Coccidoxenoides perminutus parasitizing Planococcus citri on vine in Brazil.

FERNANDES, M. H. de A.; OLIVEIRA, J. E. de M.; COSTA, V. A.; MENEZES, K. O. de

Coccidoxenoides perminutus parasitizing Planococcus citri on vine in Brazil.

Autores

FERNANDES, M. H. de A.

OLIVEIRA, J. E. de M.

COSTA, V. A.

MENEZES, K. O. de

Descripción

From those of the mealybug family, the citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri Risso, 1813 (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is frequently held responsible for various diseases occurring in vineyards. This is a first time report in Brazil, on the occurrence of a parasitoid controlling P. citri. In our search for the natural enemies of P. citri, bunches of grapes with the vine were collected every week for one month, in those regions where table grapes were produced, like Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil. In these samples, among the natural pest infestations Coccidoxenoides perminutus Girault, 1915 (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) was the only natural enemy species reported. In this research, we attempted to study the potential of parasitism as well as the strategies that this natural agent uses in pest control.