First Record of the Coffee Berry Borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) on Hainan Island, China
Coffee (Coffea arabica L. and Coffea canephora Pierre ex A. Froehner) is one of the most important global commodities, with over 10 million hectares planted in 80 countries in tropical and subtropical regions (Aristizabal et al. 2016; Escobar Ramirez et al. 2019; FAO 2015) The total value of the coffee industry during 2012 was estimated to be US$173 billion (ICO 2015) One of the major constraints on coffee production throughout the world is the damage caused by the coffee berry borer (CBB) Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari, 1867) (Vega et al. 2009) The CBB causes enormous economic losses (Jaramillo et al. 2006; Wegbe et al. 2003) This pest poses a threat to coffee production due to its cryptic life habits inside the coffee berry, which makes management difficult (Vega et al. 2015) The beetle is indigenous to Africa (Damon 2000; Le Pelley 1968; Vega et al. 2009, 2019) To date, CBB has been found in every coffee producing region, except China and Nepal, with the most recent introductions to Puerto Rico in 2007, Hawaii in 2010, and Papua New Guinea in 2017 (Burbano et al. 2011; Coffee Industry Corporation Ltd 2017; Duque and Baker 2003; Hamilton et al. 2019; Jaramillo et al. 2011; Vega et al. 2009) In China, the area of coffee plantations was estimated to be about 120,000 ha, mostly distributed in Yunnan and Hainan (Liu 2016) Hainan was one of the earliest areas to grow coffee in China because of its ideal climate, and cultivation began in the early 20th century (Chen 2010) Moreover, the volcanic soil on the island is very suitable for cultivating high quality coffee. Robusta coffee is the main variety in Hainan, distributed mainly in Wanning, Chengmai, Baisha, and Qiongzhong. The only recorded bark beetle (Scolytinae) pest of coffee on Hainan Island is the black twig borer, Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff) It was first discovered in Wanning in the 1970s, where it was reported to cause 20 30% reduction in coffee per year (Lin et al. 1994) During June 2019, about 40 representatives of suspected CBB adults were captured in bottle traps (100% ethanol; Vega et al. 2015) in a farm near Xinglong, Wanning (18.7240degN, 110.2437degE) and hand collected from coffee beans. The first few specimens were preserved in 100% ethanol and sent to Jiangxi Agriculture University, China for primary identification, then confirmed in the Forest Entomology Laboratory, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, USA. The specimens were confirmed to be CBB using the morphological diagnosis by Vega et al. (2015)
The Coleopterists Bulletin