scholarly journals A fortuitous find: a unique haplotype of Ooencyrtus nezarae Ishii (Encyrtidae: Encyrtinae) discovered in Florida

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Goltz ◽  
Jessica Awad ◽  
Matthew Moore ◽  
Elijah Talamas
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Pest ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Unique Haplotype ◽  
Central Florida ◽  
Eastern Hemisphere ◽  
Parasitism Rates ◽  
Two Generations ◽  
Ooencyrtus Nezarae ◽  
Coi Sequences ◽  
Leguminous Crops

The adventive arrival of biological control agents circumvents the regulatory process by introducing exotic species to control invasive pests and is generally followed by post hoc risk evaluation. The bean plataspid, Megacopta cribraria (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Plataspidae), is an invasive pest of leguminous crops in the south-eastern United States that was eventually followed by two parasitoid wasps from its range in the eastern hemisphere, Paratelenomus saccharalis (Dodd) (Scelionidae) and Ooencyrtus nezarae Ishii (Encyrtidae). In North Central Florida, sentinel egg masses, intended to capture Paratelenomus saccharalis, instead yielded Ooencyrtus nezarae, which was previously known only from Alabama (Ademokoya et al. 2018). Two generations of O. nezarae were subsequently reared in the laboratory. COI sequences from the Florida population of O. nezarae differed by 1.3% from the Alabama population and the presence of a different haplotype suggests the possibility of a separate introduction. Laboratory parasitism rates, sex ratios, morphology, molecular diagnosis and implications for agriculture are discussed.

A 7,290-Year-Old Bottle Gourd from the Windover Site, Florida

1990 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 354-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glen H. Doran ◽  
David N. Dickel ◽  
Lee A. Newsom
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Organic Materials ◽  
Bottle Gourd ◽  
Lagenaria Siceraria ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
East Central ◽  
Central Florida

A bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) recovered from a burial context at the Windover site (8 BR246) in east-central Florida has been dated directly to 7,290 ± 120 radiocarbon years B.P. This provides the earliest documentation of bottle gourds north of Mexico and demonstrates approximate contemporaneity with other eastern United States Cucurbitacae. Investigations of wet sites such as Windover, while requiring substantially greater consideration of conservation than in typical dry sites, greatly expands the recovery of organic materials enabling broader insights to prehistoric processes.

scholarly journals Continental-scale suppression of an invasive pest by a host-specific parasitoid heralds a new era for arthropod biological control

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris Wyckhuys ◽  
Prapit Wongtiem ◽  
Aunu Rauf ◽  
Anchana Thancharoen ◽  
George Heimpel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Crop Protection ◽  
Commodity Prices ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Invasive Pest ◽  
Phenacoccus Manihoti ◽  
New Era ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Parasitism Rates ◽  
Cassava Crop

Biological control constitutes one of the world’s prime ecosystems services, and can provide long-term and broad-scale suppression of invasive pests, weeds and pathogens in both natural and agricultural environments. Following (very few) widely-documented historic cases that led to sizeable environmental up-sets, the discipline of insect biological control has -over the past three decades- gone through much-needed reform. Now, by deliberately taking into account the ecological risks associated with insect biological control, immense environmental and societal benefits can be gained. In this study, we document and analyze a rare, successful case of biological control against the invasive mealybug, Phenacoccus manihoti (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) which invaded Southeast Asia in 2008, where it caused substantial crop losses and triggered 2- to 3-fold surges in agricultural commodity prices. In 2009, the host-specific parasitoid Anagyrus lopezi (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) was released in Thailand and subsequently introduced into neighboring Asian countries. Drawing upon continental-scale insect surveys, multi-year population studies and (field-level) experimental assays, we show how A. lopezi attained intermediate to high parasitism rates across diverse agro-ecological contexts. Driving mealybug populations below non-damaging levels at a continental scale, A. lopezi allowed yield recoveries up to 10.0 t/ha and provided biological control services worth several hundred dollars per ha (at local farm-gate prices) in Asia’s 4-million ha cassava crop. Our work provides lessons to invasion science and crop protection worldwide, heralds a new era for insect biological control, and highlights its potentially large socio-economic benefits to agricultural sustainability in the face of a debilitating invasive pest. In times of unrelenting insect invasions, surging pesticide use and accelerating (invertebrate) biodiversity loss across the globe, this study unequivocally demonstrates how biological control – as a pure public good – constitutes a powerful, cost-effective and environmentally-responsible solution for invasive species mitigation.

scholarly journals Genetic Diversity of a Rising Invasive Pest in the Native Range: Population Genetic Structure of Aromia bungii (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in South Korea

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 582
Author(s):  
Seunghyun Lee ◽  
Deokjea Cha ◽  
Yongwoo Nam ◽  
Jonkook Jung
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Structure ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Population Genetic Structure ◽  
Population Genetic ◽  
Genetic Data ◽  
Invasive Pest ◽  
Native Range ◽  
Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit ◽  
Longhorn Beetle ◽  
Coi Sequences

The red-necked longhorn beetle (RLB; Aromia bungii [Faldermann, 1835]) is an emerging invasive pest. From its native range of East Asia, it invaded Europe and Japan in the early 2010s. Despite its increasing importance, the molecular resources of RLB are scarce, and its invasive dynamics are largely unknown. In the present study, we carried out the first analysis of its population genetic structure in South Korea, which is part of its native range, using 1248 bp cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences of 199 individuals from 18 localities. We found that in South Korea, RLB has a moderate population genetic structure and can be divided into three geographical subgroups: central, southeastern, and southwestern subgroup. Comparative analyses with two Chinese, one German, and ten Italian RLB sequences yielded non-significant results because of largely missing genetic data from other native areas. Nevertheless, as it provided the first population genetic data for this invasive alien species (IAS) whose range is increasing, our research is a crucial molecular resource for future invasive dynamics research.

scholarly journals First report of Telenomus remus parasitizing Spodoptera frugiperda and its field parasitism in southern China

2019 ◽  
Vol 73 ◽  
pp. 95-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong-Lin Liao ◽  
Bin Yang ◽  
Miao-Feng Xu ◽  
Wei Lin ◽  
De-Sen Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Fall Armyworm ◽  
Invasive Pest ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Molecular Evidence ◽  
Parasitism Rates ◽  
Telenomus Remus

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, is a lepidopteran pest that feeds on many economically important cereal crops such as corn, rice, sorghum, and sugarcane. Native to the Americas, it has become a serious invasive pest in Africa and Asia. Recently, this pest was found in China and has spread quickly across the country. As S. frugiperda will most likely become a major pest in China, Integrated Pest Management strategies, including biological control methods, should be developed to manage its populations. Here, we report the detection of Telenomus remus parasitizing S. frugiperda eggs in cornfields in southern China based on morphological and molecular evidence. Our preliminary surveys indicated that the parasitism rates of T. remus on S. frugiperda could reach 30% and 50% for egg masses and per egg mass, respectively. Further application of T. remus against S. frugiperda in biological control programs are discussed.

scholarly journals First report of Telenomus remus parasitizing Spodoptera frugiperda and its natural parasitism in South China

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong-Lin Liao ◽  
Bin Yang ◽  
Miao-Feng Xu ◽  
Wei Lin ◽  
De-Sen Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
South China ◽  
Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Invasive Pest ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Molecular Evidence ◽  
Parasitism Rates ◽  
Telenomus Remus ◽  
Natural Parasitism

AbstractThe fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, is a lepidopteran pest that feeds on many economically important cereal crops such as corn, rice, sorghum, and sugarcane. Native to the Americas, it has become a serious invasive pest in Africa and Asia. Recently, this pest was found invaded China and has spread exceptionally fast across the country. As S. frugiperda will most likely become a major pest in China, Integrated Pest Management strategies, including biological control methods, should be developed to win the battle against it. Here, we report the detection of Telenomus remus parasitizing S. frugiperda eggs in cornfields in South China based on morphological and molecular evidence. Our preliminary surveys indicated that the natural parasitism rates of T. remus on S. frugiperda could reach 30% and 50% for egg masses and per egg mass, respectively. Further application of T. remus against S. frugiperda in biological control programs are discussed.

Parasitoids, Nematodes, and Protists in Populations of Striped Cucumber Beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 1316-1326
Author(s):  
Angela M Coco ◽  
Margaret T Lewis ◽  
Shelby J Fleischer ◽  
John F Tooker
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Biological Control ◽  
Nematode Species ◽  
Pest Species ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Parasitoid Species ◽  
Parasitic Species ◽  
Parasitism Rates ◽  
Cucumber Beetle ◽  
Striped Cucumber Beetle

Abstract The striped cucumber beetle, Acalymma vittatum (Fabricius), is an important pest of cucurbit production in the eastern United States, where most commercial producers rely on insecticides to control this pest species. Biological control provides an alternative to insecticide use, but for A. vittatum, top-down control has not been well developed. In the northeastern United States, two parasitoid species, Celatoria setosa (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tachinidae) and Centistes diabroticae (Gahan) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) have been reported from A. vittatum, but their distribution is poorly known. To determine whether these parasitoid species are attacking A. vittatum in Pennsylvania and the amount of mortality they provide, we characterized the parasitoid dynamics in two distinct efforts. First, we reared parasitoids from beetles captured at two research farms. Second, we focused on one of these farms and dissected beetles to quantify both parasitoid and parasite species attacking A. vittatum. Both efforts confirmed Cl. setosa and Cn. diabroticae, and parasitism rates varied widely between locations and among years (4–60%). Unexpectedly, our dissections revealed that a potentially undescribed nematode species (Howardula sp.) as the most common parasite in the community. We also discovered gregarine protists. Despite being smaller than females, males were more commonly attacked by parasitic species, but we detected no relationship between the size of beetles and abundance of parasitic species in A. vittatum. This work provides a baseline understanding of the parasitoid and parasite community attacking A. vittatum and advances opportunities for conservation biological control using these natural-enemy species.

scholarly journals Continental-scale suppression of an invasive pest by a host-specific parasitoid underlines both environmental and economic benefits of arthropod biological control

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris A.G. Wyckhuys ◽  
Prapit Wongtiem ◽  
Aunu Rauf ◽  
Anchana Thancharoen ◽  
George E. Heimpel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Crop Protection ◽  
Commodity Prices ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Invasive Pest ◽  
Phenacoccus Manihoti ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Parasitism Rates ◽  
Cassava Crop

Biological control, a globally-important ecosystem service, can provide long-term and broad-scale suppression of invasive pests, weeds and pathogens in natural, urban and agricultural environments. Following (few) historic cases that led to sizeable environmental up-sets, the discipline of arthropod biological control has—over the past decades—evolved and matured. Now, by deliberately taking into account the ecological risks associated with the planned introduction of insect natural enemies, immense environmental and societal benefits can be gained. In this study, we document and analyze a successful case of biological control against the cassava mealybug, Phenacoccus manihoti (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) which invaded Southeast Asia in 2008, where it caused substantial crop losses and triggered two- to three-fold surges in agricultural commodity prices. In 2009, the host-specific parasitoid Anagyrus lopezi (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) was released in Thailand and subsequently introduced into neighboring Asian countries. Drawing upon continental-scale insect surveys, multi-year population studies and (field-level) experimental assays, we show how A. lopezi attained intermediate to high parasitism rates across diverse agro-ecological contexts. Driving mealybug populations below non-damaging levels over a broad geographical area, A. lopezi allowed yield recoveries up to 10.0 t/ha and provided biological control services worth several hundred dollars per ha (at local farm-gate prices) in Asia’s four-million ha cassava crop. Our work provides lessons to invasion science and crop protection worldwide. Furthermore, it accentuates the importance of scientifically-guided biological control for insect pest management, and highlights its potentially large socio-economic benefits to agricultural sustainability in the face of a debilitating invasive pest. In times of unrelenting insect invasions, surging pesticide use and accelerating biodiversity loss across the globe, this study demonstrates how biological control—as a pure public good endeavor—constitutes a powerful, cost-effective and environmentally-responsible solution for invasive species mitigation.

scholarly journals Geographic distribution of the invasive mealybug Phenacoccus manihoti and its introduced parasitoid Anagyrus lopezi in parts of Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Zainal Fanani ◽  
Aunu Rauf ◽  
Nina Maryana ◽  
Ali Nurmansyah ◽  
Dadan Hindayana
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Geographic Distribution ◽  
Invasive Pest ◽  
Phenacoccus Manihoti ◽  
Severe Damage ◽  
Field Surveys ◽  
Cassava Mealybug ◽  
Central Java ◽  
Parasitism Rates ◽  
First Time

Abstract. Fanani Z. M., Rauf A, Maryana N, Nurmansyah A, Hindayana D. 2019. Geographic distribution of the invasive mealybug Phenacoccus manihoti and its introduced parasitoid Anagyrus lopezi in parts of Indonesia. Biodiversitas 20: 3751-3757. Cassava mealybug, Phenacoccus manihoti Matile-Ferrero (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), is an invasive pest detected for the first time in Indonesia in 2010. An exotic parasitoid Anagyrus lopezi (De Santis) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) was introduced and released in 2014 to control the pest. Study was conducted with the objective to determine the geographic distribution of P. manihoti and spread of A. lopezi. Field surveys were conducted on cassava fields in various locations in Lampung, Java, and Nusa Tenggara. Our studies showed that P. manihoti was found to be widely distributed in Lampung, Banten, West Java, Central Java, East Java, West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara. In each location visited, symptoms of P. manihoti infestation as indicated by internode distortion and bunchy top were prominent. Three years following release, parasitoid A. lopezi has established and spread into several cassava growing areas, except East Nusa Tenggara. Parasitism rates varied from 1.50% in West Nusa Tenggara up to 59.18% in East Java. Logistic regression revealed that probability of severe damage by the cassava mealybug was significantly (P<0.05) increased with the increasing abundance of ants.

scholarly journals Native and Non-Native Egg Parasitoids Associated with Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys [Stål, 1855]; Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in Western Slovenia

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 505
Author(s):  
Mojca Rot ◽  
Lara Maistrello ◽  
Elena Costi ◽  
Iris Bernardinelli ◽  
Giorgio Malossini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Egg Parasitoid ◽  
Egg Parasitoids ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Crop Damage ◽  
Invasive Pest ◽  
Halyomorpha Halys ◽  
Stink Bug ◽  
Parasitoid Species ◽  
Parasitism Rates

Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), native to East Asia, has become a globally invasive pest, as a serious threat to agricultural production and a notorious nuisance pest in urban areas. Considerable efforts have been made so far to develop effective pest control measures to prevent crop damage. Biological control of this invasive stink bug by egg parasitoids has proven to be the most environmentally sustainable long-term solution. Knowledge of the native egg parasitoid fauna is of key importance when implementing a biological control program. Therefore, the main objective of our study was to detect egg parasitoid species associated with H. halys in the Goriška region (Western Slovenia) and to evaluate their impact on the pest population under field conditions. In the years 2019 and 2020, around 4600 H. halys eggs were collected in the wild and more than 3400 sentinel eggs were exposed to detect parasitoids in the field. Five egg-parasitoid species emerged from H. halys eggs: Anastatus bifasciatus (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae), Telenomus sp., Trissolcus basalis, Trissolcus mitsukurii (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) and Ooencyrtus telenomicida (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), all of them are new records for Slovenia. The native species, An. bifasciatus, dominated in urban and suburban areas, while non-native Tr. mitsukurii prevailed in agricultural areas. Overall parasitism rates of naturally laid eggs by the parasitoid species complex in 2019 and 2020 was 3.0 and 14.4%, respectively. Rapid recruitment of native parasitoids, early detection of an effective alien parasitoid species and increasing overall parasitism rates are very encouraging results, which need to be followed and verified in future research.

scholarly journals Continental-scale suppression of an invasive pest by a host-specific parasitoid heralds a new era for arthropod biological control

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris Wyckhuys ◽  
Prapit Wongtiem ◽  
Aunu Rauf ◽  
Anchana Thancharoen ◽  
George Heimpel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Crop Protection ◽  
Commodity Prices ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Invasive Pest ◽  
Phenacoccus Manihoti ◽  
New Era ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Parasitism Rates ◽  
Cassava Crop

Biological control constitutes one of the world’s prime ecosystems services, and can provide long-term and broad-scale suppression of invasive pests, weeds and pathogens in both natural and agricultural environments. Following (very few) widely-documented historic cases that led to sizeable environmental up-sets, the discipline of insect biological control has -over the past three decades- gone through much-needed reform. Now, by deliberately taking into account the ecological risks associated with insect biological control, immense environmental and societal benefits can be gained. In this study, we document and analyze a rare, successful case of biological control against the invasive mealybug, Phenacoccus manihoti (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) which invaded Southeast Asia in 2008, where it caused substantial crop losses and triggered 2- to 3-fold surges in agricultural commodity prices. In 2009, the host-specific parasitoid Anagyrus lopezi (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) was released in Thailand and subsequently introduced into neighboring Asian countries. Drawing upon continental-scale insect surveys, multi-year population studies and (field-level) experimental assays, we show how A. lopezi attained intermediate to high parasitism rates across diverse agro-ecological contexts. Driving mealybug populations below non-damaging levels at a continental scale, A. lopezi allowed yield recoveries up to 10.0 t/ha and provided biological control services worth several hundred dollars per ha (at local farm-gate prices) in Asia’s 4-million ha cassava crop. Our work provides lessons to invasion science and crop protection worldwide, heralds a new era for insect biological control, and highlights its potentially large socio-economic benefits to agricultural sustainability in the face of a debilitating invasive pest. In times of unrelenting insect invasions, surging pesticide use and accelerating (invertebrate) biodiversity loss across the globe, this study unequivocally demonstrates how biological control – as a pure public good – constitutes a powerful, cost-effective and environmentally-responsible solution for invasive species mitigation.

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