INVESTIGADORES
SOSA alejandro JoaquÍn
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Occurrence and redescription of Megamelus scutellaris Berg (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Delphacidae) in Argentina. A candidate for biological control of waterhyacinth
Autor/es:
A.J. SOSA; A.M. MARINO DE REMES LENICOV; R. MARIANI; H.A. CORDO
Lugar:
Foz do Iguassu
Reunión:
Congreso; XXI International Congress of Entomology, XVIII Brazilian Congress of Entomology; 2000
Resumen:
Megamelus scutellaris is a promising candidate for the biological control of waterhyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes). Two years of studies at SABCL showed that it appearsto be strictly monophagous on waterhyacinth which suggests that-after all the screening tests are completed-it will become a new agents for biocontrol of waterhyacinth. This is highly desireble since more agents are needed to complement those already in use in fighting this worlwide troublesome plant invasive in most countries with tropical climates. The genus Megamelus has 42  species of which 5 occcur in the Neotropical region: M. bifurcatus (Brazil), M.electrae (Brazil and Puerto Rico), M. iphigeniae (Brazil), M. scutellaris (Argentina) and M. timehri (Guyana). M. electrae was mentioned in Trinidad as candidate for biocontrol of waterhyacinth but its study was discontinued. M. scutellaris was found by SABCL in Argentina, from Buenos Aires to Formosa, and in Iquitos, Peru. There are no records about the host plants of the other three neotropical species of Megamelus. M. scutellaris was described by Berg in 1883 based upon only one macropterous female specimen collected in Corrientes, Argentina, which is the collection of the Museum of La Plata. Since this descriptionis elementary and devoid of illustrations, we redescribed it adding the male (macro andbrachypterous) and the brachypterous female. The diagnose characteres used were the whole coloration pattern of body, relative lenght of rostrum, relative antennal segments I and II, lenght and denticulation of metatybial spur, configuration of anal segment and genital structures of males and female. We collected in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Chaco, Entre Ríos and Sant Fé of Argentina and in several sites on the Amazon river in Iquitos, Perú.