The control of Nezara viridula L. with introduced egg parasitoids in Australia. A review of a 'landmark' example of classical biological control

1990 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 1127 ◽  
Author(s):  
AR Clarke

The history of Nezara viridula egg parasitoid introductions into Australia is critically reviewed. Using largely unpublished file material information is presented on the source of parasitoids, specific identification of parasitoids, numbers of parasitoids reared and released, and establishment and effects in the field. At least four species of egg parasitoids, in three genera, have been introduced and liberated into Australia since biological control efforts were first begun in 1933. There are records of 11 introductions involving Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston) (Egypt 1933; West Indies 1952-53; South Africa 1980; Brazil 1980; U.S.A. 1979-8 l), Trissolcus mitsukurii (Ashmead) (Japan l962), Ooencyrtus submetallicus (Howard) (West Indies 1952-53), and Telenomus chloropus (Thomson) (Japan 1962; Japan via U.S.A. 1980). Doubt is cast on the specific status of introductions from Italy (1956) and Pakistan (1 961), which are recorded in the literature as T, basalis. Evidence is presented that there is currently not enough information available to determine the specific classifications of these importations. Three programs in which Australian field populations of Trissolcus were bred and released elsewhere in Australia are also recorded. Post-release evaluation of introduced N. viridula egg parasitoids in Australia is reviewed. It is proposed that there is only circumstantial evidence to support the claim that N. viridula is under 'good' biological control by T. basalis in Australia. Areas of investigation that are of the most significance to current workers in N. viridula biological control are highlighted in the discussion.

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 ◽  
pp. 187-201
Author(s):  
Giuseppino Sabbatini-Peverieri ◽  
Lucrezia Giovannini ◽  
Claudia Benvenuti ◽  
Luca Madonni ◽  
Kim Hoelmer ◽  
...  

Halyomorpha halys is a severe invasive Asian pest worldwide and classical biological control is foreseen as the most promising control method. Egg parasitoids appear to be the most important natural enemies of this pest, especially the Asian hymenopteran Trissolcus japonicus. In the invaded areas, only a few egg parasitoid species have been able to adopt H. halys as a host. Anastatus bifasciatus is the most common native egg parasitoid of H. halys in Europe, but reaches only low levels of parasitization, while several other native species are only occasionally found. Recently, adventive populations have been found both in the USA and in Europe of T. japonicus, and in Italy of a second Asian species, Trissolcus mitsukurii. Species identification based on morphological traits by specialists or by molecular analysis is a crucial step in the management of biological control programs. The ability to identify the genus or species within a narrow guild of egg parasitoids based on adult emergence holes and meconium features can be a simple and useful method to support management efforts. We present here detailed descriptions of the meconium of the most frequent parasitoid species attacking H. halys in Europe and the characteristics of their emergence holes of the adult wasps.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana P. G. S. Wengrat ◽  
Aloisio Coelho Junior ◽  
Jose R. P. Parra ◽  
Tamara A. Takahashi ◽  
Luis A. Foerster ◽  
...  

AbstractThe egg parasitoid Telenomus remus (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) has been investigated for classical and applied biological control of noctuid pests, especially Spodoptera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) species. Although T. remus was introduced into Brazil over three decades ago for classical biological control of S. frugiperda, this wasp has not been recorded as established in corn or soybean crops. We used an integrative approach to identify T. remus, combining a taxonomic key based on the male genitalia with DNA barcoding, using a cytochrome c oxidase subunit I mitochondrial gene fragment. This is the first report of natural parasitism of T. remus on S. frugiperda and S. cosmioides eggs at two locations in Brazil. We also confirmed that the T. remus lineage in Brazil derives from a strain in Venezuela (originally from Papua New Guinea and introduced into the Americas, Africa, and Asia). The occurrence of T. remus parasitizing S. frugiperda and S. cosmioides eggs in field conditions, not associated with inundative releases, suggests that the species has managed to establish itself in the field in Brazil. This opens possibilities for future biological control programs, since T. remus shows good potential for mass rearing and egg parasitism of important agricultural pests such as Spodoptera species.


2014 ◽  
Vol 105 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Fischbein ◽  
J.C. Corley

AbstractClassical biological control is a key method for managing populations of pests in long-lived crops such as plantation forestry. The execution of biological control programmes in general, as the evaluation of potential natural enemies remains, to a large extent, an empirical endeavour. Thus, characterizing specific cases to determine patterns that may lead to more accurate predictions of success is an important goal of the much applied ecological research. We review the history of introduction, ecology and behaviour of the parasitoidIbalia leucospoides. The species is a natural enemy ofSirex noctilio, one of the most important pests of pine afforestation worldwide. We use an invasion ecology perspective given the analogy between the main stages involved in classical biological control and the biological invasion processes. We conclude that success in the establishment, a common reason of failure in biocontrol, is not a limiting factor of success byI. leucospoides. A mismatch between the spread capacity of the parasitoid and that of its host could nevertheless affect control at a regional scale. In addition, we suggest that given its known life history traits, this natural enemy may be a better regulator than suppressor of the host population. Moreover, spatial and temporal refuges of the host population that may favour the local persistence of the interaction probably reduce the degree to whichS. noctiliopopulation is suppressed by the parasitoid. We emphasize the fact that some of the biological attributes that promote establishment may negatively affect suppression levels achieved. Studies on established non-native pest–parasitoid interactions may contribute to defining selection criteria for classical biological control which may prove especially useful in integrated pest management IPM programmes of invasive forest insects.


2018 ◽  
Vol 65 ◽  
pp. 111-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Ganjisaffar ◽  
Elijah J. Talamas ◽  
Marie-Claude Bon ◽  
Brian V. Brown ◽  
Lisa Gonzalez ◽  
...  

TrissolcushyalinipennisRajmohana & Narendran is an Old World egg parasitoid ofBagradahilaris(Burmeister). Its potential as a classical biological control agent in the United States has been under evaluation in quarantine facilities since 2014. A survey of resident egg parasitoids using fresh sentinelB.hilariseggs in Riverside, California, revealed thatT.hyalinipennisis present in the wild. Four cards with parasitized eggs were recovered, from which one yielded a single liveT.hyalinipennisand two unidentified dead wasps (Scelionidae), and three yielded twenty liveTrissolcusbasalis(Wollaston) and one dead wasp. Subsequently, samples from Burbank, California, collected with a Malaise trap as part of the BioSCAN project, yielded five females ofT.hyalinipennis. It is presumed that the introduction ofT.hyalinipennisto this area was accidental. Surveys will be continued to evaluate the establishment ofT.hyalinipennisas well as the presence of other resident parasitoid species.


2019 ◽  
Vol 113 (2) ◽  
pp. 1023-1027
Author(s):  
Roy Kaspi ◽  
Hadass Steinitz ◽  
Esther Nemny-Lavi ◽  
Galina Lebedev ◽  
Ester Melamed ◽  
...  

Abstract The false codling moth Thaumatotibia leucotreta (Meyrick), is an invasive species in Israel. In order to carry out a classical biological control program, the African egg parasitoid Trichogrammatoidea cryptophlebiae (Nagaraja) was recently introduced into Israel, and nontarget host risk assessment was performed as required. In no-choice tests we determined that T. cryptophlebiae was unable to develop in eggs of four nontarget Lepidopteran species: Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), Spodoptora littoralis (Boisduval), Ephestia kuehniella (Zeller), and Belenois aurota (Fabricius). Conversely, it developed in three Lepidopteran species eggs of the Tortricidae family: Cydia pomonella (Linnaeus), Lobesia botrana (Denis and Schiffermüller), and Epiblema strenuana (Walker). Epiblema strenuana eggs showed the lowest parasitism level among all tested moth eggs of the Tortricidae family. The progeny production of parasitized false codling moth eggs was similar to that of C. pomonella eggs, but smaller than that of L. botrana eggs. However, moth egg and parasitoid clutch sizes were smallest on L. botrana eggs and largest on C. pomonella eggs. In choice bioassays, T. cryptophlebiae significantly preferred to parasitize T. leucotreta eggs over the eggs of C. pomonella, L. botrana, and E. strenuana. Moreover, the choice of T. leucotreta eggs over the eggs of L. botrana was not affected by the parasitoids’ rearing histories. Our data support the assumption that T. cryptophlebiae develops only in moth species of the Tortricidae family. Thus, the risk that it may attack nontarget species is low.


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