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http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1516-8913201400039 BRAZILIAN ARCHIVES OF ISSN 1516-8913 Printed in Brazil BIOLOGY AND TECHNOLOGY AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL

Triplaris americana L. (), a New Host For Aethalion reticulatum (Linnaeus, 1767) (Hemiptera: Aethalionidae)

Evaldo Martins Pires 1*, Larissa Cavalheiro Silva 1, Leandro Denis Batirola 1, Roberta Martins Nogueira 2, Marliton Rocha Barreto 1 and Janaina Nadai Corassa 2 1- ICNHS, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso - Campus Universitário de Sinop, Sinop, Mato Grosso Brazil. 2. ICAA, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso - Campus Universitário de Sinop, Sinop, Mato Grosso, Brazil.

ABSTRACT

Triplaris americana is a plant that has been applied as ornamental specie and also as natural medicine. Adults and immature stages of Aethalion reticulatum were observed colonizing specimens of this plant in Sinop, MT, Brazil, which represent the first record of this leafhopper colonizing this specie .

Key words: Ants, bees, geographic distribution, honeydew

INTRODUCTION ants that attack aggressors, herbivores and even touching its trunk (Flora of Santa Catarina). Triplaris americana Linnaeus is a plant of the Aethalion reticulatum (Linnaeus 1767) family Polygonaceae which has about 40 genera (Hemiptera: Aethalionidae) is a species of and 1,100 species reported around the world. In leafhopper, popularly known as “cigarrinha do Brazil there are seven genera and about 90 species pedúnculo”, that feeds on the sap of plants, recorded (Souza and Lorenzi 2012). especially fruit, which can hinder plant and fruit It is considered a species which presents wide growth. geographical distribution with greater Infestations of this species in agricultural areas concentration in the Northern Hemisphere (Souza can result in production losses (Araujo et al. and Lorenzi 2012), In Brazil it is known as “pau- 2010), and recently A. reticulatum has been formiga”, “pau-de-formiga”, “pau-de-novato”, observed feeding on eucalyptus plants, indicating “formigueiro” and “taxizeiro” (Lorenzi 2000). its supposed migration and adaptation to this new Triplaris americana is important in the urban host and its potential to become a forest pest landscaping industry (Lorenzi 2000) and also used (Menezes et al. 2012). as a medicinal plant for the treatment of various The association of A. reticulatum with other diseases (Arbelaez 1975; Dewalt et al. 1999). insects, especially bees and ants is commonly Its pollination is performed by bees and dispersion observed, since these Hymenoptera benefit from by anemochory, due to winged fruits, which can this relationship, feeding on a sugary compound be dispersed over considerable distances. Its trunk (honeydew) expelled by the leafhoppers (Brown is internally hollow and houses of 1976; Baronio et al. 2012). Thus, this study sought

*Author for correspondence: [email protected]

Braz. Arch. Biol. Technol. 2 Pires, E. M. et al.

to extend the geographical distribution records of temperature were recorded from the weather the leafhopper ( A. reticulatum ) and reports T. station situated in the campus of UFMT - Sinop. americana as a host plant of this insect. After one year of weekly monitoring, it was found Adults and immature of A. reticulatum were that A. reticulatum remained associated with T. observed colonizing plants of T. americana (Fig. 1 americana during the entire period. A, B and C) as of March 2013 on the campus of Some specimens were collected, fixed, labeled the Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT) (Fig. 2 B) and species identified by Prof. Dr. (11º 51’ 50” S Latitude and 55º 28’ 58” W Evaldo Martins Pires of the Federal University of Longitude), located in the municipality of Sinop, Mato Grosso, and then deposited in the Southern Mato Grosso State, Brazil (Fig. 2 A). The weather Amazon Biological Collection (“Acervo variables rainfall, relative humidity and Biológico da Amazônia Meridional” - ABAM) of the UFMT.

Figure 1 - (A and B) Adults and imature of Aethalion reticulatum , and specimens of Trigona spinipes (Hymenoptera: Apidae) on branches of T. americana . (C) Adults and nymphs of A. reticulatum and ants Camponotus sp. (D) Detail of the egg mass of A. reticulatum on branches of T. americana .

A

Figure 2 - (A) Plants of Triplaris americana on the Campus of UFMT – Sinop. (B and C) Dorsal and lateral views of Aethalion reticulatum.

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Aethalion reticulatum living on Triplaris Americana 3

This leafhopper was observed feeding on twigs In both dry as wet seasons, no damage was and branches of T. americana in association with observed on the plant due to the presence of A. its symbionts Trigona spinipes Fabricius 1973 reticulatum , and thus T. americana may be an (Hymenoptera: Apidae), popularly known as the important source of food and shelter, as well as a “Arapuá bee”, and ants of the Camponotus location for breeding of this species so that it may that fed on the excrement released by A. be considered a host plant for this Hemiptera. reticulatum (honeydew). Changes in the number of individuals throughout the monitoring period did not draw the attention of REFERENCES researchers since the population remained constant and the presence of all life cycle stages were Araujo VA, Bao SN, Moreira J., Neves CA, Lino-Neto observe, even during the dry (April/2013 to J. Ultrastructural characterization of the spermatozoa October/2013) and rainy seasons (March/2014 to of Aethalion reticulatum Linnaeus 1767 (Hemiptera: November/2013). Precipitation and relative Auchenorrhyncha: Aethalionidae). Micron. 2010; 41(4): 306-311. humidity characterize these two periods (Fig. 3A Arbelaez, EP. Plantas medicinales y venenosas de and B), and even during periods of low rainfall Colômbia: estudo botanico, etnico, farmaceutico, and low RH, the period in which the plant may be veterinario y forense. Medellin: Cromos; 1975 (in more susceptible to attack and consequent damage Spanish). caused by insects due to water deficit that can Baronio GJ, Pires ACV, Aoki C. Trigona branneri reduce plant defense mechanisms (Lawrence et al. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) as a collector of honeydew 1991), no lesions on T. Americana were observed, from Aethalion reticulatum (Hemiptera: or changes in population number. The temperature Aethalionidae) on bauhinia forficata (Fabaceae: showed little variation during the year of Caesalpinoideae) in a brazilian savanna. monitoring (Fig. 3 C), which characterizes the Sociobiology. 2012; 59(2): 407-414. Brown, RL. Behavioral observations on Aethalion municipality of Sinop as warm throughout the reticulatum (Hem, Aethalionidae) and associated year, therefore this variable may be disregarded as ants. Insectes Soc. 1976; 23(2): 99-108. able to promote changes in the size of insect Dewalt SJ, Bourdy G, Michel LRC, Quenevo C. populations. Ethnobotany of the Tacana: quantitative inventories

of two permanent plots of northwestern Bolívia. Econ Bot . 1999; 53(3): 237-260. Lawrence MH, Paine T.D, Millar JG. Mechanisms of resistance in Eucalyptus against larvae of the Eucalyptus longhorned borer (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Environ. Entomol. 1991; 20(6): 1583-1588. Lorenzi H. Árvores Brasileiras: manual de identificação de plantas nativas do Brasil. 3th ed. Nova Odessa: Plantarum; 2000. Menezes CWG, Soares MA, Assis Júnior SL, Fonseca AJ, Pires EM, Santos JB. Novos insetos sugadores (Hemiptera) atacando Eucalyptus cloeziana (Myrtaceae) em Minas Gerais, Brasil. EntomoBrasilis . 2012; 5(3) 246-248. Souza VC, Lorenzi H. Botânica Sistemática: guia ilustrado para identificação das famílias de Fanerógamas nativas e exóticas no Brasil, baseado em APG III. 3rd ed. Nova Odessa: Plantarum; 2012. Tropicos [homepage on the internet]. Saint Louis, Missouri: Missouri Botanical Garden; 2013. Available from: http://www.tropicos.org/ Name/26001052. Figure 3 - Weather variables: (A) rainfall, (B) relative humidity and (C) temperature with evidence to dry and rainy seasons recorded in Sinop, Received: April 01, 2014; Mato Grosso State, Brazil. Accepted: June 24; 2014.

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