New Hosts of Insects Associated with the Process of Rot Damage in Edible Columnar Cacti of Central Mexico

Abstract

Columnar cacti are distributed naturally in arid and semi-arid zones of America. Almost 50% are found in Mexico, were 45 species have been used for 8,500 years and currently are commercialized in regional or international markets. Rot damage in monopodic stems or branches was observed recently in columnar cacti of Central Mexico. Previous reports suggested Cactophagus spinolae (Gyllenhal) and Scyphophorus acupunctactus Gyllenhal as the main causes of damage, and both were feeding on new hosts. This paper recorded organisms associated with the process of rot damage in some columnar cacti of Central Mexico. In 2012, field trips during dry and rainy seasons documented damage and collected insects in five columnar cacti of Central Mexico. The presence of the organisms varied in relation to the host and damage stage: primary, intermediate, and late. The primary stage when rot damage begins is characterized by C. spinolae, as well as Chalcolepidius approximatus Erichson, and larvae of some Lepidoptera. The other stages are characterized by saprophages or parasitoids. Most insects found in the study were new records of species of Cactaceae. Knowledge of ecological interactions and dynamics of plant communities during rot damage is necessary to propose control and sanitation measures, and understand the effect of disturbance in the presence of these herbivores.