Seasonal Distribution and Movement of the Invasive Pest Delottococcus aberiae (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) Within Citrus Tree: Implications for Its Integrated Management.

Delottococcus aberiae (De Lotto) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is the most recent species of mealybug introduced to Spain that is affecting citrus. The feeding behavior of D. aberiae causes severe direct damage to citrus fruits, distorting their shape and/or causing reduction in size.

Association between ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and the vine mealybug (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in table-grape vineyards in Eastern Spain.

Background: The vine mealybug, Planococcus ficus (Signoret) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is a key pest of grapevine in the Mediterranean Basin. Some honeydew collecting ant species are known to increase mealybug populations in other grape-growing regions. However, there is scarce information on either the ant species present in Mediterranean vineyards or their impact on mealybugs.

Design of a Computerised Flight Mill Device to Measure the Flight Potential of Different Insects.

Several insect species pose a serious threat to different plant species, sometimes becoming a pest that produces significant damage to the landscape, biodiversity, and/or the economy. This is the case of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae), Semanotus laurasii Lucas (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), and Monochamus galloprovincialis Olivier (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), which have become serious threats to ornamental and productive trees all over the world such as palm trees, cypresses, and pines. Knowledge about their flight potential is very important for designing and applying measures targeted to reduce the negative effects from these pests.

Guiding Classical Biological Control of an Invasive Mealybug Using Integrative Taxonomy.

Delottococcus aberiae De Lotto (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is a mealybug of Southern African origin that has recently been introduced into Eastern Spain. It causes severe distortions on young citrus fruits and represents a growing threat to Mediterranean citrus production. So far, biological control has proven unsatisfactory due to the absence of efficient natural enemies in Spain.

Molecular evidence for ongoing complementarity and horizontal gene transfer in endosymbiotic systems of mealybugs.

Intracellular bacterial supply of essential amino acids is common among sap-feeding insects, thus complementing the scarcity of nitrogenous compounds in plant phloem. This is also the role of the two mealybug endosymbiotic systems whose genomes have been sequenced. In the nested endosymbiotic system from Planococcus citri (Pseudococcinae), "Candidatus Tremblaya princeps" and "Candidatus Moranella endobia" cooperate to synthesize essential amino acids, while in Phenacoccus avenae (Phenacoccinae) this function is performed by its single endosymbiont "Candidatus Tremblaya phenacola.

Density and structure of Saissetia oleae (Hemiptera: Coccidae) populations on citrus and olives: relative importance of the two annual generations.

Saissetia oleae (Olivier) (Hemiptera: Coccidae) populations were studied and compared in citrus (Citrus spp.) and olive (Olea europaea L.) groves to determine the number of generations, crawler emergence periods and changes in population density during the year.

Distribution and sampling of the whiteflies Aleurothrixus floccosus, Dialeurodes citri, and Parabemisia myricae (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) in citrus in Spain.

From 1993 to 1995 data sets were collected from four citrus groves in Valencia, Spain, to determine the distribution patterns of eggs and nymphs of Aleurothrixus floccosus (Maskell), Dialeurodes citri (Ashmead), and Parabemisia myricae (Kuwana) on leaves, and to develop reliable sampling plans for estimating densities of immature whiteflies. A. floccosus showed higher aggregation than the other two species.