Chemical Composition of Ground Pearl (Eurhizococcus colombianus) Cysts

Abstract: Ground pearl ( Eurhizococcus colombianus) is a crop pest in Colombia, with special impact on fig, grass, rubus and tomato plants. The insect is resistant to external insecticide application because it produces a thick waxy shell that isolates it from the environment. The composition of this shell was determined by NMR and MS as a triglyceride, whose fatty acid is transformed into other products with the metamorphosis of the insect. Additionally, several enzymatic inhibitors were assayed to control the insect with negative results. Keywords: Ground Pearl, insect, cyst, triglyceride, metabolism. Introduction Eurhizococcus colombianus Jakubsky (Homoptera-Margarodidae), known as ground pearl , is a polyphagous insect that lives on the roots of several crops (rubus, fig, grass, avocado, feijoa, apple, peach and tomato plants, among others) and several brush spp. belonging to the genus Rumex and weeds [1,2]. The first report about the presence of this pest in Colombia incorrectly identified it as