Cercopidae is one of the largest families of the spittlebug superfamily Cercopoidea. Most spittlebugs species are characterized by bright color patterns. Thus, this study evaluated for the first time the Cercopidae species collected in rice crops, Novo Progresso, Pará state, Brazil. Insects were collected weekly between November/2010 and March/2011 from areas without (WA) and with agrochemical applications (AA). Four species were recorded: Deois incompleta (Walker, 1851) (71 specimens in WA area and 50 in AA area); Mahanarva spectabilis (Distant, 1909) (39 specimens in WA area and 39 in AA area); Mahanarava tristis (Fabricius, 1803) (26 specimens in WA area and 20 in AA area); Zulia pubescens (Fabricius, 1803) (11 specimens in WA area and four in AA area). The species collected displayed pronounced color polymorphism when compared with the color patterns of the same species from other regions. This makes correct identification more difficult for these species. Therefore, taxonomic and diagnostic informations provided in this study will help in the correct identification, control and monitoring of these insects in future studies. Besides that, we recommend monitoring in rice fields and further study of the biology and ecology of cercopids in Brazil to assess the potential of these species as rice pests.
Keywords: Cercopoidea, Deois incompleta, Mahanarva spectabilis, Mahanarva tristis, Zulia pubescens.
Registro de novos polimorfismos de cores de asas e informações taxonômicas
IntrodutionThe rice crop (Oryza sativa L.) (Poales: Poaceae) occupies approximately 10% of the world arable land. Rice cultivation began in South Asia and at present rice is grown in more than 110 countries (Heinrichs, 1994;IRRI, 2006). Brazil is the largest producer of rice outside Asia, even with its recent cultivation compared to the Asian continent (Azambuja et al., 2004, FAO, 2003. According to the Brazilian Harvest Monitoring 2012/2013 report of the Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento/National Supply Company (Conab, National Company of Food Supply), the Brazilian states with the highest production (Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Mato Grosso, Maranhão, Tocantins and Pará) account for approximately 80% of the national rice production (Ferreira and Villar, 2004;IRGA, 2009). Some environmental factors interfere negatively on crop production; among these, insects are responsible for much of the losses from germination to harvest, mainly due to mechanical damage and the transmission of plant pathogens (Ferreira et al., 2001;SOSBAI, 2005;Martins et al., 2009).Insects in the hemipteran suborder Auchenorrhyncha commonly occur in rice crops. Twenty-two planthopper species in the family Delphacidae and 34 leafhopper species in the family Cicadellidae occur in rice in South and South-East Asia (Wilson and Claridge, 1991). Several spittlebug species (family Cercopidae) are also known to damage rice crops. Some planthoppers can damage rice plants by direct feeding, which causes a symptom known as 'hopperburn'. These insects have been m...