Effect of Spatial Distribution Pattern and Field Depth on The Population Dynamic of The Blister Beetle, Meloe rugosus M. (Coleoptera: Meloidae) Adults in Wheat, (Triticum aestivum L.) fields in El-Bahariya Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt

Abstract

The blister beetle Meloe rugosus Marsham, was detected for the first time in El-Farafra oasis, New-Valley governorate-Egypt in 2018. Blister beetle causes significant damage to Wheat in El-Bahariya oasis. A survey was carried out during Wheat growing seasons 2018 and 2019 in Ain EL-Heiz locality (EL-Bahariya Oasis), to determine the spatial distribution of blister beetle adults in Wheat fields. Results based on the number of beetles showed that 3741 adults of M. rugosus were collected in 2018/2019. Day 35 (the 1 st week of February) counted for the highest number of recorded beetles with (25.833 beetles) during 2018 however during the season but in 2019 the Day 28 (the 1 st week of February) counted (24.33 beetles) in beetles count. North field site was the most preferred by beetles which contributed with more than 48% similarly, In season 2019 that North contributed with more than 50% of total beetles count. Thus, these results provide important insights into the preference of the blister beetles direction is the northeastern cardinal site of Wheatfield at the angle of 55º50´22" and 60º20´39" in the growing seasons 2018 and 2019, respectively. Beetles also exhibited different distribution patterns regarding their distribution at different levels of field depth. About 45 and 55 % of the total beetles' population distributed at one meter far from the field border, while only 4 m and 5 m distance showed no significant differences in beetles count. These spatial-temporal differences in distribution patterns are discussed in terms of adult behavior and prevailing agro-climate

Effectiveness of Pitfall Trap Colors in Monitoring Adults of Blister Beetle Meloe proscarabaeus Linnaeus, 1758 (Coleoptera: Meloidae) in Faba Bean Fields at El-Farafra Oasis Egypt

“…Although, Alfieri (1976) recorded this insect as a collecting species of desert fauna in the vicinity of Cairo, where no information is available about its biology, ecology, and host relationships. Different species of blister beetles have been recorded in different parts of the world as serious pests of alfalfa, faba bean, wheat, and peanut (El-Sheikh and El Kenway, 2020;El-Sheikh, 2020). Pitfall traps, which were first defined by Barber (1931), are very regularly utilized for testing in terrestrial ecology.…”