Comparative Life Histories of 2 Species of Notonomus (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in Victoria

1992 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
PA Horne
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Larval Development ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Carabid Beetles ◽  
Peak Activity

The distributions and life histories of two species of carabid beetles, Notonomus gravis and Notonomus philippi, are compared. N. gravis inhabits the western grassland plains of Victoria and N. philippi inhabits woodland in the Otway Ranges and areas east of Melbourne. Adults of both species show peak activity in summer after emergence, with larval development from autumn to spring. The development of N. philippi occurs approximately one month earlier than that of N. gravis. Both species readily accept larval Lepidoptera as food, are nocturnal and are the dominant carabids in their respective habitats. N. gravis has potential as a biological control agent, and the carabid communities may be used as environmental indicators.

scholarly journals Host Range and Impact of Dichrorampha aeratana, the First Potential Biological Control Agent for Leucanthemum vulgare in North America and Australia

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 438
Author(s):  
Sonja Stutz ◽  
Rosemarie De Clerck-Floate ◽  
Hariet L. Hinz ◽  
Alec McClay ◽  
Andrew J. McConnachie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
North America ◽  
Larval Development ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Multiple Choice ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Larval Feeding ◽  
Invasive Weed ◽  
Choice Tests

We evaluated the potential of the European root-feeding moth Dichrorampha aeratana as a biological control agent for the invasive weed Leucanthemum vulgare (oxeye daisy) in North America and Australia. The taxonomic proximity of the ornamental Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum × superbum) to L. vulgare and its popularity in North America made finding sufficiently host-specific biological control agents a challenge. No-choice tests conducted with 74 non-target species revealed partial or complete larval development on 11 species. In multiple-choice oviposition and larval development tests that were conducted in field cages, larvae were found on five of these, however in multiple-choice tests conducted under open-field conditions, larvae were only found on the ornamentals Shasta daisy and creeping daisy (Mauranthemum paludosum). Larval feeding by D. aeratana had no measurable impact on Shasta daisy, but larval feeding and plant competition reduced the biomass and number of flower heads of L. vulgare. We conclude that D. aeratana is a suitable biological control agent because it will not affect the ornamental value of Shasta or creeping daisies and because it is unlikely to feed on any other economically important or native species. We also expect D. aeratana to contribute to the suppression of L. vulgare populations.

Predation by carabid beetles on the invasive slug Arion vulgaris in an agricultural semi-field experiment

2012 ◽  
Vol 103 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Pianezzola ◽  
S. Roth ◽  
B.A. Hatteland
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Carabid Beetles ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Effective Management ◽  
Severe Damage ◽  
Arion Vulgaris ◽  
Pterostichus Melanarius

AbstractArion vulgaris Moquin-Tandon 1855 is one of the most important invasive species in Europe, affecting both biodiversity and agriculture. The species is spreading in many parts of Europe, inflicting severe damage to horticultural plants and cultivated crops partly due to a lack of satisfactory and effective management solutions. Molluscicides have traditionally been used to manage slug densities, although the effects are variable and some have severe side-effects on other biota. Thus, there is a need to explore potential alternatives such as biological control. The nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita is the only biological agent that has been applied commercially so far. However, other biological control agents such as carabid beetles have also been found to be promising. In addition, some carabid species have been shown to feed on A. vulgaris in the field as well as in the laboratory. Two species in particular have been found to be important predators of A. vulgaris, and these species are also common in agricultural environments: Pterostichus melanarius and Carabus nemoralis. This study is the first to use semi-field experiments in a strawberry field, manipulating densities, to investigate how P. melanarius and C. nemoralis affect densities of A. vulgaris eggs and juveniles, respectively. Gut contents of C. nemoralis were analysed using multiplex PCR methods to detect DNA of juvenile slugs. Results show that both P. melanarius and C. nemoralis significantly affect densities of slug eggs and juvenile slugs under semi-field conditions and that C. nemoralis seems to prefer slugs smaller than one gram. Carabus nemoralis seems to be especially promising in reducing densities of A. vulgaris, and future studies should investigate the potential of using this species as a biological control agent.

scholarly journals Variability in weed biological control : effects of foliar nitrogen on larval development and dispersal of the alligatorweed flea beetle, Agasicles hygrophila

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harms Nathan ◽  
Cronin James
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Larval Development ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Flea Beetle ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Developmental Time ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Weed Biological Control ◽  
Foliar Nitrogen

Host quality can have dramatic effects on performance of biological control agents but its importance is understudied. We used a combination of field measurements and laboratory experiments to determine the range of foliar nitrogen (FN) that larvae of the alligatorweed flea beetle (Agasicles hygrophila) are exposed to in the field and its importance to larval development and dispersal. Seasonal variability in FN was assessed at field sites spanning southern to northern Louisiana every 2–3 weeks during the growing season for four years. In a series of laboratory experiments, alligatorweed FN was manipulated to examine its influence on larval development and survival (under different temperature regimes), adult biomass, and dispersal of the biological control agent, A. hygrophila. Foliar nitrogen and rearing temperature had strong independent effects on larval development rate. We demonstrated that increasing nitrogen in leaf tissues shortens larval A. hygrophila developmental time and increases survival to adulthood, regardless of exposure temperature during development. It also suggests that foliar nitrogen may have important effects on biological control of alligatorweed, particularly as a result of seasonal variation in temperature and plant nutrition at field sites and could contribute to observed variation in A. hygrophila efficacy in the field.

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