BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF Miconia calvescens BY PHYTOPHAGOUS.doc

PACIFIC COOPERATIVE STUDIES UNIT UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI’I AT MANOA Department of Botany 3190 Maile Way Honolulu, Hawai’i 96822 (808) 956-8218 Dr. David C. Duffy, Unit Leader Technical Report 134 BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF Miconia calvescens BY PHYTOPHAGOUS ARTHROPODS Marcelo Coutinho Pican?o1, Robert Weingart Barreto2, Elisangela Gomes Fidelis3, Altair Arlindo Seme?o3, Jander Fagundes Rosado3, Shaiene Costa Moreno3, Emersom Cristi de Barros3, Gerson Adriano Silva3 and Tracy Johnson4 1 Departamento de Biologia Animal, Universidade Federal de Vi?osa, 36571-000 Vi?osa, MG, Brazil. E-mail: picanco@ufv.br 2 Departamento de Fitopatologia, Universidade Federal de Vi?osa, 36571-000 Vi?osa, MG, Brazil. E-mail: rbarreto@ufv.br 3 Agronomy students, Universidade Federal de Vi?osa. 4 Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station, P.O. Box 236, Volcano, Hawaii 96785 The PCSU is a cooperative program between The University of Hawaii and U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Discipline, Pacific Islands Ecosystems Research Center, and U.S. National Park Service, Cooperative Ecological Studies Unit March 2005 BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF MICONIA CALVESCENS BY PHYTOPHAGOUS ARTHROPODS 1. ABSTRACT More than 60 species of arthropods were found associated with Miconia calvescens at two Brazilian sites in a one-year survey for potential biological control agents within the weed’s native range in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Fifty-one insect species were collected, a majority of them phytophagous. Among the sap and cell feeders were two whitefly, a thrips species Heliothrips sp.n. (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), a psyllid Diclidophlebia sp. (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), an aphid species, and six species of leaf hoppers (five were species of Cicadellidae and one species of Flatidae). The psyllid and leaf hoppers appeared to warrant further evaluation, especially for their possible association with a lethal phytoplasm disease. Defoliators causing substantial damage in