Sexing of adults for three Mexican pine cone beetle species, Conophthorus conicolens, C. teocotum, and C. michoacanae
1Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias y Forestales, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo,
Morelia, Michoacán, México
2School of Engineering and Science, Jacobs University, Campus Ring 6, Research II, Room 38, D-28759 Bremen,
Germany
Abstract
Individuals belonging to species of the genus Conophthorus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) are notoriously difficult to sex, especially if only certain parts of the beetle are available and the genitals are unidentifiable. We are presenting evidence demonstrating that rows of setae and setal characteristics at the posterior margin of tergite VII (the fifth visible tergite) can be used to sex the three Mexican pine cone beetle species Conophthorus conicolens Wood, C. teocotum Hopkins, and C. michoacanae Wood, from each other. Although the three Conophthorus are clearly described taxonomically by Wood (1977), the continued increase and development of forest plantations with a mixture of host species elucidates the importance of having reliable methods of sexing these species for purposes of researching and monitoring programs of their populations and pest management and control.
Keywords: setae
Correspondence:
a aadelrio54@yahoo.com,
b tuchinaoksana@mail.ru
Editor: Carla Penz was Editor of this paper.
Received: 1 March 2011 | Accepted: 29 July 2011 | Published: 12 December 2011
Copyright: This is an open access paper. We use the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license that permits unrestricted use, provided that the paper is properly attributed.
ISSN: 1536-2442 | Volume 11, Number 170
Mora ADR, Tuchina O. 2011. Sexing of adults for three Mexican pine cone beetle species, Conophthorus conicolens, C. teocotum, and C. michoacanae. Journal of Insect Science 11:170 available online: insectscience.org/11.170
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