Comparative Forcipomyia (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae) pollination of cacao in Cnetral America and Southern Mexico. In: Theobroma v. 13 p. 129-139, 1983.

Abstract

The objectives of this work were to identify the ceratopogonid midges involved in cacao pollination, to determine rates of pollination in the different areas studied, and to interpret results using local records of rainfall available in the areas studied. Insects were identified as Forcipomyia (Euprojoannisia) spp., F. (Warmkea) spp., F. (Thyridomyia) spp. and F. (Forcipomyia) spp. Comparative studies of Forcipomyia pollinalion throughout Central America indicated that populations of midges varied greatly from place to place in the same season. The total number of pollinated flowers per tree in Guatemala (pacific Coast) was 14 times greater than that at Turrialba, Costa Rica (Atlantic Coast), while in Mexico (Pacific), Mexico (Atlanlic) and Nicaragua (Pacific) the pollination was respectively 12, 1.5 and 0.5 times greater than that aI Turrialba. In four Pacific Zone locations in as many countries, where there is one prolonged dry and one wet season per year, the amount of pollination was in direct proportion to the amount of annual precipitation. This sort of proportion was not observed in the Atlantic coastal plain.