Plectris aliena (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae): A New Invasive Soil Pest in North Carolina Agro-Ecosystems

摘要

Plectris aliena Chapin (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) emerged as a new invasive soil pest in North Carolina in 2006, and it has caused significant economic loss in sweetpotato every year since that time. The insect is known to also occur in the southeastern United States in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina where it has been reported in turf and as an occasional pest of sweetpotato. Though P. aliena only recently became an economic problem in North Carolina, its presence in the southern United States and the recent upward trend in sweetpotato acreage make the insect a potential threat in most sweetpotato producing states. White grub feeding creates surface lesions on sweetpotato storage roots, rendering them unmarketable. P. aliena has a univoltine life cycle, with adult emergence occurring from mid-May to mid-June. Larvae have three instars and overwinter in the third instar. P. aliena is able to survive and complete development on several commonly-grown crop plant species other than sweetpotato including: soybean, corn, peanut, tobacco, and pasture grasses. To date, no control measures have consistently reduced P. aliena grub damage to subeconomic levels in sweetpotato. Initial research studies aim to develop management strategies for P. aliena as part of an integrated pest management program for sweetpotato growers.