Abstract

PEREZ, M. L. Pilar; DEL RIO, M. Guadalupe  and  LANTERI, Analía A.. Taxonomic position of Acrotomopus atropunctellus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and description of damages to sugar cane crops in Argentina. Rev. Soc. Entomol. Argent. [online]. 2012, vol.71, n.3-4, pp.265-273. ISSN 0373-5680.

Acrotomopus atropunctellus (Boheman) (Curculionidae: Molytinae: Cholini) is a weevil species endemic to Argentina, mainly inhabiting the biogeographic province of the Yungas. It was first reported as harmful to sugar cane in 1929. Damages were not cited again until a decade ago, when the species became a serious pest due to the increased sugar cane production. This species is morphologically similar to A. wagneri Hustache that occurs in the Chacoan biogeographic province. Its biology resembles that of other species of Cholini whose larvae mine inside long-stemmed plants. Females lay eggs in the basal and middle portions of young plants. Larvae feed inside the stems and reach the stumps by winter, reducing the reshooting capacity of cane in subsequent growth seasons. Adults produce small holes with irregular borders in buds, stems and central veins of leaves. We provide a key to separate A. atropunctellus from the remaining three species of Acrotomopus, A. wagneri, A. microspilotus (Pascoe) and A. obtusus (Hustache), all of them occurring in Argentina. We also give details about the main features of its biological cycle and the damages caused to sugar cane in Tucumán province. The paper includes illustrations of the four Acrotomopus species and of the larvae and damages produced by A. acropunctellus.

Keywords : Weevil; Pest; Sugar cane; Northwestern Argentina.

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