title: Constancy, Distribution, and Frequency of Lepidoptera Defoliators of Eucalyptus grandis and Eucalyptus urophylla (Myrtaceae) in Four Brazilian Regions.
abstract: The growth of the Brazilian forest sector with monocultures favors the adaptation of Arthropoda pests. The Lepidoptera order includes major pests of Eucalyptus spp. (Myrtaceae). The aim of this work is to study the population constancy, distribution, and frequency of Lepidoptera primary pests of Eucalyptus spp. Lepidoptera pests in Eucalyptus spp. plantations were collected in Três Marias and Guanhães (state of Minas Gerais), Niquelândia (state of Goiás), and Monte Dourado (state of Pará), Brazil, for a period of 5 years, with light traps and captures, every 15 days, for every region. The number of primary pest species (12) has been similar in the four regions, and even with 1.5 to 2.4% of the total species collected, this group has shown a high frequency, especially in Três Marias, Niquelândia, and Monte Dourado, with 66.3, 54.2, and 40.0% of the individuals collected, respectively, for 5 years. The primary pest species have been constant and frequent in all the regions, with population peaks from February to September in Três Marias, February and May in Niquelândia, and from July to September in Monte Dourado. The highest population peaks of these species have been recorded when the Eucalyptus spp. plants are 3 to 6 years old. The Guanhães region is more stable and, therefore, has a lower possibility of outbreaks of the Lepidoptera primary pest species.
authors.affiliation: Depto de Ciências Florestais, Univ Federal de Sergipe, São Cristóvão, SE, Brasil.
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: Depto de Entomologia/BIOAGRO, Univ Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Zanuncio
authors.affiliation: Bahia Specialty Cellulose/Copener Florestal Ltda., rua José Tiago Correia, s/n, bairro Alagoinhas Velha, 48030-480, Alagoinhas, BA, Brasil. wagnermaias@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: de S Tavares
authors.affiliation: Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Centro Nacional de Pesquisa de Algodão, Unidade de Controle Biológico, Campina Grande, PB, Brasil.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: de S Ramalho
authors.affiliation: Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Serrão
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D005052:Eucalyptus; D060434:Herbivory; D007915:Lepidoptera; D027822:Myrtaceae; D011157:Population Dynamics
keywords: Diversity; forestry entomology; light trap; moth; primary pest species; sampling