Morphometric and mating compatibility of Dectes texanus texanus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) from soybean and sunflower.

The cerambycid Dectes texanus texanus LeConte that infests soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., is thought to be the same Dectes that damages sunflower, Helianthus annuus L. However, morphometric characteristics and mating compatibility between individuals from soybean and sunflower fields have not been assessed. Eight hundred eighty stalks of soybean and sunflower residues infested with Dectes were collected from Texas and Kansas. Outside stalk diameter of sunflower (22.6 mm) was 3.2 times greater than that of soybean. Diameters of tunnels by Dectes in sunflower and soybean were 7.0 and 3.4 mm, respectively. Widths of head capsules and pronotums were approximately 1.3 times greater for Dectes larvae from sunflower than soybean. Larval, pupal, and adult Dectes from sunflower were approximately 2.5 times heavier and 1.3 times longer than from soybean. Adults reared from residues of soybean and sunflower were paired to evaluate mating compatibility. Although individuals collected and reared from different crop residues differed significantly in size, percentage of mating success by Dectes from the two crops (26.2%) did not differ significantly from that by adults from the same kind of crop (34.9%). Results indicated that Dectes that infest soybean and sunflower are the same species and reconfirmed that farmers should not plant soybean and sunflower in rotation or in adjacent fields.