TITLE:
Alternative Host Plants of Calidea panaethiopica (Hemiptera: Scutelleridae) and Aphtona whitfieldi (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Insect Pests of Jatropha curcas, South Burkina Faso
AUTHORS:
Younous Wakaï Djimmy, Alizèta Sawadogo, Souleymane Nacro
KEYWORDS:
Burkina Faso, Alternative Host Plants Calidea panaethiopica and Aphthona whitfieldi, Jatropha curcas
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Entomology,
Vol.4 No.4,
July
28,
2016
ABSTRACT: Jatropha curcas is subject to the attacks of many insect pests, including Calidea panaethiopica Kirkaldy 1909 (Hemiptera: Scutelleridae) whose larvae and adults feed on flowers, fruit and seeds of the shrub resulting in quantitative and qualitative losses; the shrub is also attacked by Aphthona whitfieldi Bryan (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) which feeds on the leaves causing complete defoliation in severe attack. Despite their economic importance, very little is known about the alternative host plants of these insect pests. The study of the ecology of these species is a pre-requisite for the development of appropriate control methods. The identification of alternative host plants of C. panaethiopica and A. whitfieldi was conducted from June 3rd 2013 to November 30th 2014 in the Sissili province, South Burkina Faso. During that period, four J. curcas’ plantations of six locations in the province were prospected for alternative host plants of the two insect pests. In each plantation, observations were done across a diagonal up to 500 m away from the plantation. Fallows in the vicinity of the J. curcas plantations were particularly examined. Potential host plants of the two insect pests were collected and bred in the laboratory in Léo where they were used to feed the insect pests. Only Jatropha gossypiifolia, a cousin of J. curcas, was found to be a common alternative host plant of both insect pests.