DPI's Bureau of Entomology, Nematology and Plant Pathology (the botany section is included in this bureau) produces TRI-OLOGY six times a year, covering two months of activity in each issue. The report includes detection activities from nursery plant inspections, routine and emergency program surveys, and requests for identification of plants and pests from the public. Samples are also occasionally sent from other states or countries for identification or diagnosis.

Highlights

Following are a few of the notable entries from this volume of TRI-OLOGY. These entries are reports of interesting plants or unusual pests, some of which may be problematic. See Section Reports for complete information.

Eulophia graminea (no common name)
Photograph and copyright courtesy of Butterflies & Wild Orchids of Thailand

Eulophia graminea Lindl. This terrestrial orchid is the most recent of the 12 exotic orchids naturalized in Florida. E. graminea was first reported in 2007 from a residential garden in Miami. It has since been found in a number of locations in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, usually in sunny habitats. This orchid is native over a wide area in Asia, from Pakistan to Japan, and has also become naturalized in Australia.

Eupteryx decemnotata (Ligurian leafhopper).
Photograph courtesy of Alessandra Rung, CDFA

Eupteryx decemnotata Rey (Ligurian leafhopper), a new Western Hemisphere record, was found in Palatka on rosemary, the culinary herb, Rosmarinus officinalis. The insect was intercepted in Florida on a shipment of holiday topiaries from Southern California. Please see the new DPI Pest Alert on this species for more information.

Pseudococcus dendrobiorum Williams (an orchid mealybug).
Photograph courtesy of Lyle J. Buss, University of Florida

Pseudococcus dendrobiorum Williams (an orchid mealybug), a new Western Hemisphere record, was found on a moth orchid, Phalaenopsis sp. This exotic orchid mealybug is native to Asia and has been reported from the Australasian, Oriental and Palaearctic regions. Please see the new DPI Pest Alert on this species for more information.

Sinomegoura citricola (van der Goot) (an aphid).
Photograph courtesy of Manjunath L. Keremane, USDA, and Tom Shea, University of California Cooperative Extension, Riverside County

Sinomegoura citricola (van der Goot) (an aphid), a new Western Hemisphere record, was found in Hemet, California, on lemon, Citrus limon. This aphid is Asian, including both Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. It is a minor pest of many tropical plants, including citrus, camellia, ficus, mango, avocado and others. So far, the known distribution in the United States includes only Southern California.

Aleurodicus rugioperculatus Martin (a white fly), a new US Continental record, was found in Miami on Bursera simaruba, the gumbo limbo tree. This white fly was first described in 2004 from specimens collected on coconut palms in Belize. This record represents the first occurrence in the United States of the Neotropical species.

Liriomyza huidobrensis Blanchard (pea leafminer) was intercepted on Molucella laevis, bells of Ireland. This is the first positive identification of this highly invasive pea leafminer in Florida. This pest has possibly been intercepted in other imported commodities coming into Florida over the years, but never with a positive identification because DNA sequence data are needed to distinguish it from another commonly intercepted pest, the California pea leafminer, Liriomyza langei.

Cyperus esculentus (yellow nut-sedge)
Photograph and copyright courtesy of Shirley Denton, Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants

Heterodera cyperi Golden, Rau & Coob, 1962 (a cyst-forming nematode) was infecting the roots of Cyperus esculentus (yellow nut-sedge) growing in a potato field. Although this species has been detected in Florida since the early 1960s and is widely distributed in cultivated fields and natural land, H. cyperi population levels are usually low and do not cause appreciable damage to yellow nut-sedge.

Meloidoygne mayaguensis Rammah and Hirshmann, 1988 (guava root-knot nematode) was found infecting the root of Melaleuca viminalis (bottle brush). This nematode species has been found infecting several other horticultural crops and weed plants in Florida.

Puccinia sherardiana (a fungal rust pathogen) was collected on Callirhoe sp. (poppy mallow) at a plant nursery in Alachua County. This autoecious rust of Malvaceae, a State record, is known from further north and west in the United States, but this is the first reported incidence of the rust in Florida.

Sordaria sp. (a soilborne saprophytic fungus) was collected on Hydrangea sp. (hydrangea) - at a plant nursery in Duval County. This saprophytic ascomycete shoots packets of black spores into the environment. The residue on plants could be mistaken for a pest and cause phytosanitary certification problems.

Tradescantia ohiensis (Ohio spiderwort)
Photograph and copyright courtesy of Paul L. Redfearn, Jr., Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants

Kordyana tradescantiae (a leaf spot), a Western Hemisphere record, was found on Tradescantia ohiensis (Ohio spiderwort) at a plant nursery in Lake County. The pathogen behaves like a leaf smut and is being explored for biocontrol potential where Tradescantia is weedy.

Patti J. Anderson, Ph.D., managing editor
Wayne N. Dixon, Ph.D., editor