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Hemiptera (Insecta) on Oil Palm and Coconut

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Abstract

A wide variety of Hemiptera species are found on the leaves of palms in humid tropical zones. Many of them are highly polyphagous, and generally once adult, only accidentally end up on palm leaves, on which they can nevertheless feed. Other hemipterans spend the whole of their developmental cycle on palms, and some seem to live on palms alone. Most of the Hemiptera have no economic impact on their hosts, since their population levels are rarely high enough to cause significant damage. However, some Heteroptera: Coreoidea and Homoptera: Coccoidea species can be very damaging primary pests. Others amongst the Homoptera: Fulgoroidea, Cicadelloidea and Heteroptera: Pentatomoidea transmit serious diseases that have decimated oil palm and coconut plantations, for example coconut lethal yellowing in Africa and the Caribbean, and oil palm and coconut trypanosome diseases in Latin America. Lastly, some Heteroptera: Pentatomoidea and Reduvioidea species are natural enemies of lepidopteran caterpillars.

Résumé

Les espèces d’hémiptères sont très nombreuses et variées sur les feuilles des palmiers cultivés en zone tropicale humide. Nombre d’entre elles, très polyphages, ne vivent qu’accidentellement, généralement à l’état adulte, sur ces palmiers où elles sont cependant capables de se nourir. D’autres espèces effectuent tout leur cycle de développement sur les palmiers; enfin quelques espèces apparaissent être strictement inféodées à ces plantes. La plupart des espèces de ces hémiptères sont économiquement indifférentes à l’égard de leurs hôtes car elles ne sont que rarement en populations suffisamment importantes pour occasionner des dégâts significatifs. Certaines espèces, parmi les Heteroptera: Coreoidea et les Homoptera: Coccoidea, peuvent néanmoins être des ravageurs primaires importants. Quelques espèces notamment parmi les Homoptera: Fulgoroidea, Cicadelloidea et les Heteroptera: Pentatomoidea, transmettent des maladies très graves qui ont décimé palmeraies et cocoteraies de par le monde comme cela est par exemple le cas avec la maladie du jaunissement mortel du cocotier en Afrique et dans la zone Caraïbe ou les maladies à trypanosomes sur le palmier à huile et le cocotier en Amérique latine. Enfin, quelques espèces sont des ennemis naturels parmi les Heteroptera: Pentatomoidea et Reduvioidea en s’attaquant aux chenilles de lépidoptères.

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  1. CIRAD-CP, B.P. 5035, 34032, Montpellier Cedex 1, France

    D. Mariau

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Mariau, D. Hemiptera (Insecta) on Oil Palm and Coconut. Int J Trop Insect Sci 18, 269–277 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742758400018488

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