Newly recorded species of <i>Chaetocnema</i> , vector of <i>rice yellow mottle virus</i> in Tanzania

Abstract

Abstract Rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV) belongs to the Sobemovirus group and causes the only known virus disease of rice ( Oryza sativa L.) peculiar to the African continent to date. It was first recorded in Kenya in 1966 and was not reported in Tanzania until in the 1980s. It has spread fast and is found in almost all the rice growing areas. Clearly, it is the most important disease of rice in Tanzania. RYMV is transmitted mechanically and by chrysomelid beetles. Chaetocnema pulla Chapuis is thought to be an important vector of the disease in Tanzania. Transmission studies conducted revealed a new species, Chaetocnema sp. nov. prope varicornis Jacoby, found in Tanzania as also a vector of RYMV. This species has not been previously reported to occur and to vector RYMV in any of the countries where the disease is prevalent. Further studies on the roles of these vectors and the dynamics of virus spread are necessary to provide more information on the epidemiology of this disease in Tanzania.