LAUSR

Abstract. In México, one of the main phytosanitary problems affecting maize and sugarcane is damage caused by the rhizophagous larvae of Phyllophaga ravida (Blanchard) (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae: Melolonthinae). Knowledge of the actual distribution is largely based on specimen collection data. Potential species niche models use algorithms to estimate the geographic interactions of a pest with respect to the distribution of a crop. This tool can be useful for designing monitoring programs. For this purpose, the information on the distribution of P. ravida was analyzed from material deposited in entomological collections and scientific literature; these data were incorporated into the Maxent entropy logarithm with 15 environmental variables. Areas with environmental suitability for P. ravida include the central and western states of Mexico: Hidalgo, Morelos, Oaxaca, and Puebla; with particular areas in Colima, Chiapas, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacán, and Veracruz. Areas in which P. ravida does the most damage to these crops coincide with the appropriate environmental availability.