Host Range of Herpetogramma basalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), a Biological Control Agent for the Invasive Weed Alternanthera philoxeroides (Centrospermae: Amaranthaceae) in China

Abstract Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb. is an invasive herbaceous amphibious weed species in China. A pyralid moth Herpetogramma basalis (Walker) was discovered feeding on A. philoxeroides through field surveys and may be a potentially useful biocontrol agent. To determine the host range of H. basalis and evaluate its potential to control A. philoxeroides, no-choice and multiple-choice tests were conducted. Herpetogramma basalis fed on target weeds and 29 nontarget plant species. In addition to the target weed A. philoxeroides, H. basalis developed to adult on eight other nontarget species. Herpetogramma basalis survived to adulthood successfully on A. philoxeroides and less successfully on several other Amaranthaceae species. In multiple-choice studies, H. basalis showed a strong oviposition preference for A. philoxeroides over Amaranthus tricolor L. (Centrospermae: Amaranthaceae). Amaranthus tricolor was the only crop plant that supported the complete development of H. basalis. We cautiously recommend H. basalis for the biological control of A. philoxeroides in China.

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

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects12050438 ◽

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.

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Laboratory host range testing ofNeomusotima conspurcatalis(Lepidoptera: Crambidae) – a potential biological control agent of the invasive weed, Old World climbing fern,Lygodium microphyllum(Lygodiaceae)

Biocontrol Science and Technology ◽

10.1080/09583150902771194 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 19 (4) ◽

pp. 369-390 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Anthony J. Boughton ◽

Christine A. Bennett ◽

John A. Goolsby ◽

Robert W. Pemberton

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Host Range ◽

Biological Control Agent ◽

Control Agent ◽

Invasive Weed ◽

Old World ◽

Range Testing

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Physiological host range of Trissolcus mitsukurii, a candidate biological control agent of Halyomorpha halys in Europe

Journal of Pest Science ◽

10.1007/s10340-021-01415-x ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lucrezia Giovannini ◽

Giuseppino Sabbatini-Peverieri ◽

Leonardo Marianelli ◽

Gabriele Rondoni ◽

Eric Conti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Host Range ◽

Biological Control Agent ◽

Control Agent ◽

Halyomorpha Halys

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Biological and Host Range Characteristics of Lysathia flavipes (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), a Candidate Biological Control Agent of Invasive Ludwigia spp. (Onagraceae) in the USA

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects12050471 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 471

Author(s):

Angelica M. Reddy ◽

Paul D. Pratt ◽

Brenda J. Grewell ◽

Nathan E. Harms ◽

Ximena Cibils-Stewart ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Host Range ◽

Plant Species ◽

Biocontrol Agent ◽

Biological Control Agent ◽

Control Agent ◽

Native Plant ◽

Native Plant Species ◽

The Usa ◽

Physical And Chemical

Exotic water primroses (Ludwigia spp.) are aggressive invaders in aquatic ecosystems worldwide. To date, management of exotic Ludwigia spp. has been limited to physical and chemical control methods. Biological control provides an alternative approach for the management of invasive Ludwigia spp. but little is known regarding the natural enemies of these exotic plants. Herein the biology and host range of Lysathia flavipes (Boheman), a herbivorous beetle associated with Ludwigia spp. in Argentina and Uruguay, was studied to determine its suitability as a biocontrol agent for multiple closely related target weeds in the USA. The beetle matures from egg to adult in 19.9 ± 1.4 days at 25 °C; females lived 86.3 ± 35.6 days and laid 1510.6 ± 543.4 eggs over their lifespans. No-choice development and oviposition tests were conducted using four Ludwigia species and seven native plant species. Lysathia flavipes showed little discrimination between plant species: larvae aggressively fed and completed development, and the resulting females (F1 generation) oviposited viable eggs on most plant species regardless of origin. These results indicate that L. flavipes is not sufficiently host-specific for further consideration as a biocontrol agent of exotic Ludwigia spp. in the USA and further testing is not warranted.

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