The damage caused by feeding of eucalyptusyellow beetle Costalimaita ferruginea on leaves of Eucalyptus camaldulensis, E. citriodora, E. pellita, E. urophylla and E. urograndis was evaluated in a forest installed in the municipality of Presidente Prudente, state of São Paulo, Brazil. The percentage of defoliation was evaluated by collection of fourteen mature leaves per tree from two trees per plot. The leaves were randomly chosen up to 1.50 m high. The plots consisted of approximately 120 trees with five replications. The visible foliar damage was estimated using a score scale (1 to 8) ranging from 0 to 100% of defoliation. Considering all Eucalyptus species,the score average for the defoliation due to eucalyptusyellow beetle infestation ranged from 1.36 to 6.04. The leaves of E. camaldulensis were the least infested C. ferruginea adults. E. urophylla and E. urograndis showed the highest preference for C. ferruginea feeding, with similar scores for damages. The leaf damages in E. citriodora and E. pellita were considered intermediate, with lower score for E. pellita.
Insecta; pest; eucalyptus