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.

Section Reports

TR-OLOGY's New Look

We welcome your comments and suggestions for improvement on the new format of TRI-OLOGY. Please feel free to contact me or Dr. Patti Anderson and let us know.

Wayne N. Dixon, Ph.D., editor
Assistant Director, DPI

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.

Sacoila lanceolate (beaked ladies’ tresses)
Sacoila lanceolate (beaked ladies’ tresses)
Photograph and copyright courtesy of Roger Hammer, Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants

Sacoila lanceolata (Aubl.) Garay. (beaked ladiestresses). This conspicuous and widespread species, also known as Spiranthes lanceolata and Stenorrhynchos lanceolatus, is one of Florida’s showiest terrestrial orchids. It ranges from Florida and the West Indies, through Mexico and Central America, to South America east of the Andes as far south as Uruguay. In Florida, it is occasionally seen in flatwoods, oak hammocks, pastures, and roadsides throughout most of the peninsula, with an isolated occurrence in Walton County in the Panhandle. The species is included on the list of threatened plants by the State of Florida in order to draw attention to its vulnerability, although it is by no means rare at the moment.

Guzmania monostachia (Fuchs' bromeliad), an example of Bromeliaceae
Guzmania monostachia (Fuchs' bromeliad), an example of Bromeliaceae.
Photograph and copyright courtesy of Shirley Denton, Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants

Helicotylenchus dihystera (Cobb, 1893) Sher, 1961, a spiral nematode, and Tylenchorhynchus eremicolus Allen, 1955, a stunt nematode, were found infecting the roots of ornamental bromeliads in Lake County. Bromeliads are ornamental epiphytes that are grown and sold for their attractive foliage and flowers. These ornamental epiphytes produce roots that anchor the plant to branches and twigs of trees, but also take up nutrients when bromeliads are in contact with soil or other growing media. Bromeliad roots are often found with plant-parasitic nematodes. These ectoparasitic nematodes on bromeliads do not cause serious damage; however, the presence of these nematodes may cause regulatory problems for plant export to national and international markets.

Kordyana tradescantiae (a leaf spot) was found on Tradescantia ohiensis (Ohio spiderwort) in a dooryard garden in Alachua County. This pathogen, first found in North America last year, has apparently over-wintered without difficulty. The pathogen behaves like a leaf smut and is being explored for biocontrol of weedy Tradescantia species.

Plumaria obtusa (frangipani)
Plumeria obtusa (frangipani)
Photograph and copyright courtesy of Walter Hodge, Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants

Mycovellosiella sp. (a leaf spot) was found on Plumeria sp. (frangipani) in a Collier County nursery. This pathogen is apparently an undescribed species.

Raffaelea lauricola (laurel wilt) was found on Persea borbonia (red bay) at Crystal River Preserve State Park. This is a new County record and marks the first record on the west side of the Florida peninsula.

Castianeira crucigera (a spider)
Castianeira crucigera
(a spider)
Photograph and copyright courtesy of Jeff Hollenbeck www.bugguide.net

Castianeira crucigera (Hentz) (a spider), a new Florida state record, was found during a wheat farm survey in Lake City. A male specimen was collected. This species was previously known from Arkansas, North Carolina and Virginia. It is not a plant pest.

Episimus n. sp. (a tortricid moth), a new Western Hemisphere record, was found on Calophyllum sp. (beautyleaf) at a residence in Miami. This is an undescribed species, probably of no economic importance and might be native to Florida. This moth does some leaf damage to Calohpyllum antillanum, one of several species called beautyleaf, which has been listed as an invasive species by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council. Episimus unguiculus Clarke, another of the 65 species in this new world genus, has been studied as a potential biological control agent for use against the invasive Brazilian pepper, Schinus terebinthifolius.

Odontonema callistachyum</em> (purple firespike)
Odontonema callistachyum (purple firespike)
Photograph courtesy of Top Tropicals

Frankliniella salviae Moulton (a thrips), a new Florida state record, previously reported in the United States only from Brownsville, Texas, was collected in Miami Springs. Three adult specimens were found on Odontonema callistachyum (purple firespike) at a residence.

Geckobia hemidactyli Lawrence 1936 (gecko mite), a new Florida state record, was found at a residence in Ft. Pierce. This is an exotic mite found on an exotic gecko. Geckobia is a genus of ectoparasites found on reptiles mostly in the Old World.

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

Acknowledgements:
The editors would like to acknowledge the work of all those who contributed information and explanations by providing data, photographs or text and by carefully reading early drafts. We also thank Scott Weinberg for his skillful use of web authoring tools to produce this report.