Abstract

GOMEZ, Cecilia A.  and  LANTERI, Analía A.. First record of Naupactus ruizi (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) associated to Pinus ponderosa (Gymnospermae: Pinaceae) in Patagonia. Rev. Soc. Entomol. Argent. [online]. 2006, vol.65, n.1-2, pp.107-109. ISSN 0373-5680.

Naupactus ruizi (Brèthes) is a broad-nosed weevil recorded from Argentina and Chile , that inhabits arid environments with xerophitic vegetation and reaches the southern most distribution of the tribe Naupactini. A survey of potential insect pests and pathogens of plantations of Pinus spp. and other forest species, conducted during 2005 in Argentinean Patagonian Andean forestations, allowed to find N. ruizi feeding on pine needles of Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws. This finding was unexpected, since species of Naupactini consume almost exclusively angiosperms. We interpret that the new host association may represent a recent host shift, probably facilitated by the broad range of the weevil, its capacity to survive in marginal habitats where natural hosts are scarce, and the local abundance of the new host.

Keywords : Curculionidae; Naupactus ruizi; Pinus; Argentina; new host.

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