Presence of a leaf miner microlepidoptera in Salicaceae in Mendoza, Argentina

PÉREZ, S.; NAVAS, F.; HOLGADO, MIRIAM; QUIROGA, V; SAN BLAS, GERMÁN

Congreso; 26 Session of the The International Commission on Poplars and Other Fast-Growing Trees Sustaining People and the Environment (IPC); 2021

In recent years, new pest species have been detected in salicaceae in Mendoza, such as Monosteira unicostata Mulsant & Rey (Hemiptera: Tingidae), on Populus spp. and Salix spp. (2016); Zygina nivea (Mulsant & Rey) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in Populus spp. (2018). In this communication, the presence of a miner microlepidoptera from the Lyonetiidae family is mentioned, causing damage to Populus deltoides and its hybrids. This phytophagous has been found in the departments of Luján de Cuyo, Las Heras and Capital, in the province of Mendoza. For its morphological characteristics and the symptoms observed in the leaves, it would coincide with the species Leucoptera sinuella (Reutti) "poplar leaf miner moth" (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae), however it must be confirmed through genitalia studies. This species is native to the Palearctic region (Europe, Japan, North Africa and China), only recently detected in South America in 2015 for the Metropolitan Region of Chile. The damage it causes is noteworthy, since the larvae penetrate the leaves, making galleries and feeding on the mesophyll. According to the bibliography, in severe attacks, L. sinuella produces defoliation. The individuals obtained will be sent for verification to Dr. German San Blas, a specialist in Lepidoptera, belonging to the working group.