Abstract

RUIZ-MONTIEL, César; SANCHEZ GONZALEZ, Rodolfo  and  VIVEROS-VIVEROS, Héctor. The pitch moth Synanthedon cardinalis (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) and its distribution in central Veracruz, Mexico. Acta Zool. Mex [online]. 2018, vol.34, e3412139. ISSN 2448-8445.  https://doi.org/10.21829/azm.2018.3412139.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the damage and distribution of Synanthedon cardinalis in the central region of the state of Veracruz. Two plantations, on which the insect was present, located on the Cerro de la Galaxia in the municipality of Xalapa, Veracruz, were studied. On these plantations, were determined whether the trees had died because of attack by the insect. Attacked and healthy trees were counted and number of resin lumps, tree height, and DBH were recorded. To determine altitudinal distribution of the pitch moth, pine stands and restoration sites at different altitudes were visited. We found that in plantation I, 11 trees died because of the insect, while in plantation II only eight had died. In plantation I, 17 standing trees were recorded; of these, 82.35% were affected by the pitch moth. In plantation II, 94.4% were affected by the insect and eight had been killed by the pest. Tree height varied from 6.3 to 23 m and DBH was 0.82 to 1.67 m in plantation I, while in plantation II, height was 3 to 11 m and DBH was 0.44 to 1.15 m. No significant association between tree height and number of resin lumps per tree was found. The volume affected in the two sites was 17,492 m³. For the first time, S. cardinalis is recorded in P. teocote. In terms of altitudinal distribution, the insect was found between 1420 and 3006 m in the central region of the state of Veracruz.

Keywords : Synanthedon; Pinus teocote; P. patula; damage; Veracruz.

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