Occurrence of Heilipus draco (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in seeds of Ocotea puberula (Lauraceae) and its influence on germination

Marciane Danniela Fleck Pessotto,Iyanassô Andrade Haag Dos Santos,Mateus Alves Saldanha,Jardel Boscardin,Maristela Machado Araujo,Karine Schoeninger,Ervandil Corrêa Costa,Suelen Carpenedo Aimi

doi:10.1590/1806-9665-rbent-2021-0008

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study aims to report the occurrence of Heilipus draco in seeds of Ocotea puberula, and to describe the main injuries caused to the seeds and the effects on germination, as well as the occurrence of parasitoid hymenopterans. To this end, fruits of seven trees were selected, in the extreme south of the Atlantic Forest, Brazil. Fruit collection was carried out weekly in the middle third of the canopy, forming lots, from the beginning of fruit formation until total dehiscence, for two years. In order to examine the damage caused by the granivorous insects inside the fruits, 100 fruits were sectioned taking into account the batch/year with the aid of a scalpel and analyzed using a binocular stereomicroscope. In the same way, 144 fruits from each lot/year were stored individually in transparent plates in order to verify the occurrence and identification of species of granivorous insects. The proof of the influence of the injury caused to the seeds by the granivorous insects was carried out by the germination test, with four replications of 25 seeds, comparing seeds with and without oviposition holes. The species H. draco was found to be associated with the fruits of O. puberula. The egg-layings are endophytic, carried out directly on the seed. Larval parasitism of Hymenoptera Bracon, Omeganastatus, Scambus and Triapsis was observed. It is concluded that the cycle from egg to adult takes place inside the seed of O. puberula, and the injuries caused by the larvae decrease germination.

Highlights

The species Ocotea puberula (Rich.) Nees (Lauraceae) popularly known as canela-guaicá is a native tree species that occurs throughout tropical and subtropical America, in almost all forest formations (Farago et al, 2005) being indicated for environmental recovery (Carvalho, 2002) and mixed plantations in degraded areas of permanent preservation (Lorenzi, 1998)
This work aims to report the occurrence of Heilipus draco in Ocotea puberula seeds, to describe the main injuries caused to the seeds and the effects on germination, as well as the parasitoid hymenopterans associated with it
The genus Heilipus has been reported in Brazil in other species of Lauraceae causing damage to seeds, as for example Heilipus odoratus Vanin & Gaiger, 2005 in A. rosaeodora seeds (Vanin and Gaiger, 2005) Heilipus hopei Boheman, 1843 in L. mahuba seeds (Lima, 1956) Heilipus sp. in seeds of N. nitidula (Carvalho, 2006) and Heilipus montei C

Summary

Introduction

The species Ocotea puberula (Rich.) Nees (Lauraceae) popularly known as canela-guaicá is a native tree species that occurs throughout tropical and subtropical America, in almost all forest formations (Farago et al, 2005) being indicated for environmental recovery (Carvalho, 2002) and mixed plantations in degraded areas of permanent preservation (Lorenzi, 1998). In Brazil, the occurrence of this species extends from 14° South latitude in the State of Bahia to 31° in Rio Grande do Sul (Carvalho, 2002). The tree is 10 to 15 meters tall and has a diameter of 20 to 60 cm at breast height (DBH) (Carvalho, 2003) with a globular crown and dense light green foliage (Marchiori, 1997). The flowers are small, with colors ranging from white to beige, grouped in dense axillary, multifloral and dioecious panicles, and the flower buds are greenish (Carvalho, 2002). The reproduction of the species is by allogamy or cross-fertilization (Carvalho, 2002)

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