The transit of infested plants may favor the introduction of herbivores into pest-free regions. In this study, we reported the occurrence of pest mites in Dendrobium phalaenopsis Fitzg. Mites were collected from orchid leaves with lesions. We identified Brevipalpus californicus (Banks, 1904) (sensu latu), Brevipalpus yothersi Baker, 1949 and Tenuipalpus orchidofilo Moraes & Freire, 2001 (Tenuipalpidae). These species had not been registered in D. phalaenopsis. This study reinforces the importance of adequate phytosanitary care for orchid cultivation, since these mites can infest other cultivated plants and damage orchids.

This study investigated the profile of orchidists, their cultivation practices, and their knowledge about pests in orchid cultivation in the state of Bahia. There were applied 74 questionnaires to producers (amateurs and commercials) in 23 municipalities. The data were submitted to univariate statistics using the chi-square test, the Mann-Whitney U-test and the Kruskal-Wallis H-test. The survey shows that orchid cultivation is mostly practiced by women (67.6%) and those with higher education (48.7%). Most respondents were amateurs (87.8%). Insects (39.9%) and diseases (32.5%) were the main organisms associated with phytosanitary problems. The presence of insects was reported to occur mainly in the leaves (47%), mainly mealybugs (46.3%). Correspondence was significant between commercial and amateur groups according to the pairwise Mann-Whitney U-test (1) = 370.04 and p < 0.01. The Kruskal-Wallis H-test (27) = 924.78 and p < 0.01 discriminated categories between the groups. Despite the growing interest in orchid cultivation in the state of Bahia, most orchidists are amateurs. The study warns about the risk of pest dispersion between crops since exchanging plants and purchasing specimens in open markets are common practices.

The objective of the present study was to examine variation in the shape and size of pronotum, hind femur, and head in the males of Orphulellapunctata (De Geer, 1773) from three different Brazilian biomes: the Cerrado, the Atlantic Forest, and the Pantanal. A total of 150 specimens were analyzed from three populations. The results of MANOVA indicated significant differences (p&lt;0.01) in the shape of the analyzed structures of O.punctata from the different biomes. The results of ANOVA demonstrated significant differences (p&lt;0.05) in the size of all analyzed structures. Pearson’s correlation analyses among the different structures and the environmental variables revealed that the shape of pronotum, hind femur, and head (dorsal view), as well as the size of pronotum and head (dorsal and lateral views) varied with the geographic longitude, while the shape of hind femur and head (dorsal view) showed a significant negative correlation with size. Results indicated that the shape and size of the analyzed structures, in general, were influenced by the geographical variables.

Direitos para esta edição cedidos à Atena Editora pelos autores.Todo o conteúdo deste livro está licenciado sob uma Licença de Atribuição Creative Commons. Atribuição 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0). O conteúdo dos artigos e seus dados em sua forma, correção e confiabilidade são de responsabilidade exclusiva dos autores, inclusive não representam necessariamente a posição oficial da Atena Editora. Permitido o download da obra e o compartilhamento desde que sejam atribuídos créditos aos autores, mas sem a possibilidade de alterá-la de nenhuma forma ou utilizá-la para fins comerciais.A Atena Editora não se responsabiliza por eventuais mudanças ocorridas nos endereços convencionais ou eletrônicos citados nesta obra.Todos os manuscritos foram previamente submetidos à avaliação cega pelos pares, membros do Conselho Editorial desta Editora, tendo sido aprovados para a publicação.

No abstract

Biochemical biomarkers are commonly used in environmental monitoring programs due to their sensitivity to certain pollutants. From this perspective, their responses can be used as indicators of environmental quality. The present study aimed to determine the activity of the catalase (CAT) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) enzymes in grasshoppers Abracris flavolineata (De Geer, 1773) from two forest remnant areas in Serra da Jiboia (BA) and compare them between males and females. The specimens were collected at two sites in Serra da Jiboia (Bahia, Brasil), named ‘Baixa de Areia’ and ‘Baixa Grande’. The animals were actively collected in the morning using a sweep net and a 2.5 h sampling effort. In total, 160 individuals were collected, with 80 individuals from each sampling site, 50 males and 30 females. After identification, an incision was made in the lateral region of the abdomen to remove the midgut, which was used to extract the CAT and GST enzymes. The results obtained demonstrated that CAT and GST activity did not vary significantly between sampling areas. However, with regard to sex, enzyme activity was significantly higher in males (p<0.005) in both locations. This is a pioneer study on the responses of CAT and GST activity in grasshoppers in Brazil.