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Mealybugs (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha) as unusual pests on vegetables in Croatia

Mealybugs, as well as other scale insects, are polyphagous pests that feed on and damage nut and fruit trees, greenhouse plants, forest vegetation, woody and perennial ornamentals and house plants, but are rarely found on annual vegetable and arable crops. They feed on nearly all parts on host plants, causing a variety of symptoms and decreasing quality and quantity of yield in cultivated host plants. Indirect damages are a result of virus transmission and excretion of honeydew. Fruits covered with honeydew, and subsequently with sooty mould, are of lower or non-marketability. Faunistic research on scale insects that has been in progress in Croatia since 2005, led to the discovery of two mealybug species harmful to vegetable crops. Those two species are Peliococcus turanicus (Kiritshenko, 1931), found on field peas on the island of Cres and Planococcus citri (Risso, 1813), found on several occasions on greenhouse vegetables. P. turanicus forms dense colonies on plant's root system, causing yellowing of the leaves and total plant decline. Finding of P. turanicus on pea was the first record of this species for Croatia, and first finding of this species on pea altogether. P. citri is a common and very polyphagous pest that feeds on hosts from more than 82 plant families, so its spread from greenhouse ornamentals to vegetables is not surprising. The species forms colonies on leaves, stems and fruits of host plants, causing their desiccation and total decline. Infested plants are often covered in honeydew and sooty mould. In Croatia P. citri has so far been registered on following vegetable hosts: tomato, chili peppers and sweet potato. Since both pests are polyphagous, their spread to new hosts, including vegetables, is to be expected.

mealybugs, Peliococcus turanicus, Planococcus citri, vegetables, Croatia

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