The invasive hibiscus mealybug Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) and its recent range expansion in Brazil

Abstract

In South America the invasive hibiscus mealybug Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green, 1908) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) has been restricted to Caribbean South America until recently but in 2010 it was detected in Northern Brazil in Roraima, and this is the first report of this insect in a second Brazilian State, Espírito Santo, located approximately 3.400 km southeast of Roraima. Because M. hirsutus is a potential pest of many plant species and may become more widely established in South America, pheromone traps may be useful for detecting entry into new areas and monitoring this mealybug. Although M. hirsutus has been recorded on a diverse variety of plants, apparently few are favored hosts, and in most areas where it has become established natural enemies maintain populations of this mealybug below damaging levels, indicating that besides prevention of spread of this pest, efforts should be directed toward establishment, augmentation, and maintenance (conservation) of effective natural enemies of M. hirsutus in invaded areas for control of this invasive pest.