CONTARINIA MACULIPENNIS FELT, 1933 (DIPTERA: CECIDOMYIIDAE) PEST OF COMMERCIAL PLANTS: A REVIEW

Contarinia maculipennis Felt, 1933, belongs to the Cecidomyiidae family and causes economic damage to several ornamental plant species, mainly orchids of the genus Dendrobium. This study gathered information from the literature on the main plant crops affected. The bibliographic review encompassed searches on databases of Google Scholar, SciELO, Lens.org, Pubmed, Medline, and Science Direct, accessing scientific articles, books, book chapters, and catalogs with relevant information about C. maculipennis. Contarinia maculipennis is a potential threat to several crops, causing serious damage mainly to ornamental, vegetable, and fruit plants. Adaptability and biological development of C. maculipennis reach a wide geographical distribution and the insect is capable of migrating and adapting to other crops nearby, which would cause even greater damage. Thus, actions are required to prevent the spread C. maculipennis, which occurs mainly through importation of plants.