Expansion of geographic and host ranges of Formicococcus polysperes Williams (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in India with small cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton) as a new host record

The geographic and host range of Formicococcus polysperes Williams (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) has expanded in India since its first collection in 1949. Through this paper, the first occurrence of the root mealybug F. polysperes on small cardamom [ Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton; Zingiberaceae] is reported in India. The infestation was initially noticed on a yielding cardamom plantation with four-year-old plants of the variety ‘Green Gold’ in the root zone, particularly on the fresh white roots, in the Ayyappankovil panchayat of Idukki district, Kerala, India. Aggregation and feeding by nymphs and adults cause distorted shape, browning, and shrinking of the roots, as well as yellowing of the leaves, resulting in a sick appearance of clumps, which leads to fewer tillers and unhealthy panicles. The species F. polysperes has spread across the country's length and breadth, and it was gathered from ten states in India, with several collections occurring in the southern regions (Kerala and Karnataka) and the northeastern areas (Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland). An updated host list reveals that the mealybug infests 23 host plants across 17 families in India, of which ten host plants possess considerable economic importance. In the occurrence of outbreaks and the ensuing proliferation of this harmful pest on economically important crops like cardamom, identification and timely reporting are essential for effective management; thus, field diagnostics, slide-mounted features, and DNA sequences are provided with the assistance of field and mounted mealybug photomicrographs and by adopting appropriate molecular tools.