Identification and evaluation of damage caused by Nicentrites testaceipes (Champion, 1908) in maize in the Amanalco-Valle de Bravo basin, Mexico

Abstract

In Mexico, the main maize pests are Lepidoptera and Coleoptera. In the spring-summer cycle of 2024, damage caused by a species of the Cucurlionidae family was observed in maize crops. In this region, damage caused by this type of insects had not been observed; therefore, this work aimed to identify the specie causing the lesions and evaluate the foliar damage in maize crop. Nicentrites testaceipes was identified as causative of damage to maize from vegetative stages V4 to V11. Between 0.3 and 6.3 adults were observed per plant, and the percentage of damaged leaves per plant was between 63.4 and 100%, with the greatest damage occurring in plants in vegetative stages V5 and V7. In a more specific visual sampling focused on the leaf located in the third position from top to bottom, it was observed that it can cause an average damage of between 1.0 and 6.1% of the damaged leaf area, and as a minimum and maximum between 1.0 and 15.0% of the damaged leaf area, respectively. N. testaceipes is a little-studied corn pest because it is considered a secondary pest, but population outbreaks can occur that can significantly affect corn crops if control measures are not taken.