Bwa-yo - Société Audubon Haiti

170 Pests and Diseases
Species: Hibiscus elatus Sw.
Creole Name: maho ble
Family: Malvaceae
Insect Pests: Cotton stainer bugs occasionally infest trees in the Caribbean. Several
species of ants consume seeds in the Caribbean. The long-homed beetles(Acanthoderes
circumflexa and Plectomerus dentipes) attack Hibiscus spp. in the Caribbean. Nymphs
and adults of Dysdercus andreae, D. ocreatus, and D. sanguineus suck on seeds,
deforming them, and causing premature seed fall in the Caribbean.
Other Pests: Bats and other predators consume immature seed while it is still on the
tree.
Diseases: Leaf spot (Septoria sp. and Pestalstia heterocornis Guba) is reported in
Jamaica. Dieback characterized by crown branching, leaf wilt, and trunk blackening
occurs in Puerto Rico.
References: CATIE, 1992; Weaver and Francis, [n.d.].
Species: Hura crepitans L.
Creole Names: sabliye, rabi
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Insect Pests: The wet-wood termites (Nasutitermes costalis Holmgren and N. nigriceps
Haldeman) consume dead limbs in Puerto Rico. Homopteran insects feed on foliage in
Puerto Rico.
Disease: Heart rot enters basal scars and reaches interior of trees.
Reference: Francis, 1990e.
Species: Hymenaea courbaril L.
Creole Name: koubari
Family: Fabaceae (=Leguminosae)
Insect Pests: A weevil (Rhinochenus sp.) bores through seed pods and eats the seed in
Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago. Other insects (Acanthoscelides sp., Hypothenemus
busch Hopkins, and Myelois decolor Zeller) feed inside seed pods in Puerto Rico. An
unidentified insect cuts twigs and small branches after depositing eggs in Trinidad and
Tobago. Leaf-cutter ants (Aua spp.) harvest young leaves in Costa Rica. Wet-wood termites
(Nasutitermes costalis Holmgren and N. nigricepts Haldeman) eat dead wood in
the Caribbean. Marine borers (Toredo spp.) attack wood in the Caribbean.
Reference: Francis, 1990f.
Species: Inga vera Willd.
Creole Names: sikren, pwa dou
Family: Fabaceae (=Leguminosae)
Insect Pests: An ant (Myrmelachista ramulorun Wheeler) attacks older trees and tunnels
through trunks and branches in Puerto Rico. A leaf webber (Tetralopha scabridella
Ragonot) causes severe defoliation and a beetle (Xyleborus affinis Eichhoff) attacks
both healthy and stressed trees in Puerto Rico. A wood borer (Platypus ratzenburgi
Chapuis) causes severe damage to live trees in Puerto Rico.
Disease: An unidentified root fungus or bacterium causes a loss of sap from trees,
necrosis, and eventual death in Puerto Rico.
Reference: Rodriguez, 1990.