First record of the soybean stem fly Melanagromyza sojae (Diptera: Agromyzidae) in the Brazilian Savannah

ABSTRACT The soybean stem fly [Melanagromyza sojae (Diptera: Agromyzidae)] is a pest widely distributed in the Asian continent. In Brazil, its occurrence has been reported since the 1980s, but it had not been reported in Brazilian Savannah areas yet. This is the first record of M. sojae in this region of great importance for the soybean world production. Specimens of the soybean stem fly were collected in a volunteer soybean area, in April 2018, in the Goiás state, Brazil, and sent for molecular identification. The similarity index of the collected specimens with M. sojae was higher than 99 %, thus confirming the identification of the species. The infestation level in the collection area was approximately 100 % of plants with damage caused by this insect. In Brazil, the occurrence of M. sojae, up to the present time, had been described as restricted to the southern states. This record raises the hypothesis that M. sojae is widespread in other agricultural areas of the Brazilian Savannah, and that its dissemination is favored by the maintenance of volunteer soybean.