scholarly journals Effect of the Biological Control Agent Neoseiulus californicus (Acari: Phytoseiidae) on Arthropod Community Structure in North Florida Strawberry Fields

2008 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
pp. 436-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aimee B. Fraulo ◽  
Robert McSorley ◽  
Oscar E. Liburd
Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 224
Author(s):  
Wang-Peng Shi ◽  
Xiao-Yu Wang ◽  
Yue Yin ◽  
Yu-Xing Zhang ◽  
Um-e-Hani Rizvi ◽  
...  

Substantial harm to ecosystems from the use of chemical pesticides has led to an increasing interest in the use of biopesticides to control grasshoppers in rangelands, including China. One such potential biopesticide for control of grasshoppers is the fungus Paranosema locustae. In this study, the dynamics of aboveground natural enemies of grasshoppers and arthropod diversity 0–9 years after application of P. locustae were investigated in rangeland in Qinghai Plateau, China. We found that the number of species and of individuals of aboveground natural enemies increased by 17–250% and 40–126%, respectively, after spraying P. locustae, and that the main natural enemies showed three peaks after treatment. The conventional indices of species diversity (H’) and evenness (J’) increased by 11–267% and 13–171%, respectively, after treatment with P. locustae. The results showed the positive effects of P. locustae on aboveground natural enemies and biodiversity in an arthropod community in Chinese rangeland. Paranosema locustae is thought to be a safe biological control agent for grasshopper management in Northwestern China.


2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Stéphane Tixier ◽  
Sabine Guichou ◽  
Serge Kreiter

The extent intraspecific variation among 42 morphological characters within Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor) (Acari : Phytoseiidae) is examined. Neoseiulus californicus is an important biological control agent used commercially worldwide to control pest mites in many crops. The correct diagnosis of this species is thus of prime importance for successful biological control and agricultural development. Incorrect interpretation of intraspecific variation could lead to misidentification and potentially to the description of new species that may be invalid. Three hundred female N. californicus representing ten populations collected from all over the world were measured and compared with the types of two morphologically close species: Neoseiulus marinus (Willmann) and Neoseiulus ornatus (Athias-Henriot). Significant differences between the populations were observed for almost all of the characters considered. However, these differences were small and low within-population standard errors in measurement data were observed. The mites collected in Chile were very different from the specimens of the other populations of N. californicus considered. The level of intraspecific morphological variation found within N. californicus indicates that caution must be applied to correctly determine species boundaries within this genus and morphological variation needs to be considered more in species’ descriptions. Based on our morphological analysis we conclude that N. ornatus, N. marinus and N. californicus are valid species. Redescriptions of these three species are given in this paper.


2002 ◽  
Vol 55 ◽  
pp. 433-433
Author(s):  
B.A. Gresham ◽  
M.K. Kay ◽  
W. Faulds ◽  
T.M. Withers

Author(s):  
Fazila Yousuf ◽  
Peter A. Follett ◽  
Conrad P. D. T. Gillett ◽  
David Honsberger ◽  
Lourdes Chamorro ◽  
...  

AbstractPhymastichus coffea LaSalle (Hymenoptera:Eulophidae) is an adult endoparasitoid of the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera:Curculionidae:Scolytinae), which has been introduced in many coffee producing countries as a biological control agent. To determine the effectiveness of P. coffea against H. hampei and environmental safety for release in Hawaii, we investigated the host selection and parasitism response of adult females to 43 different species of Coleoptera, including 23 Scolytinae (six Hypothenemus species and 17 others), and four additional Curculionidae. Non-target testing included Hawaiian endemic, exotic and beneficial coleopteran species. Using a no-choice laboratory bioassay, we demonstrated that P. coffea was only able to parasitize the target host H. hampei and four other adventive species of Hypothenemus: H. obscurus, H. seriatus, H. birmanus and H. crudiae. Hypothenemus hampei had the highest parasitism rate and shortest parasitoid development time of the five parasitized Hypothenemus spp. Parasitism and parasitoid emergence decreased with decreasing phylogenetic relatedness of the Hypothenemus spp. to H. hampei, and the most distantly related species, H. eruditus, was not parasitized. These results suggest that the risk of harmful non-target impacts is low because there are no native species of Hypothenemus in Hawaii, and P. coffea could be safely introduced for classical biological control of H. hampei in Hawaii.


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