Dispersion of Fidicinoides sp. (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) in coffee plants

Abstract

The knowledge of insects population dynamics is of fundamental importance to elaborate sampling plans and to make a decision viewing insect control. Between October of 2003 and January of 2004, population surveys were conducted in Sarutaiá county, state of São Paulo, Brazil, to map Fidicinoides sp. dispersion in coffee (cv. Mundo Novo) plots. One hundred and two plants per plot were sampled. The cicada nymphs were assessed in the plant roots by opening trenchs of 0.50 x 0.50 x 0.50m. Exuviae attached to trunks and branches were collected. Morisita and the ratio variance/mean indexes were used to assess the dispersion of nymphs and exuviaes of the cicada. Variance/mean relationship was higher than , indicating an aggregated distribution of cicada in the field. This was confirmed by the significant values detected for the |d| statistic and by the Morisita indexes which were greater than .Additional keywords: Cicadoidea; cicada; Coffea arabica; sampling.