The coffee berry borer: the centenary of a biological invasion in Brazil

One of the most important biological invasions of a tropical agroecosystem in the Americas commenced in 1913 in Brazil. Indigenous to Central Africa, the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), was introduced to the state of Sao Paulo in coffee seeds imported f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inBrazilian journal of biology Vol. 74; no. 3 Suppl 1; pp. S125 - s126
Main Authors Infante, F, Pérez, J, Vega, F E
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Brazil Instituto Internacional de Ecologia 01.08.2014
Subjects
Agriculture - methods
Animals
Brazil
Coffea - parasitology
Coffee
Coleoptera - classification
Coleoptera - physiology
Introduced Species
Microorganisms
Pest control
Plant Diseases - parasitology
Seeds
Brazil
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Summary:One of the most important biological invasions of a tropical agroecosystem in the Americas commenced in 1913 in Brazil. Indigenous to Central Africa, the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), was introduced to the state of Sao Paulo in coffee seeds imported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Berthet, 1913). As growers were not familiar with this insect, it was not until 1924, when damage had become widespread, that the insect was recognised to be the same species infesting coffee plantations in Africa (Da Silva, 2006). The coffee berry borer continues to cause major economic losses and remains a major challenge for tropical entomologists and coffee growers. The historical analysis of the scientific literature reveals a paucity of coffee berry borer papers published when compared to another major insect pest, the Mediterranean fruit fly. It is imperative for coffee-producing countries to critically reassess research programmes aimed at managing this insect.
ISSN:1519-6984
1678-4375
1678-4375
1519-6984
DOI:10.1590/1519-6984.15913