Page 37 - Volume 5, Issue 2, July 2012
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© Benaki Phytopathological Institute
Papadopoulou
66
(Figure 4). The finding was confirmed by the
Natural History Museum in London, where
the species was identified as
T. dilaticollis
by
Richard Thompson (September 8th, 2010).
The permanent preparations of the isolated
genitalia of
T. dilaticollis
are kept in the Tech-
nological Educational Institute of Thessalo-
niki, School of Agricultural Technology, Lab-
oratory of Entomology.
Tanymecus dilaticollis
was observed to
complete one generation per year on maize
and overwintered as pupa in the soil. Per-
sonal observations showed that adults’
emergence from the soil occurred in late
April during the warmest hours of the day
and lasted for several days. Also, adults at-
tacked young corn seedlings, consuming
the leaf edges and destroying apical mer-
istems before the 4-leaf stage of the plant’s
development and higher temperatures dur-
ing the day enhanced the feeding of
T. dila-
ticollis
.
Figure 2.
Young corn plants damaged by
Tanymecus dilaticol-
lis
adults.
Figure 3.
Tanymecus dilaticollis
infesting young maize plants.
Figure 4.
Male genitalia
of
Tanymecus dilaticollis
(~x 70).
Figure 1.
Young maize seedling totally devastated by
Tanymecus dilaticollis.
