SURVEY OF DIFFERENT MITES AND INSECT PESTS ASSOCIATED WITH DATE PALM FRUITS IN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS OF EGYPT

Abstract

he present study was conducted during two years (2015 and 2016) to shed additional light on the acarofauna and insect pests of the date palm fruits in different regions covering 9 Egyptian governorates differed in their ecological conditions. This study revealed the occurrence of 44 mite species differed in their feeding behavior infesting different fruits, belonging to 31 genera and 16 families under four suborders. Suborder Acaridida Astigmata which represented by 14 different species belonging to 9 genera and 4 families. The recorded families were Acaridae (9 species), Lardoglyphidae (one species), Glycyphagidae (3 species) and Pyroglyphidae (one species). Also, Suborder Actinidida Prostigmata presented in this study was recorded by 19 mite species belonging to 14 genera in 7 families. The families were Tydeidae (6 species); Cheyletidae (7 species), Stigmaeidae (2 species); Pyemotidae, Caligonellidae, Bdellidae, and Tarsonemidae (one species for each). On the other hand, the mesostigmatid mites (Gamasida) were represented by 8 mite species belonging to 6 genera in 4 families and the most common family was Ascidae and represented by 4 mite species. The cryptostigmatids (Oribatida) in this study included three mite species belong to two genera from Family Oribatidae. In this study, 12 insect species in 3 orders and 8 families are surveyed as important insect pests of date palm fruits. The most abundant family was Nitidulidae (5 species), while, the rest collected families (Scolytidae, Silvanidae, Ptinidae, Tenebrionidae, Muscidae, Eulophidae and Pteromelidae) were represented as one species for each. The stored date fruits were attacked by Carpophilus hemipterus (L.), Carpophilus mutilates Eribhson, Coccotrypes dactyliperda F., Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.), Lasioderma serricorne (F.) and Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val. While, the fallen fruits were infested by Carpophilus hemipterus (L.), C. Obsoletus Eribhson, Carpophilus mutilates Eribhson, C. dimidiatus (F.), Carpophilus sp., Coccotrypes dactyliperda F. and Lasioderma serricorne (F.). On the other hand, Lasioderma serricorne (F.), Fannia incisurata (Zetterstedt), Tetrastichus sp. and Pteromalus sp. were observed associated with the fresh date fruits. The most common insects in this study were C. hemipterus, C. mutilatus and T. confusum, as, they infested fruits throughout the period of study with very high abundance, while C. dactyliperda was least abundant insect.