Biology and rearing of Cleruchoides noackae (Hymenoptera : Mymaridae), an egg parasitoid for the biological control of Thaumastocoris peregrinus (Hemiptera : Thaumastocoridae)

Cleruchoides noackae Lin and Huber (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) is a solitary egg parasitoid of Thaumastocoris peregrinus Carpintero and Dellapé (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae). The parasitoid was first described in 2009 and its biology and rearing are poorly understood. A key obstacle to the use of C. noackae as a biological control agent has been the ability to consistently rear it under quarantine conditions. This study reports on a series of experiments conducted in quarantine to rear C. noackae and to examine the effects of diet on longevity, per capita reproduction, and progeny sex ratio, as well as to determine development time, and preference and suitability of host eggs of different ages. When supplemented with honey solution, the longevity of C. noackae females increased significantly by 2.4 d and that of males by 1.7 d, relative to the unfed adults. Mean per capita reproduction for the honey-fed wasps was 7.7 offspring per female, with progeny sex ratio slightly skewed toward males. Mean percentage parasitism was 32.2%. C. noackae was capable of parasitizing and completing development from oviposition to adult eclosion within 15.7 d in host eggs between 0 and 5 d old. The ability of C. noackae to parasitize a wide range of host egg ages increases the period of vulnerability of T. peregrinus to attack, increasing its potential efficacy as a biological control agent. The methods and results reported here represent a crucial step in the ongoing efforts to develop this potential biological control system.The Tree Protection Co-operative Programme (TPCP), Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) and the University of Pretoria, South Africa.http://esa.publisher.ingentaconnect.com/content/2015-10-31hb2013ab201

Distribution and genetic diversity of five invasive pests of Eucalyptus in sub-Saharan Africa

Eucalyptus is one of the most planted tree genera across the world, but is heavily challenged by invasive insect pests originating from the native range of these trees. The rate of introduction of non-native Eucalyptus-feeding insects has increased globally, including in sub-Saharan Africa where Eucalyptus trees have an important socio-economic role. In this study, we mapped the distribution and examined the genetic diversity of non-native Eucalyptus insect pests in 14 countries across sub-Saharan Africa. We focused on five foliage-feeding insect pests of Eucalyptus which are known to be present in the region, namely the bluegum chalcid wasp, Leptocybe invasa; the redgum lerp psyllid, Glycaspis brimblecombei; the bronze bug, Thaumastocoris peregrinus; the Eucalyptus weevil, Gonipterus sp.n.2; and the Eucalyptus gall wasp, Ophelimus maskelli. Insect samples were collected through structured surveys and small-scale sampling which were both combined with published literature to determine the distribution of these insect pests. Genetic diversity of each of these insect pests was estimated/assessed based on mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) or cytochrome b (Cyt b) sequence data. Except O. maskelli, which is a relatively recent arrival, the other insect pests were found broadly distributed across the sampled countries, with first reports in many countries. Analysis of genetic diversity confirmed a common origin of geographically distant populations for G. brimblecombei and O. maskelli, moderate diversity for T. peregrinus and Gonipterus sp.n.2 and at least two distinct lineages for L. invasa. Two divergent haplogroups of L. invasa, with overlapping geographic range were confirmed in Ghana, Malawi, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Compared to published literature, new haplotypes were detected for T. peregrinus, Gonipterus sp.n.2 and L. invasa, suggesting multiple introduction of those pests in the region. Results of this study will have implications for quarantine, management and future research of Eucalyptus insect pests in the region and beyond.Supplementary material ESM 1 : Sample collection localities and number of insect used in this study.Members of Tree Protection Cooperative Program (TPCP), Centre for Tree Health Biotechnology (CTHP), Sustainable Afforestation Association (SAA), MIRO Forestry Company, The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation (FAO), the European Union: European regional development fund (ERDF, INTERREG V program), the Conseil Re´gional de la Re´union, the Centre de Coope´ration internationale en Recherche agronomique pour le De´veloppement (CIRAD) and Ethiopian Environment and Forest Research Institute (EEFRI).http://link.springer.com/journal/105302021-03-28hj2020BiochemistryForestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI)GeneticsMicrobiology and Plant PathologyZoology and Entomolog