Two New Species of Brown Lacewings as Predators of Melanaphis sacchari in Central Mexico

Abstract

The sugarcane aphid (SCA), Melanaphis sacchari Zehntner (Hemiptera: Aphididae), was first reported in 2014 in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor Moench; Poaceae) fields in southern United States and northern Mexico (Rodríguez-delBosque & Terán 2015, Bowling et al. 2016), and caused 60–90% loss in grain production when populations were not managed timely (Bowling et al. 2016). Integrated SCA management programs include the use of an action threshold (50 to 125 aphids per plant), resistant varieties (Armstrong et al. 2015, 2018, Limaje et al. 2017, Paudyal et al. 2019), elimination of crop residues and alternative host plants, restriction of planting dates, and conservation of beneficial fauna (Singh et al. 2004, Jones et al. 2015, Bowling et al. 2016,Michaud et al. 2017). Parasitoids and predators of other cereal aphid species could play an important role in the natural control of SCA (Singh et al. 2004) when generalist parasitoids and predators migrate from other crops, such as wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), into the sorghum fields. To date, 55 parasitoid and predator species of SCA are recorded worldwide (Singh et al. 2004, Colares et al. 2015, Bowling et al. 2016), with 37 of them occurring in the southern United States and Mexico (Singh et al. 2004, Cortez-Mondaca et al. 2016, Rodríguez-Vélez et al. 2016). Coleoptera species were the most frequently collected, followed by those in Diptera and Neuroptera (Singh et al. 2004, Bowling et al. 2016, Rodríguez-Vélez et al. 2016). Among the neuropterans, Chrysopidae has received the most attention. At least ten chrysopid species have been reported as SCA predators, and the biology and predatory capacity of some species against SCAhave been investigated (Rana et al. 2017,Panth et al. 2017). Several chrysopid species are commercially available for the control of SCA in several countries, and mass release of Chrysoperla carnea Stephens