Fungus Gnat (Diptera: Sciaridae) as an Emergent Pest Associated with Berry Production in Mexico

Abstract

Production and exportation of berries in Mexico has increased over the last decade, expanding the land area dedicated to the cultivation of these fruits, and increasing their associated pests. Recently, the proliferation of a group of flies belonging to the Sciaridae (Diptera) has become a problem for berry farming. Adults can be mechanical vectors of several species of plant pathogenic fungi. Larvae can cause indirect damage by feeding at the base of leaves, stems and roots, increasing plant susceptibility to pathogens. The aim of the present research was to identify fungus gnat species associated with berry varieties from 18 production areas in the states of Baja California, Michoacán, Jalisco, Puebla, and Tlaxcala. Sampling was carried out under multi-span polytunnels from 2018 to 2020. A total of 31 samples with 317 specimens were processed and identified using morphological characters. Four species were identified: Pseudosciara forceps (Pettey), Pseudosciara neotropica (Lane), Lycoriella sativae (Johannsen), and Bradysia impatiens (Johannsen). All species except for B. impatiens are first reports for Mexico but B. impatiens was the most frequently encountered and widely distributed.