Dysmicoccus neobrevipes (grey pineapple mealybug).

Dysmicoccus neobrevipes is a mealybug with a pantropical distribution. It is an economically important pest that can feed on and damage dozens of hosts, principally pineapple and the banana Musa × paradisiaca. The main damage caused by D. neobrevipes is due to its role as a vector of mealybug wilt (Plant Health Australia, 2013). Qin et al. (2010) considered it a dangerous alien species with a high risk of invasion in China. Although D. neobrevipes can colonize without the help of associated caretaker ants, most commonly Pheidole and Solenopsis, the ants' presence can help them to invade new areas by providing shelter and protecting them from natural enemies and adverse weather conditions.

The Impact of Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) on Control of Dysmicoccus neobrevipes Beardsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)

Cryptolaemus montrouzieri (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is an important predator of the mealybug Dysmicoccus neobrevipes (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), a major pest of Agave sisalana in China. Limited reports on the efficacy of C. montrouzieri against D. neobrevipes are available. This study reports the predatory efficacy and functional response of C. montrouzieri against D. neobrevipes under laboratory conditions. The prey consumption rate per day of 4th instar larvae of C. montrouzieri feeding on 1st instar D. neobrevipes nymphs (241.3 mealybugs) was the highest among the different larval life stages of the beetle. For C. montrouzieri, the prey consumption per day of adult females (19.8 mealybugs) was significantly higher compared to males (15.2 mealybugs) when feeding on 3rd instar D. neobrevipes nymphs. The functional responses of C. montrouzieri on 1st and 2nd instar D. neobrevipes nymphs were determined as Holling type II. The search rates of C. montrouzieri 4th instar larvae towards the 1st and 2nd instar nymphs of D. neobrevipes were higher than those of the other beetle life stages. In addition, the handling times of 4th instar larvae were shorter than those of the other beetle life stages. The results from this study indicate that C. montrouzieri can be used as a predator of D. neobrevipes and, therefore, it should be evaluated further for use as a biocontrol agent in D. neobrevipes management programs.

Pineapple bacilliform CO virus: Diversity, Detection, Distribution, and Transmission

Members of the genus Badnavirus (family Caulimovirdae) have been identified in dicots and monocots worldwide. The genome of a pineapple badnavirus, designated Pineapple bacilliform CO virus-HI1 (PBCOV-HI1), and nine genomic variants (A through H) were isolated and sequenced from pineapple, Ananas comosus, in Hawaii. The 7,451-nucleotide genome of PBCOV-HI1 possesses three open reading frames (ORFs) encoding putative proteins of 20 (ORF1), 15 (ORF2), and 211 (ORF3) kDa. ORF3 encodes a polyprotein that includes a putative movement protein and viral aspartyl proteinase, reverse transcriptase, and RNase H regions. Three distinct groups of putative endogenous pineapple pararetroviral sequences and Metaviridae-like retrotransposons encoding long terminal repeat, reverse-transcriptase, RNase H, and integrase regions were also identified from the pineapple genome. Detection assays were developed to distinguish PBCOV-HI1 and genomic variants, putative endogenous pararetrovirus sequences, and Ananas Metaviridae sequences also identified in pineapple. PBCOV-HI1 incidences in two commercially grown pineapple hybrids, PRI 73-114 and PRI 73-50, was 34 to 68%. PBCOV-HI1 was transmitted by gray pineapple mealybugs, Dysmicoccus neobrevipes, to pineapple.