For further information contact: Segenet Kelemu or Melissa García

Because of its economic importance, Homoptera is the most prominent Order found within the collection, with specimens having been collected from a wide diversity of agroecosystems in 16 Latin American countries. The collection’s holdings include such destructive species as the whitefly; more than 17 species of Cercopids, commonly known as froghoppers or spittlebugs and principal pests of pastures and forages in America; the mealybug Phenacoccus herreni Cox & Williams, a major cassava pest; and Tagosodes orizicolus (Muir), vector of the rice hoja blanca virus.

The collection also includes beneficial insects such as parasitoids associated with whitefly, cassava hornworm Erinnyis ello L., and the miners Liriomyza spp. and Hydrellia spinicornis Creson.

Finally, the collection also holds specimens from research conducted in Mexico and Central America such as 12 species of Apion, a major pest attacking bean pods.

The larger, central collection is based on taxonomy and economic importance, and serves as reference, for documentation purposes, and for training national program personnel. The smaller collection, based on economic importance, holds specimens of only the most important crop pests, including their immature stages and natural enemies, and provides essential information on their life cycles. It is used for demonstration and teaching purposes.

A database—Access—was created to orga­nize the information, and make it available to researchers and institutions. The database contains 2276 records, distributed across the Center’s mandated crops as follows: rice (415), beans (552), cassava (700), and forages (609). It also provides valuable information on geographic distribution, host plants, natural enemies, and taxonomic status.