Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 32-34. (2014)
Zoology
SOME OBSERVATION ON TROPINOTA (EPICOMETIS) HIRTA (PODA, 1761) (COLEOPTERA: SCARABAEOIDEA, CETONIIDAE) FROM THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA Galina BU§MACHIU, Lidia TODERA$ Institutul de Zoologie al Academiei de §tiinfe a Moldovei, str. Academiei nr. 1, 2028 Chijinau, Republica Moldova, bushmakiu@yahoo.com Abstract: Polyphagous insect species T. hirta used as a food source more than 70 plants species from 24 families. In certain genera the pests attack all species. In the Republic of Moldova the adults emerge from hibernation in the middle of March. The first specimens were recorded feeding on narcissus flowers, and then the pests move from one fruit trees to another. Adult of T. hirta attacks during flowering, so the management of this particular beetle is generally difficult and risky, because it is important to protect the useful insect. Keywords: insect, pest, plant, management. Introduction Scarabaeids are important group of beetles in regard to both systematics and economics. Adults of many species are phytophagous and feed on leaves and flowers of cultural plants [13]. Family Cetoniidae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) includes several important pests like Tropinota hirta Poda, Cetonia aurata L., Protaetia angustata Ger. etc. The object of our study was one cetoniin species -T. hirta, the most important pest causing damage through feeding on the reproductive parts of flowers of many plants, which are orchard, ornamental trees, bushes, other agricultural and wild plants. As a result, damaged flowers cannot produce fruits. The action was described in literature by several authors [5, 16, 10, 30 etc.]. Among the first observation on T. hirta as harmful pest of wheat and mustard were the study of Dobrovolski [8, 9] in Southern Russia beginning from 1895. T. hirta was cited for the first time in Romania (Transylvania) in 1891 [23] as a pest of fruit trees, cereals and grape. In 1906 [18] the pest attacked the apple orchards in Bessarabia (Republic of Moldova). In the study carried out in 1936 [10], 38 plant species belonging to 13 families were listed as food for T. hirta. According to anther author [34] T. hirta attacks also different forest trees, including Salix sp. and Populus sp. The species is widespread in large parts of Eurasia and caused damage in Austria [4]; Bulgaria [7, 21]; Croatia [22]; Hungary [12]; Turkey [20]; Romania [1, 10]; Serbia [25]; Spain [3] etc. According to literature data the polyphagous adult of Tropinota hirta attacks during flowering so the management of this particular beetle is generally difficult and risky, because it M A R I S I A, XXXIII-XXXIV, p. 123-130
