• Worldwide distribution. In tropics and sub-tropics. On many crops when colonised by insects that produce honeydew, e.g., coconut, guava, mango, soursop and ornamentals.
• Black moulds grow on honeydew discharged by sap-sucking insects – aphids, planthoppers, whiteflies, scales - onto leaves and fruits.
• The fungi do not infect the leaves, but shut out sunlight, weakening growth, causing leaves to die early, and reducing fruit quality.
• Cultural control: aim to control the insects producing honeydew. If they are protected by ants, destroy nests (use hot water); prune low hanging branches and remove weeds to stop ants reaching the insects.
• Chemical control: soaps or oils to kill sap-sucking insects; use synthetic pyrethroids against ants.

Sooty moulds

A number of sooty mould fungi have been identified in Pacific island countries; e.g., those from Solomon Islands - mostly from living leaves - are as follows: Aithaloderma citri (grapefruit); Capnodium citri (citrus); Capnodium mangiferum (mango); Capnodium sp. (papaya); Chaetasbolisia microglobulosa (chilli); Chaetothyrium setosum (coconut, Xanthosoma taro); Limacinula samoenesis (coconut); Microxiphium spp. (chilli, coconut, oil palm); Trichomerium spp. (coconut, oil palm); Tripospermum fructigenum (Pometia pinnata); Tripospermum gardneri (oil palm, cocoa); Tripospermum sp. (chilli); Triosporiopsis sp. (papaya). Many of these species and others are present in Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.

Other fungal genera recorded in these countries and elsewhere are: Antennulariella, Parascorias and Scoria species.