Record of thrips (Insecta: Thysanoptera) and fungi affecting soursop trees in the state of Acre, Brazil

The drying and death of soursop seedlings (Annona muricata L.) were reported on Viveiro da Floresta in Rio Branco, state of Acre, Brazil, in March 2017. The seedlings were obtained from municipalities of Dona Euzebia, Minas Gerais state, and the seeds from Capixaba, Acre state, Brazil. Seedlings with dieback symptoms were taken to the Laboratories of Entomology and Phytopathology of Embrapa Acre and analyzed with a stereomicroscope. The thrips found were preserved in ethanol (70%), mounted on slides, and identified in the specialized literature. Moreover, the isolation of fungi from leaves and stems was performed, which were inserted on Petri dishes with a PDA medium. The insect was identified as Pseudophilothrips sp., and the fungi pertained to the genera Colletotrichum and Lasiodiplodia. The high infestation of thrips in soursop seedlings, related to the nutrition of insects, is probably associated with the entrance of opportunistic fungi. Thus, the fungi colonized already fragile plants by the initial attack of insects, causing the drying and death of seedlings.