Research Note NOTES on INSECT PESTS of SOURSOP

Research Note

NOTES ON INSECT PESTS OF SOURSOP (GUANABANA), ANNONA MURICATA L.f AND THEIR NATURAL ENEMIES IN PUERTO RICO' Soursop or guanabana is a cultivated of Puerto Rico. It is best known by its large small evergreen tree which attains 6 to 7 and aromatic green fleshy fruits, which are meters in height and 21 cm in trunk diam 15 to 20 cm long and 10 to 11 cm wide, ellip eter. The tree is common to the south coast tical or egg-shaped, with many curved and lower slopes of the Central Cordillera fleshy spines. The fruit weighs up to 2 kilos

FIG. 1.—Bepkratelhides cubensis Ashmead (female), the annona seed chalcid. (Drawn by L. Pierre-Noel). •Manuscript submitted to Editorial Board 31 March 1.989. 384 MEDINA-GAUD ET AL./SOURSOP

PIG. 2.—Damage by the annona seed chalcid to seed of developing fruit. Note adult exit holes and one adult female on top between two seeds.

(2 to 5 pounds) and has a,juicy, slightly sour, 20,500 pounds. Because of the increased in creamy white, edible pulp with many shin terest in the production of this crop in ing black or brown oblong 1.2 to 1.5 cm long Puerto Rico and the recent establishment seeds. Guanabana commonly flowers from of orchards in Ciales, Aibonito, and June to October; the fruit ripens mainly in Guayama, added attention to the many the fall.2 pests affecting this tree is wan-anted. In The economic importance of guanabana sects damage all parts of the plant, includ lies in its edible pulp, which is eaten fresh ing fruits and can greatly restrict produc or used in making drinks (nectar), ice tion. cream, sherbets and preserves. Immature We observed the insects attacking sour- fruits can be cooked as a vegetable, and the sop and their natural enemies in the varietal leaves, flowers and seeds are used in trial plots at Portuna Agricultural Experi medicine. A louse insecticide can be made ment Station (Juana Diaz, P. R.) from 1986 from the leaves. Guanabana is widely plant to 1988. ed and naturalized in tropical regions like Mexico, the southern tip of Florida", the PESTS West Indies, Central and South America The annona fruit chalcid, Bephmtel- and West Africa. The region of origin prob loides cubensis (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera; ably is southeast Asia. In 1987-88 produc Eurytomidae), is the main pest of soursop tion of this fruit in Puerto Rico reached fruit in Puerto Rico, as first listed by Mar-

2 Little, J. R., h. Elbert and F. Wadsworth, 1964. Common trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. USD A Forest Service Agricultural Handbook. 249: 1-548. J. Agric. Univ. P.R. VOL. 73, NO. 4, OCTOBER, 1989 385

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FIG. 3.—Damage to soursop leaves caused by the cotton lace bug, Corythucha gossypii (F.). 386 MEDINA-GAUD ET AL./SOURSOP

torell.3'1' Female wasps (fig. 1) oviposit into The hemispherical seale, Saisseiia cof- the young seed of developing fruit. Usually feae (Walker) (Homoptera: Coccidae) (fig. 4) developing singly within the seeds, larvae is very common on guanabana, and occurs destroy a large percentage (fig. 1) while the wherever the tree grows. It is frequently fruit is still on the tree.3*1,5-'1 After complet tended by the fire ant, Solenopsis geminata 6,6 ing development, the young wasps emerge (F.). Wolcott listed this pest as S. hemis- from the seed, tunnel through the pulp and phaerica (Targioni). All developmental emerge through the fruit skin. Exit holes stages of this scale feed on fruits, foliage are readily visible on affected fruits (fig. 2). and stems. The scales abound on leaf veins Some attacked fruits fail to develop; in and edges. Attacked trees show sooty mold. stead, they darken and mummify, and usu The soft scale, Phitephedra tuberculosa ally abort. Nakahara & Gill (fig. 5), not previously re The cotton lace bug, Caryihucka gos- ported for Puerto Rico, abounds on fruits, sypii P. (Hemiptera: Tingidae), is generally leaves and stems of soursop. This scale is the main pest of mature foliage. It has been now widespread in Puerto Rico and has been found attacking numerous species of previously recorded by Martorell and Wol- trees, shrubs and annuals (authors' notes). cott.3A6 Feeding by adults or nymphs pro The pustule scale, Asterolecanhim pustu- duces typical spotting, discoloration and lans (Cockerell) (Homoptera: As- chlorosis (fig. 3). Massive infestations cause terolecaniidae), is considered one of the premature defoliation. This insect, more most destructive scale insects on the island. prevalent during the dry months (February Heavy infestations are capable of killing to April) diminish with the onset of the guanabana trees.;M-5-6 However, this condi rainy season (May). No parasites or pre tion was not observed by the authors in the dators of this pest were observed. plots at Fortuna. The first record of the pus Other commonly encountered pests are tule scale for Puerto Rico was presented by as follows: the spirea aphid, Aphis citricola Busck,1* who collected it in San Juan. Patch (Homoptera: Aphididae) attacking young leaves causes deformation or leaf Other insects have been reported on curling. This insect has previously been col guanabana in Puerto Rico (table 1). These lected at Isabela, Rio Piedras and along the include several scale insects, a tree termite, Cayey-Salinas road.4-7 The black citrus a mirid bug and three Lepidoptera aphid, Toxoptera a-urantii (Fonscoiombe) species.»• «••'••*•*•» (Homoptera: Aphididae) attacks both foliage and flowers. It has been reported by NATURAL ENEMIES Smith7 and Martorell.-' We collected and reared natural enemies

3Martorell, L. F., 1945. A survey of the forest insects of Puerto Rico. Part 1. J. Agric. Univ. P. R. 29: 1-354. '•Martorell, L. F., 1976. Annotated food plant catalog of the insects of Puerto Rico. Univ. P. R. Agric. Exp. Stn. 3 Wolcott, G. N., 1936. Insectae Borinquensis—A revised annotated cheek-list of the insects of Puerto Rico. J. Agric. Univ. P. R. 20: 1-680. 'Wolcott, G. N., 1948. The insects of Puerto Rico. J. Agric. Univ. P. R. 32: 1-975. 7Smith, C. F., L. F. Martorell and M. E. Perea-Escolar, 1963. Aphididae of Puerto Rico. J. Agric. Univ. P. R. 37: 1-121. sBusck, A., 1900. Notes on a brief trip to Puerto Rico in January and February 1899 including a: List of Coccidae collected by Mr. A. Busck in Puerto Rico; J. Pergande and T. D. A. Cockerell, USDA. Div. Entomol. Bull. 22: 88-93. *Maldonado-C., J., 1969. The rniridae of Puerto Rico. Univ. P. R. Agric. Exp. Stn. Tech. Paper. 37: 1-121. /. Agric. Univ. P.R. VOL. 73, NO. 4, OCTOBER, 1989 387

TABLE 1.—Important insects of soursop (guanabana) Annona muricata L. Puerto Rico Order-Family Species Hymenoptera Eurytomidae Bepkratelloides cubensvi Ash mead Hemiptera Tingidae Corijf.kuca gossypi (F.) Miridae HyoAoides nani Maldonado Homoptera Aphid idae Aphis citrtcola Patch Toxopiera aurantii (Fonscolombe) Coccidae Saiseltia cojfeae (Walker) Saissetm oleae (Olivier) Pkilepkedra tuberculosa Nakah.-Gill' Asterolecaniidae Aslerolecanium pusttUans (Cockerell) Diaspididae Aonidiella aurantii Maskell Aonidiella comperei McKenzie Clin/sompkaLus adonidium L. Mycelaspis per sonata Com stock Pinnaspis strachani (Couley) Seienmpidus articulatus (Morgan) Pseudococcidae Nipaecoccus nipae (Maskell) Planococcus cilH (Risso) Pseudococcus longispimts (T. & T.) Isoptera Termitidae Nasutitermes costalis (Holmgren) Lepidoptera Pyralidae Elasm.opalpus lignosellus (Zeller) Sphingidae Cocylius antaeus antaeus (Drury) Protambulix stngilis Clark 'New record for Puerto Rico. of insect pests attacking guandbana at For- soft scale. Specimens were reared in the tuna. Natural enemies and their hosts were laboratory from pupae attached to identified by E. E. Grissell (Hymenoptera: guanabana trees at Fortuna, which were in Pteromalidae) and A. L. Norrbon (Diptera: fested with mealybugs, aphids and scales. Chamaemyiidae) from the Systematic En Later specimens of Leucopis bella (Loew) tomology Laboratory, BBII. USD A, were reared from ovisacs of the mealybug Beltsville, Maryland; K. M. Harris and A. Planococcus citri (Risso) and Pkilepkedra Polaszek, Commonwealth Institute of En tuberculosa. This is the first record of tomology, London and A. Hamon, Dep. of Leucopis bella (Loew) from these hosts in Agriculture and Consumer Service, Gaines guanabana in Puerto Rico. ville, Florida. Sculellista cyanea Motschulsky Leucopis (Leucopis) sp. (Diptera: (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), a parasitic Chamaemyiidae). Larvae of this family are wasp was reared from S. coffeae on soursop known predators of aphids, mealybugs and leaves at Fortuna. The aphelinid paraditoid 388 MEDINA-GAUD ET AL./SOURSOP

FIG. 4.—Adults of the hemispherical scale, Saissetia coffeae (Walker) on soursop fruit.

Coccopliagus pulvinariae Compere was dator Kalodiplosis mulcifila Felt was reared from P. tuberculosa. Another reared from ovisacs of the mealybug (Plo.n- aphelinid, Coccopkagus rusti Compere, was ococcus citri and Psettdococcus tongispinus reared from S. oleae on fruits. These are (Targioni-Tozzetti) on the fruits. new hosts as well as new Puerto Rican re Silverio Medina-Gaud, cords. Entomologist Adults and larvae of the ladybeetle Col- Fred D. Bennett eplwra inaequalis (F.) (Coleoptera: Coc- Entomologist cinellidae) prey on A. citricola. The syrphid Dep. of Entomology and Hematology fly, Bacclia clavaia (F.) (Diptera: Syr- University of Florido,, Gainesville phidae), was also reared from leaves in Alejandro E. Segarra-Carmona fested with A. citricola; also Ckrysopa sp. Associoie Entomologist (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) was observed Alberto Pantoja preying on this aphid. The cecidomyiid pre Assistant Entomologist J. Agnc. Univ. P.R. VOL. 73, NO. 4, OCTOBER, 1989 389

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Fro. 5.—The Soft scale, Pkilapkedra tuberculosa Nakahara & Gill on soursop fruit.