First record of the soybean stem fly Melanagromyza sojae (Diptera: Agromyzidae) in chickpea crops

The presence, for the first time, of Melanagromyza sojae (Zehntner) (Diptera: Agromyzidae) in chickpea crops (Cicer arietinum) was confirmed in Argentina via morphological and molecular characterization of the cytochrome oxidase-1 gene from mtDNA. This species is highly oligophagous, preferring to infest Fabaceae plants, such as soybean and other beans. In South America, M. sojae was reported in Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia causing damage in soybean crops. Unusual damages were observed in chickpea plants during the 2019 season in the province of Cordoba (Argentina). First, these damages were attributed to the occurrence of soil diseases (Fusarium sp.). However, many of the affected plants had dipteran larvae boring inside the stem, resulting in some cases, plant’s death. In this study, all pupae collected form chickpea plants and adults obtained were identified as M. sojae. Further studies should be conducted to determine the distribution of this species in Argentina and its potential as a pest of soybean and chickpea crops, as well as to develop effective control methods.