The Entomology Circular series was established in the early 1960s to be an educational outlet for new agricultural pests, often of regulatory concern. They are primarily created by staff members to discuss newly established pests or pests that would pose threats to Florida’s plant life if established. These Circulars were short reports (often only 2 page) that were printed for distribution to stakeholders and the public. After the original release, the paper copies were used as educational fliers for many years. While some data are out of date, they are historically significant and much of the biological information contained in them are still scientifically valid. With the development of the internet, many were updated and re-released through the University of Florida’s Featured Creatures series. As the internet and digital technology created new ways to disseminate information more rapidly, the Circular series’ original purpose of a quick information release was taken over with DPI’s Pest Alert series that is posted on the DPI’s webpage. However, Pest Alerts are considered short, temporary multi-media postings to be discarded after a period of time. The Circular series continues to function as a more informative and permanent publication record on various pests or arthropods of concern to Florida.
Genus Delphastus Casey are small whitefly-specific predatory ladybird beetles belonging to the coccinellid tribe Serangiini. They feed on all immature stages of whitefly and are reared and sold commercially all over the world for this purpose. …read more…
Prepona laertes (Hübner) is a butterfly native to South and Central America. In August 2013, USDA and FDACSDPI found an established population of the species in Broward County, Florida (Hayden 2013). The caterpillars feed on leaves of cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco L.). …read more…
Samea ecclesialis Guenée (Lepidoptera: Crambidae: Spilomelinae) is a common moth that is widely distributed in Florida, the southern United States, and the New World tropics. It is often seen flying on lawns and weedy areas, and it is one of the most frequently attracted moths to Multi-Lure® (McPhail-type) traps deployed in Florida for tephritid fruit fly detection (Fig. …read more…
West Indian flatid planthopper (Melormenis basalis (Walker 1851)) (Fig.1) was found in Florida for the first time in Miami-Dade County in 1997 by Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry (DPI) inspector James R. …read more…
Aroids (family Araceae), such as Colocasia spp., Alocasia spp., Philodendron spp. and Caladium spp., are popular indoor and patio plants in the United States, and in the subtropical climate of Florida they are also common elements in exterior landscapes. …read more…
The armored scale genus Poliaspoides MacGillivray contains four species, three of which are thus far recorded exclusively from various bamboo species (Poaceae) (Ulgenturk and Pellizzari 2013). The genus appears to be an Oriental and/or Australasian endemic, but P. …read more…
Since the publication of the Florida beetles checklist (Peck and Thomas 1998), a number of ladybird beetles have become established in the state, some well-known and extensively documented (e.g., Harmonia axyridis Pallas and Anovia circumclusa (Gorham)) and some little noticed and previously unreported. …read more…
Woolly oak aphids are conspicuous pests on oak (Quercus spp.), because they are covered with large amounts of flocculent wax. Two genera of woolly oak aphids occur in Florida, each including one known native Florida species. …read more…
Palpita persimilis Munroe (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) is a defoliator of olives and privet in South America (Gomez 1999; Chiaradia and Da Croce 2008). Examination of specimens submitted to UF-IFAS and FDACS-DPI prompted the discovery that the species has been established in Florida for many years, having been confused with two similar native species. …read more…
The Asiatic garden beetle, Maladera castanea (Arrow), has been a pest in the northeastern United States since the 1920s. Generally not as abundant or damaging as the Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica Newman), the Asiatic garden beetle is occasionally numerous enough to cause damage to turf, gardens and field crops, as well as simply being a nuisance. …read more…