontal spread of the pathogen. Radioactive tracers were extensively used to determine the movements of potential vectors.
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