Abstract

Orchid cultivation has increased in Brazil, especially in states with a tropical climate, and as this group of plants is cultivated in protected systems, it can suffer attacks from insect pests such as Coleoptera. Therefore, the objective of this work is to report the attack of Stethobaroides scutellatus Casey, 1922 (Curculionidae: Baridinae) on Catasetum sp. During the rainy season (November to May), attacks on flowers of plants of the genus Catasetum by small coleoptera have been observed in the orchid nursery of the State University of Mato Grosso in Alta Floresta, MT, in Southern Amazonia. It was observed that the insects attack the flower petals, which causes the petals to dry out and fall. The insects were collected and it was found that they were black in color with an elongated rostrum, geniculate-clavate antennae and an average length of five millimeters. The insects collected were sent for identification by a specialist who concluded that they were Stethobaroides scutellatus. This is the first report of an attack by this species on orchids in Brazil.