S. Mahunka szerk.: Folia Entomologica Hungarica 27/2. (Budapest, 1974)

FOLIA ENTOMOLOGICA HUNGARICA ROVARTANI KÖZLEMÉNYEK (SERIES NOVA) XXVII. 2. 1974. p. 205-210 Insect pests of Yam (Dioscorea ssp.) in Papua New Guinea* By J. J. H. SZENT-1VÁNY (Received 15 May, 1974) ABSTRACT: Yam (Dioscorea spp.) and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) are very important food plants of the human economy in various parts of Papua New Guinea. The nomenclatorial name Dioscorea spp. is used here because the systematic position of the yam èpecies and varieties planted in Papua New Guinea village gardens has not been precisely defined to the present date. Whilst the sweet potato has several dozen known insect pests in Papua New Guinea, yam has a small number of recorded pest species in this country. All so far recorded insect pests of cultivated yam in Papua New Guinea are listed in this paper. The author discusses in some detail the damage caused by the mealy bug

Planococcus dioscoreae WILLIAMS to yam roots in storage houses in the Sepik District and describes the serious defoliation of yam by the tenthredinid Senoclidia purpurata SMITH in the Wau Valley (Morebe District) in 1967. This is the first paper entyrely devoted to the insect pests of yam in Papua New Guinea; the sawfly and some of the minor pests represent new economic records. Yam (Dioscorea spp.) is an important food-plant in some parts of Papua New Guinea. The species of the genus Dioscorea planted in this country like sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) are not native to the Papuan biogeographical subregion. The sweet potato, known as "kaukau" in the Melanesian pijin language, the lingua franca in New Guinea, is also a very important foodplant of many people in Papua New Guinea. The sweet potato Partial results of a grant to Bishop Museum from the U.S. National Science Foundation (GB - 7330).