Transgenic-crops
Guides
Dysdercus concinnus
pale red bug, Turk's cap red bug
Dysdercus concinnus is a red bug in the family Pyrrhocoridae, commonly known as the pale red bug or Turk's cap red bug. It is a significant pest of cotton, feeding on developing bolls and deteriorating seed and fiber quality. The species exhibits notable sexual dimorphism in flight capability: males retain flight throughout life and become facultative migrants using hunger as a migration signal, while females undergo wing muscle histolysis at the reproductive stage, becoming permanently flightless. The species has been extensively studied in the context of transgenic crop impacts, showing that diet (transgenic vs. non-transgenic cotton) and sex influence gut microbial diversity and community structure.
Leucania senescens
cutworm, dart moth
Leucania senescens is a noctuid moth (family Noctuidae) described by Möschler in 1890. Originally known from North America, it was first recorded in Brazil in 2019, where larvae have been observed feeding on maize silk in both Bt and conventional varieties. The species has been documented at 13 localities in Brazil through systematic surveys and is associated with agricultural systems containing grass crops. It is part of a complex of herbivorous insects associated with maize agroecosystems and serves as a host for braconid and tachinid parasitoids.
Maruca vitrata
legume pod borer, maruca pod borer, bean pod borer, soybean pod borer, mung moth, spotted pod borer
Maruca vitrata is a pantropical moth and major agricultural pest of leguminous crops, particularly affecting cowpea, pigeon pea, mung bean, and soybean. Larvae feed on flower buds, flowers, and young pods, causing yield losses of 20–80% in susceptible cowpea varieties. The species has low genetic differentiation across its range due to high gene flow, with populations in India showing evidence of recent demographic expansion. It serves as host for several parasitoid wasps (Braconidae, Ichneumonidae) and flies (Tachinidae) that provide biological control.