Abstract

GIRON, KATHERINE; LASTRA, LUZ ADRIANA; GOMEZ L, LUIS ANTONIO  and  MESA C., NORA CRISTINA. Observations on the biology and natural enemies of Saccahricoccus sacchari and Puluinarza pos elongata two homopterans associatecl with the crazy ant in sugar cane. Rev. Colomb. Entomol. [online]. 2005, vol.31, n.1, pp.29-35. ISSN 0120-0488.

The crazy ant is an insect that becomes economically important to agriculture when it establishes symbiotic relationships with sap sucking insects. In sugar cane, it is associated with two of them: Sacctiaricoccus sacchan and Pulvinaria pos elongata When infestation levels are very high Pulvinaria in association with the ant can induce severe losses in both sugar concentration and tonnage of cane loorder to understand the life cycle of each species. experiments were set up under laboratory and green house conditions and the incidence of natural enemies was determined in the field S saccharz had a mean life cycle of 548 days, passing through two instars and the adult stage; mean progeny per female was 219 they are gregarious and concentrate on the stem internodes Two species of unidentified Encyrtidae parasitized S. sacchari, with a parasitism rate of 47%. A species of Diadoplosis (Cecidomyiidae) eats eggs of the mature females and a fungus identified as Aspergillus pos parasiticus affected 53 2% of individuals in the fleld, Pulvinaria sp. had a mean lite cycle of 77 days and passed through two instars and tlie adult. Mean progeny per female was 179; they are located on the underside of the leaf and are not very mobile ln the greenhouse Dzadoplosis coccidwora (Cecidomyiidae) fed on eggs of Pulvinaria sp females at rates up t 85%. ln the field, a wasp (Encyrtidae) was found emerging from second instar individuals of Putvinaria sp.

Keywords : Symbiotic relationships; Life cycle.

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