scholarly journals Adventive Gryon aetherium Talamas (Hymenoptera, Scelionidae) associated with eggs of Bagrada hilaris (Burmeister) (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae) in the USA

2021 ◽  
Vol 87 ◽  
pp. 481-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian N. Hogg ◽  
Evelyne Hougardy ◽  
Elijah Talamas

Bagrada bug, Bagrada hilaris (Burmeister) (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae), has become a major pest of cole crops (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale) in California since its arrival in 2008. In this study we documented parasitism of B. hilaris eggs at a highly infested site in northern California by deploying sentinel B. hilaris eggs and collecting naturally-laid B. hilaris eggs in the soil. Two parasitoids, Gryon aetherium Talamas (Hymenoptera, Scelionidae) and Ooencyrtus californicus Girault (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae), emerged from sentinel eggs, but only G. aetherium was documented attacking eggs in the soil. Gryon aetherium is currently being assessed as a classical biological control agent for B. hilaris in California, and mating experiments showed that crosses between G. aetherium from Pakistan and California yielded viable female offspring. This report marks the first known record of G. aetherium in the USA, and further work should be conducted to assess the potential of this parasitoid for biological control of B. hilaris.

2009 ◽  
Vol 62 ◽  
pp. 412-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.J. Workman ◽  
S.A. Whiteman

The parasitoid Tamarixia triozae (Burks) (Hymenoptera Eulophidae) has been imported from Mexico into containment in New Zealand as a potential biological control agent for the tomato/potato psyllid Bactericera cockerelli (Sulk) (Hemiptera Triozidae) The tomato/potato psyllid is a North American pest that was first reported in New Zealand in 2006 This psyllid has been found to vector the bacterial disease Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum or psyllarous and has now become a major pest on both greenhouse and outdoor solanaceous crops Inundative releases of T triozae have been used to control the tomato/potato psyllid in greenhouse crops in North America In New Zealand this parasitoid may also have potential for the classical biological control of this psyllid Data to support an application for the full release of this parasitoid will be obtained by comparing the efficacy of T triozae and an undescribed species of Tamarixia found in New Zealand in 1997; establishing the ability of T triozae to parasitise the tomato/potato psyllid on capsicums tomatoes and potatoes; and undertaking host specificity testing using indigenous psyllids Approval to import T triozae was obtained under the HSNO Act 1996 and HSNO Order 1998 (ERMA Approval Code NOC00253039) and the Biosecurity Act 1993 (MAF Biosecurity Permit to Import Live Animals 2008035896)


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.


Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 471
Author(s):  
Angelica M. Reddy ◽  
Paul D. Pratt ◽  
Brenda J. Grewell ◽  
Nathan E. Harms ◽  
Ximena Cibils-Stewart ◽  
...  

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.


1988 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Sullivan ◽  
Peter Neuenschwander

AbstractThe encyrtid wasp Epidinocarsis lopezi (De Santis) has been introduced into Africa as a biological control agent against the cassava mealybug Phenacoccus manihoti Matile-Ferrero. This host has a defense reaction against the immature parasitoid that involves encapsulation and melanization. Under laboratory conditions, 37.5% of once-stung cassava mealybugs had been parasitized, as indicated by eggs and larvae of the parasitoid in dissected hosts. Of these parasitized cassava mealybugs, 89.6% contained melanized particles (egg, partially melanized larva, internal host tissues, exoskeleton wound scars). Some of the parasitoid larvae were only partially melanized, and either freed themselves from the melanized capsule or else shed it at the next molt. By the 3rd day of their development only 12.5% were completely melanized. In cassava mealybugs with melanized host tissue but no living parasitoid, the survival of the host was not affected by the melanization. The mealybug itself sometimes shed black particles at the next molt and these were found attached to the cast skins. When superparasitized in the laboratory, 68.6% of twice-stung cassava mealybugs contained parasitoids. Mummies collected from a field experiment showed that melanization rates of mummies increased with increasing parasitization rates. Thus, melanization in the cassava mealybug was commonly triggered when E. lopezi oviposited, but this defense reaction was mostly ineffective, permitting the introduced parasitoid to be a successful biological control agent in Africa against the cassava mealybug, a major pest on this important food crop.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander M. Gaffke ◽  
Sharlene E. Sing ◽  
Tom L. Dudley ◽  
Daniel W. Bean ◽  
Justin A. Russak ◽  
...  

Abstract The northern tamarisk beetle Diorhabda carinulata (Desbrochers) was approved for release in the United States for classical biological control of a complex of invasive saltcedar species and their hybrids (Tamarix spp.). An aggregation pheromone used by D. carinulata to locate conspecifics is fundamental to colonization and reproductive success. A specialized matrix formulated for controlled release of this aggregation pheromone was developed as a lure to manipulate adult densities in the field. One application of the lure at onset of adult emergence for each generation provided long term attraction and retention of D. carinulata adults on treated Tamarix spp. plants. Treated plants exhibited greater levels of defoliation, dieback and canopy reduction. Application of a single, well-timed aggregation pheromone treatment per generation increased the efficacy of this classical weed biological control agent.


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