Insects associated with the cultivation of cocoa deposited in the Museum of Insects of Agricultural Interest (MIIA) of INIA - Venezuela

Abstract

The updating of the entomological information and its periodic publication allows providing data for the monitoring of insects of economic importance. In order to update the information of the insects associated with the cultivation of cocoa, deposited in the Museum of Insects of Agricultural Interest (MIIA), the collection was reviewed. This museum belongs to the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agrícolas, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIA-CENIAP), Venezuela. In the review, the insect collection was reordered by the taxonomic group, by order, genus, and species. The information contained in the labels was recorded in an MS Excel®  spreadsheet; a photographic record of each species was also made. In total, 1,201 specimens were counted, representing 15 species grouped into eight orders, 36 families and 34 genera. 28 determined species were found, distributed in Coleoptera (15), Hemiptera (5), and Lepidoptera (8). Carmenta foraseminis, Carmenta theobromae, Monalonion dissimulatum, Steirastoma brevis, Xyleborus ferrugineus, Xyleborus horridus and Xyleborus vespatorius were registered as primary cocoa pests. Among other phytophagous insects without economic importance are Halysidota annulosa, Xylopsocus capucinus, Sinoxylon sp., Taurodemus sp., Rhabdopterus venezuelensis, Rhabdopterus victorianus, Litostylus diadema, Ozineus arietinus. On the other hand, Calliephialtes sp. (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), an important parasitoid of Carmenta spp. was registered. As insect pests of cocoa beans were identified Araecerus fasciculatus, Hypothenemus sp., Lasioderma sp., Tribolium sp. y Gymnandrosoma sp. The taxonomic information of each specimen, with the photographic record, was organized and incorporated into the MIIA digital database.