Molecular Identification of and Damage Caused by Tribolium castaneum 1 to Native Maize at Guerrero, Mexico

In rural communities in the State of Guerrero, farmers keep seeds to plant during the dry season, and maize (Zea mays L.) and bean grains for 6 to 9 months as the main food for consumption at home. However, in recent years maize weevils and beetles have been found in containers where seeds and grains were stored. Maize from the containers was sampled to identify damage caused by insects. Maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais (Motschulsky), and red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), were detected in damaged maize kernels. According to molecular analysis, red flour beetle is another pest of maize used by farmers in rural communities in the State of Guerrero.