Issue No. 379
Susan E. Halbert
November/December, 1996
Introduction
A large colony of Spartocera batatas (Fabricius) (Fig. 1) was found in late June 1995 on an Asian cultivar of sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) in Homestead, Florida, by Lynn D. Howerton, environmental specialist, Division of Plant Industry (DPI). The plants were badly damaged by the insects. This collection represents the first report of S. batatas in the continental U.S. Subsequent surveys of commercial fields of sweet potatoes in the area failed to turn up any more S. batatas; however, an additional single specimen was found in Miami in early October 1995 by DPI Inspector Ramon A. Dones. Many bugs were found in suburban Miami by Julieta Brambila (University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences) in late September 1996.
Spartocera batatas was described from Surinam and is also found on several of the Caribbean islands. It is considered a minor pest of sweet potatoes in Puerto Rico (Pantoza, A., University of Puerto Rico, pers. comm.). Records from Cuba indicate apparent range expansion across the island (Ravelo 1988). It is not known when or how the insect was introduced into Florida, but its limited distribution suggests that the introduction was recent.