Baculonistria alba (Chen & He, 1990)

Hennemann, Frank H., Conle, Oskar V. & Zhang, Weiwei, 2008, Figures 12 – 17. Cnipsomorpha Erinacea N. Gen. N In Descriptions Of A New Genus And Three New Species Of Phasmatodea From Southwest China (Insecta: Phasmatodea), Zootaxa 1735, pp. 1-77 : 50

Baculonistria alba (Chen & He, 1990)

In Wushan County and Zhongxian County (Sichuan Province, now Chonqing municipality) this species destroyed an area of several hundred hectars in 1986 with several hundred specimens counted per tree (Chen 1994). Cai & Liu (1993: 471, as Phobaeticus sichuanensis Cai & Liu, 1993 ) recorded considerable damage on Aluerites fordii (Euphorbiaceae) , Cupressus funebris (Cupressaceae) , Platycarya strobilacea and P. orientalis (Juglandaceae) , Sapium sebiferum (Euphorbiaceae) , Cyclobalanopsis sp. (Fagaceae) , Salix cheilophila (Salicaceae) , Zea mays (Poaceae) and Solanum tuberosum (Solanaceae) .

Another case of serious damage happened in the most important green-shelter of Yangtze River, Three Gorges Area Chongqing in March and April 2005. An area of 800 ha of the Yangtze River green-shelter was affected the massive defoliation being predominantly defined to Cupressus funebris (Cupressaceae) . About 40 ha of trees were dead and an average of 120 specimens of B. alba were counted per tree (personal communication with Xiang Guowei of Chongqing Forestry Bureau). In early May the outbreak was controlled by application of pesticides ( Figs. 3 & 4 ).

Figures

FIGURES 3 & 4: Defoliation of Cupressus funebris caused by Baculonistria alba (Chen & He) in Chongqing, Yunyang County (Yangtze River, Three Gorges Reservoir) in 2005. (© Xiang Guowei)