Melanoloma viatrix Hendel (Diptera, Richardiidae): New Pest of Pineapple Plantations in the North of Brazil.

Abstract

This is the first record of Melanoloma viatrix Hendel as well as in its host (pineapple) in Brazil. Previously, M. viatrix had been found in pineapple plantations in Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. In Brazil, this fly was initially reported in pineapple purchased from a commercial establishment in the municipality of Porto Grande, Amapá State, in 2020. Subsequently, M. viatrix was found in a commercial pineapple plantation, Ananas comosus (L.) Merr. cv. Pérola, also in Porto Grande, Amapá State. In the pineapple samples, 2,320 specimens of M. viatrix were collected on a single day on that rural property (approximately 2 ha). The larvae open galleries in the pulp that cause the pineapple to rot, making it unviable for consumption and commercial sale. This communication aims to alert phytosanitary authorities of the need to establish control strategies to prevent the spread of the pineapple fly to other states in Brazil.