Bedellia somnulentella (Lepidoptera: Bedelliidae): new hosts of the genus Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) in Brazil

Bedellia somnulentella (Zeller 1847) (Lepidoptera: Bedelliidae) is an invasive pest in Ipomoea batatas (Convolvulaceae)-producing regions in the tropics. Plants of this family are important, ecologically and economically, and favorable for the survival and proliferation of this pest. The objective was to register new host plants of the Convolvulaceae family for B. somnulentella. Damage by this insect was observed on plants in the field at the Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri (UFVJM), municipality of Diamantina, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Vegetative material from these plants was collected, identified and deposited in the collection of the Forest Science Herbarium at the UFVJM. Five species of Ipomoea: I. alba, I. cairica, I. indica, I. hederifolia and I. purpurea, were identified as new host plants for B. somnulentella. The register of new host plants contributes to explain the dispersion and survival of B. somnulentella in different regions. Plants of other species of the genus Ipomoea favor the maintenance of this pest in the field in the absence of I. batatas plants.