Important Insect Plant Pests and their Hosts in Florida (Ornamentals)

Kirk W. Martin CBSPUSDA-National Needs Fellow

Graduate Student-University of Florida Plant Medicine Program andIPM Apprentice-IPM Florida

Denise D. Thomas D.P.M.University of Florida Plant Medicine Program and IPM

Florida

White Grubs - Phyllophaga spp.

Vegetable, Fruit, Turf, Tree, Ornamental & Field Crop Pest

Adult Larva Egg

17-21 mm Three instars 2.4 mm x 1.5 mm

Diaprepes Root Weevil - Diaprepes abbreviatus

Fruit, Ornamental, Field Crop & Vegetable Pest

Adult Larva Egg

9-15 mm 6-18 instarsUp to 20 mm

1.2 mm x 0.4 mm

Mexican Bromeliad Weevil - Metamasius callizona

Ornamental Pest

Adult Larva Egg

11-16 mm Five instarsUp to 20 mm

2 mm x 1 mm

Asian Grey Weevil - Myllocerus undecimpustulatus undatus

Ornamental Pest

Adult Larva Egg

7-8 mm

Palmetto Weevil - Rhynchophorus cruentatus

Ornamental & Tree Pest

Adult Larva Egg

19-30 cm

American Serpentine Leafminer - Liriomyza trifolii

Vegetable, Ornamental & Field Crop Pest

Adult Larva Egg

2 mm Up to 3 mm 1.0 mm x 0.2 mm

Darkwinged Fungus Gnat - Bradysia spp.

Ornamental & Vegetable Pest

Adult Larva Egg

3 mm Up to 6 mm

Southern Green Stink Bug - Nezara viridula

Ornamental, Field Crop, Fruit & Vegetable Pest

Adult Larva Egg

13-17 mm Five instarsUp to 10 mm

1.3 mm x 0.9 mm

Silverleaf Whitefly - Bemisia argentifolii or Bemisia tabaci

Field Crop, Ornamental & Vegetable Pest

Adult Larva Egg

1 mm Four instarsUp to 1 mm

0.2 mm

Green Peach Aphid - Myzus persicae

Ornamental, Field Crop, Vegetable & Fruit Pest

Adult Larva Egg

2 mm Five instars 0.6 mm x .3 mm

Melon Aphid - Aphis gossypii

Ornamental, Field Crop, Vegetable & Fruit Pest

Adult Larva Egg

1-2 mm Up to 1 mm None

Potato Aphid - Macrosiphum euphorbiae

Ornamental & Vegetable Pest

Adult Larva Egg

2-4 mm Four instarsUp to 2 mm

None

Brown Citrus Aphid - Toxoptera citricida

Ornamental & Fruit Pest

Adult Larva Egg

3 mm Up to 3 mm None

Pink Hibiscus Mealybug - Maconellicoccus hirsutus

Ornamental Pest

Adult Larva Egg

2-3 mm (Female) Three instars (Female)

Two instars & Two pupal stages

(Male)Up to 2 mm

0.4 mm x 0.2 mm

Papaya Mealybug - Paracoccus marginatus

Fruit & Ornamental Pest

Adult Larva Egg

About 3 mm Females wingless Male

winged

Three instars

Longtailed Mealybug - Pseudococcus longispinus

Fruit, Ornamental & Tree Pest

Adult Larva Egg

3 mm (Body)

Cycad Aulacaspis Scale - Aulacaspis yasumatsui

Ornamental & Tree Pest

Adult Larva Egg

1-2 mm (Female)

Up to 1 mm (Male)

Tea Scale - Fiorinia theae

Ornamental & Tree Pest

Adult Larva Egg

Up to 2 mm

False Oleander Scale - Pseudaulacaspis cockerelli

Ornamental & Tree Pest

Adult Larva Egg

2-3 mm (Female)

1 mm (Male)

White Peach Scale - Pseudaulacaspis pentagona

Fruit, Ornamental & Tree Pest

Adult Larva Egg

2-3 mm (Female)

<1 mm (Male)

Green Scale - Coccus viridis

Ornamental & Tree Pest

Adult Larva Egg

3 mm

Florida Wax Scale - Ceroplastes floridensis

Ornamental & Tree Pest

Adult Larva Egg

2-4 mm

Hemispherical Scale - Saissetia coffeae

Ornamental & Fruit Pest

Adult Larva Egg

2-5 mm 1 mm (Crawler)

0.7 mm

Pyriform Scale - Protopulvinaria pyriformis

Ornamental & Fruit Pest

Adult Larva Egg

Up to 3 mm

Lobate Lac Scale - Paratachardina pseudolobata

Ornamental & Tree Pest

Adult Larva Egg

1-2 mm

Leaf-footed Bug - Leptoglossus phyllopus

Ornamental, Field Crop, Fruit & Vegetable Pest

Adult Larva Egg

2-3 cm

Lantana Lace Bug - Teleonemia scrupulosa

Ornamental Pest

Adult Larva Egg

3-4 mm Five instars

Glassy-winged Sharpshooter - Homalodisca coagulata

Fruit & Ornamental Pest

Adult Larva Egg

2 cm

Oleander Caterpillar - Syntomeida epilais

Ornamental Pest

Adult Larva Egg

45-51 mm Up to 40 mm < 1 mm

Granulate Cutworm - Agrotis subterranea

Ornamental, Field Crop & Vegetable Pest

Adult Larva Egg

38-45 mm (Wingspan)

Seven instarsUp to 37 mm

0.6- 0.7 mm

Southern Armyworm - Spodoptera eridania

Ornamental, Field Crop & Vegetable Pest

Adult Larva Egg

33-38 mm (Wingspan)

Six instarsUp to 35 mm

0.5 mm

Corn Earworm - Helicoverpa zea

Field Crop, Fruit & Ornamental Pest

Adult Larva Egg

32-45 mm (Wingspan)

Six instarsUp to 25 mm

0.5- 0.6 mm

Cabbage Looper - Trichoplusia ni

Ornamental, Field Crop & Vegetable Pest

Adult Larva Egg

33-38 mm (Wingspan)

30-40 mm 0.6 mm

Florida Fern Caterpillar - Callopistria floridensis

Ornamental Pest

Adult Larva Egg

35-50 mm (Wingspan)

Four-Five instars

Up to 35 mm

0.5 mm

Azalea Caterpillar - Datana major

Ornamental Pest

Adult Larva Egg

45 mm Up to 10 mm

American Grasshopper - Schistocerca americana

Fruit, Tree & Ornamental

Adult Larva Egg

39-42 mm (Male)48-55 mm(Female)

Six instarsUp to 45 mm

7.0-8.0 mm

Eastern Lubber Grasshopper - Romalea microptera (formerly R.

guttata) Fruit, Tree & Ornamental

Adult Larva Egg

6-8 cm

Western Flower Thrips - Frankliniella occidentalis

Ornamental, Vegetable & Field Crop Pest

Adult Larva Egg

Up to 2 mm 0.25 mm

Cuban Laurel Thrips - Gynaikothrips ficorum

Ornamental Pest

Adult Larva Egg

3-4 mm

Two-spotted Spider Mite - Tetranychus urticae

Ornamental, Vegetable, Field Crop & Fruit Pest

Adult Larva Egg

minute

Many thanks to those that contributed to this project

Photographs by:– Lyle Buss, UF Entomology and

Nematology– Dr. Paul Choate, UF Entomology and

Nematology– Dr. John Capinera, Chair, UF Entomology

and Nematology– Dr. Norman Leppla, Director IPM

Florida, UF Entomology and Nematology

– Dr. Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University - Dept., Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management , Bugwood.org

– John Folz,, Emeritus Faculty, UF Entomology and Nematology

Photographs by:– Dr. Russ Ottens, University of Georgia,

Bugwood.org– Tracy Conklin, UF Entomology and

Nematology– Larry Williams, Okaloosa County

Extension – Natasha Wright, Florida Department of

Agriculture and Consumer Services, Bugwood.org

– Dr. James Castner, UF Entomology and Nematology

– Dr. Wayne Dixon, Florida Division of Plant Industry

– USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Protection, Southern Region

Many thanks to those that contributed to this project

– Dr. Norman Leppla, Director-IPM Florida, UF Entomology and Nematology

– Dr. Jennifer Gillett-Kaufman, Associate Director IPM Florida, UF Entomology and Nematology

– Lyle Buss, UF Entomology and Nematology– Joyce Merritt, Publications Specialist, IPM

Florida and Plant Medicine Program– Kevyn Juneau, Research Assistant IPM

Florida, UF Entomology and Nematology

Contributors:

References• Capinera, J.L., 2001 Handbook of Vegetable Pests. Academic Press: San Diego• Hodges, A., Hodges, G., Buss, L., Osborne, L., 2005 Mealybugs& Mealybug Look-Alikes of the

Southeastern United States• Stehr, F.W. 1987. Immature Insects. Volumes I and II. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company • C. Malcolm Beck and John Howard Garrett, 2005 Texas Bug Book

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Revised Edition. University of Texas Press: Austin, TX.• Short, D.E., Simone, G.W., Dunn, R.A. (Eds.), 2001 Commercial Ornamental Nursery Scouting

Manual. Department of Entomology and Nematology, Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida: Gainesville, FL.