scholarly journals Identity of parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera, Braconidae and Eulophidae) reared from aquatic leaf-mining flies (Diptera, Ephydridae) on invasive Brazilian waterweed Egeria densa in South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 287-314
Author(s):  
Simon van Noort ◽  
Rosali Smith ◽  
Julie A. Coetzee

The Brazilian waterweed, Egeria densa Planchon, 1849 (Hydrocharitaceae), is an invasive species in South Africa where it is a host plant for the aquatic leaf-miner Hydrellia egeriae Rodrigues-Júnior, 2015 (Ephydridae, Diptera). Efficacy of the biocontrol agent can potentially be affected by parasitoids. Three species of braconid parasitoid wasps were reared from puparia of Hydrellia egeriae. By comparison with the type specimens, these species have been determined to be Ademon lagarosiphonae van Achterberg, 2012 (Braconidae: Opiinae), Chaenusa anervata van Achterberg, 2012 and Chaenusa seminervata van Achterberg, 2012 (Braconidae: Alysiinae: Dacnusini), all previously recorded as parasitoids of an ephydrid dipterous aquatic leaf-miner, Hydrellia lagarosiphon Deeming, 2012, on Lagarosiphon major (Ridley, 1886) Moss ex Wager (Hydrocharitaceae) in South Africa. The chalcidoid, Janicharis africanus Gumovsky & Delvare, 2006 (Eulophidae), was also reared from Hydrellia egeriae and is possibly a hyperparasitoid of the braconids. South Africa is a new country record for J. africanus. We provide comprehensive images of all species including the braconid types and illustrated identification keys to the Afrotropical species of the two braconid genera are also provided. All images and online keys are available on WaspWeb (http://www.waspweb.org).

Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4545 (4) ◽  
pp. 578
Author(s):  
TENGTENG LIU ◽  
HU WANG

A new leaf-mining species of the genus Bucculatrix Zeller, 1839, B. crataega Liu, sp. nov., feeding on Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge is described herein, representing the first formally named species of Bucculatricidae from mainland China. Adult and genitalia of both sexes are described and illustrated. Host plant, leaf mine and cocoon are also illustrated. DNA barcode analysis supports the separation of B. crataega from related species. 


EDIS ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (1) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Demian F. Gomez ◽  
Jiri Hulcr ◽  
Daniel Carrillo

Invasive species, those that are nonnative and cause economic damage, are one of the main threats to ecosystems around the world. Ambrosia beetles are some of the most common invasive insects. Currently, severe economic impacts have been increasingly reported for all the invasive shot hole borers in South Africa, California, Israel, and throughout Asia. This 7-page fact sheet written by Demian F. Gomez, Jiri Hulcr, and Daniel Carrillo and published by the School of Forest Resources and Conservation describes shot hole borers and their biology and hosts and lists some strategies for prevention and control of these pests. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr422


Author(s):  
Karen J. Esler ◽  
Anna L. Jacobsen ◽  
R. Brandon Pratt

The world’s mediterranean-type climate regions (including areas within the Mediterranean, South Africa, Australia, California, and Chile) have long been of interest to biologists by virtue of their extraordinary biodiversity and the appearance of evolutionary convergence between these disparate regions. Comparisons between mediterranean-type climate regions have provided important insights into questions at the cutting edge of ecological, ecophysiological and evolutionary research. These regions, dominated by evergreen shrubland communities, contain many rare and endemic species. Their mild climate makes them appealing places to live and visit and this has resulted in numerous threats to the species and communities that occupy them. Threats include a wide range of factors such as habitat loss due to development and agriculture, disturbance, invasive species, and climate change. As a result, they continue to attract far more attention than their limited geographic area might suggest. This book provides a concise but comprehensive introduction to mediterranean-type ecosystems. As with other books in the Biology of Habitats Series, the emphasis in this book is on the organisms that dominate these regions although their management, conservation, and restoration are also considered.


Botany ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (8) ◽  
pp. 491-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane Wagner ◽  
Patricia Doak

The genus Salix L. tends to be tolerant of herbivory, but severe outbreaks of herbivorous insects may compromise growth. First documented in Alaska in 1991, the willow leaf blotch miner, Micrurapteryx salicifoliella, is now responsible for frequent and widespread foliar damage to Salix in interior Alaska. We experimentally tested the effect of leaf mining on the performance of four susceptible Salix species across two years of outbreak, and placed the results in the context of a broader survey of leaf mining damage. Across the four species, reduction of leaf mining damage increased average stem elongation, numbers of leaves per shoot, and leaf area. Leaf mining damage was negatively related to leaf water content; a consequence of the leaf miner’s habit of breaching the cuticle on the underside of leaves. Growth deficits due to leaf mining are likely caused by both the loss of leaf tissue to leaf miner feeding and subsequent leaf desiccation. The results are notable in the context of a general decline in productivity in interior Alaska over the past few decades and because the leaf miner impacts Salix species also used by vertebrate browsers of cultural and economic importance, such as moose.


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