Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T17:04:13.086Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Ecological Distribution of some South American Grass and Sugar-cane Borers (Diatraea spp., Lep., Pyralidae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

J. G. Myers
J. G. Myers
Affiliation:
Imperial Institute of Entomology and Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

1. The survey of Diatraea spp. in their primitive habitats has been extended to cover the interior Guiana plateau, the Rio Branco, the lower Rio Negro and the lower Amazon.

2. The greatest practical result has been the discovery and introduction into British Guiana of the Amazon fly parasite (Metagonistylum minense) of D. saccharalis.

3. The most interesting ecological result was the finding of several Diatraea spp. as original members of a true savannah association.

4. The twelve species considered are grouped as forest, riparian, savannah and domestic species.

5. The two forest species are D. bellifactella and D. brunnescens.

6. Riparian grass associations are developed over huge areas on the lower Amazon, where they may be divided roughly into three main zones, dominated by Paspalum repens, Echinochloa polystachya and Paspalum fasciculatum, respectively.

7. The chief, and in fact only Diatraea of the first and second zones, is D. saccharalis, which is occasionally abundant.

8. The P. fasciculatum zone is colonised by D. amazonica and D. myersi.

9. The pure savannah species are D. canella, D. impersonatella, D. savannarum and D. cayennella.

10. D. lineolata is practically confined to maize, and no wild host-plants, either naturalised or indigenous, are known.

11. Five species attack cane, namely, saccharalis, busckella, impersonatella, canella and albicrinella, and all except the latter are major pests over considerable areas.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 26 , Issue 3 , September 1935 , pp. 335 - 342
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1935

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Box, H. E. (1931). The Crambine genera Diatraea and Xanthopherne (Lep., Pyral.).—Bull. Ent. Res. 22 pp. 1–50, pls. 1–5, 5 figs.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huber, J. (1910). Mattas e madeiras amazonicas.—Bol. Mus. Goeldi, Pará 6 pp. 91–225.Google Scholar
Myers, J. G. (1931). Preliminary report on an investigation into the biological control of West Indian insect pests.—E.M.B. 42 178 pp., 2 maps. H.M.S.O., London.Google Scholar
Myers, J. G. (1932). The original habitat and hosts of three major sugar-cane pests of tropical America (Diatraea, Castnia and Tomaspis).—Bull. Ent. Res. 23 pp. 257–271, pl. 13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Myers, J. G. (1933). Notes on the vegetation of the Venezuelan llanos.—J. Ecol. 21 pp. 335–349.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Myers, J. G. (1934). The discovery and introduction of the Amazon fly. A new parasite for cane-borers (Diatraea spp.).—Trop. Agriculture 11 pp. 191–195.Google Scholar
Myers, J. G. (1934). Savannah and forest vegetation of the interior Guiana plateau.—(In press.)Google Scholar
Myers, J. G. (1935). Second report on an investigation into the biological control of West Indian insect pests.—Bull. Ent. Res. 26 pp. 181–252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Myers, J. G. (1935). The ecological distribution of some South American froghoppers of the genus Tomaspis (Hem., Cercopidae).—Trop. Agriculture 12 pp. 114–118.Google Scholar