Occurrence of Selenisa sueroides (Guenée, 1852) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in soybeans in Brazil

Abstract

In this study, we report the occurrence of Selenisa sueroides (Guenée, 1852) in soybean crops in Brazil. S. sueroides worms were observed defoliating soybean crops in the municipality of Itaporã, state of Mato Grosso do Sul. The occurrence of this species has also been reported in the cities of Laguna Carapã, Itaquiraí, Dourados, Aral Moreira, and Chapadão do Sul, all in the same state, and the municipality of Campo Novo do Parecis, in Mato Grosso state.

Full text

1Arq. Inst. Biol., v.83, 1-3, e0222015, 2016
RESUMO: Neste trabalho é relatada a ocorrência de Selenisa
sueroides (Guenée, 1852) na cultura da soja no Brasil. S. sueroides foi
observada desfolhando a cultura da soja no município de Itaporã,
Mato Grosso do Sul. Aocorrência da espécie vem sendo notada
também nas cidades de Laguna Carapã, Itaquiraí, Dourados, Aral
Moreira e Chapadão do Sul, no mesmo estado, além do município
de Campo Novo do Parecis, no Mato Grosso.
PALAVRAS-CHAVE: desfolha; primeiro registro; lagarta-
pinça; Glycine max L.
ABSTRACT: In this study, we report the occurrence of Selenisa
sueroides (Guenée, 1852) in soybean crops in Brazil. S. sueroides worms
were observed defoliating soybean crops in the municipality of Itaporã,
state of Mato Grosso do Sul. e occurrence of this species has also
been reported in the cities of Laguna Carapã, Itaquiraí, Dourados,
Aral Moreira, and Chapadão do Sul, all in the same state, and the
municipality of Campo Novo do Parecis, in Mato Grosso state.
KEYWORDS: defoliation; first report; soybean looper;
Glycine max L.
Occurrence of Selenisa sueroides (Guenée, 1852)
(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in soybeans in Brazil
Ocorrência de Selenisa sueroides (Guenée, 1852)
(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) em soja no Brasil
Ricardo Oliveira dos Santos1*, Paulo Eduardo Degrande1, Rosalia Azambuja2,
Ellen Patrícia de Souza2
1Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados (UFGD) – Dourados (MS), Brazil.
2Faculdade de Ciências Biológicas e Ambientais, UFGD – Dourados (MS), Brazil.
*Corresponding author: ricardoagro05@gmail.com
Received on: 03/17/2015. Accepted on: 10/04/2016
DOI: 10.1590/1808-1657000222015
AGRICULTURAL ENTOMOLOGY / SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION

22 Arq. Inst. Biol., v.83, 1-3, e0222015, 2016
R. O. Santos et al.
Selenisa sueroides (Guenée, 1852) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
is a polyphagous species that has been reported in legumes
(Fabaceae, Mimosaceae, Caesalpiniaceae), Poaceae, and
Euphorbiaceae (Z etal., 1995), and it is well known
feeding others plants. is study reports the occurrence of
S.sueroides in soybean crops in the state of Mato Grosso
do Sul, besides other occurrences of this species in this
crop in Brazil.
B etal. (1989) and B; C
(1990) reported the appearance of S.sueroides in irrigated
citrus groves in southwest Florida in 1987. Inaddition to cit-
rus, this species has been observed in Fabaceae (B
etal., 1989). F etal. (2009) cite the occurrence of
this species associated with soybean crops in Honduras and
Nicaragua. According to W etal. (2011), S.sueroides
has been found in Acacia, Pithecellobium, senna, and other
legumes in Florida and Texas, and it is becoming common in
subtropical areas, where it is active year-round.
In Brazil, there have been reports of S.sueroides moths
being collected in light traps in areas of crops and cerrado in
Balsas, Maranhão (C, 2001). More recently, in Vale
dos Vinhedos, in serra gaúcha, a S.sueroides moth was col-
lected in grape vines (Z etal., 2010).
Specimens of S.sueroides were collected in December
2014, in the municipality of Itaporã (22º4’56’’S, 54º47’20’’W;
351 m altitude), Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. e caterpillar
(Fig.1), initially named “lagarta-pinça”, was found in soybean
plants, variety NA 5909 RR, vegetative stage V4, in a wet
lowland of the Água Boa Farm, property of George Louveira
Matoso. Damage was more severe at the eld edges, which
also was observed visually. All specimens exhibited the habit
of defoliating plants.
e caterpillars were sent to the Laboratory of Applied
Entomology of Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados
(UFGD), maintained in rearing facilities at 25±2ºC,
70±10% relative humidity, and photoperiod of 12hours
in order to obtain adults. ey were kept in plastic contain-
ers (100mL) and fed soybean leaves variety BMX Potência
until reaching the pupal phase (Fig.2).e adults (Fig.3)
obtained were maintained in cylindrical polyvinyl chlo-
ride(PVC) cages (15×22cm) and fed a 10% honey solu-
tion in an attempt to rear the species under laboratory con-
ditions, which was unsuccessful. eduration of the pupal
phase was 15days (n=7pupae), and adult life span, 16 to
18days (n=5individuals).
The specimens were identified in the Laboratory of
Applied Entomology of UFGD as S.sueroides by Biol. MSc.
Ellen P. de Souza, and this is the rst report of this species in
soybean crops in Brazil.
Due to its remarkable morphological dierence in the
larval stage of other species of defoliating caterpillars com-
monly found in the region, supposed the visit reports of the
eld it the same species, which between 2006 and 2007 in
Figure 3. Adult of Selenisa sueroides (Guenée, 1852)
(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).
Figure 1. Caterpillar Selenisa sueroides (Guenée, 1852)
(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).
Figure 2. Pupae and exuvia of Selenisa sueroides (Guenée,
1852) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).
the city of Chapadão do Sul, Mato Grosso do Sul, in the for-
age legume Stylosanthes. However, the populations were small,
without economic importance. In2013 in a property located
in the municipality of Itaquiraí, also in Mato Grosso do Sul,
a small population of this species was reported in the soybean
variety BMX Potência, reproductive stage R5.2, causing dam-
age due to defoliation.
More recently, in the city of Itaporã species supposedly
has also been observed in the cities of Laguna Carapã, Aral
Moreira, Itaquiraí and Dourados. Later, adult specimens were
captured in a light trap at the UFGD. Caterpillars of S.sueroides
have also been noticed in soybean crops in the state of Mato

3Arq. Inst. Biol., v.83, 1-3, e0222015, 2016
Occurrence of Selenisa sueroides (Guenée, 1852) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in soybeans in Brazil
Grosso. Inthe municipality of Campo Novo do Parecis, Mato
Grosso, this species was more commonly found at the edge
of stands, showing the beginning of the installation on the
farm. Inthis case, no damage was veried or did not require
control measures.
It is assumed that S.sueroides populations are reduced with
the simultaneous control of other caterpillars, where most of
the pesticides used is eective to control it.
e recent reports of occurrence of S.sueroides in soybean
crops of 2014/2015 indicate that studies on this species are
needed, as its defoliating habit might become a problem to
soybean crops in Brazil.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
e authors thank George Louveira Matoso and Daniel Cesar
Nepomuceno for samples, and iago Ferreira Bertoncello for
additional reports in the eld.
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