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The herringbone leaf-mining fly, Ophiomyiacamarae Spencer, is a promising candidateagent for the biological control of the alieninvasive weed Lantana camara L. in SouthAfrica. During extensive host-specificity testsinvolving 39 test plant species from 12families, survival to adulthood was restrictedto L. camara, L. trifolia, and fourspecies of the...
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The present work documents the antifungal activity of the essentials oils of Lantana achyranthifolia Desf. and Lippia graveolens H.B.K. The essential oils of aerial parts of L. achyranthifolia and L. graveolens were obtained by steam distillation and examined by GC and GC-MS. Antifungal activity of the essentials oils was evaluated towards five fun...
The life history and host specificity of Falconia intermedia in Australia were investigated. Adults and nymphs feed on the intercellular tissue on the underside of Lantana camara leaves. Eggs are deposited singly or in small clusters alongside veins and, on average, hatch in 12 days. Development to adult takes about 15 days and there are 5 instars....
Lantana camara is a recognized weed of worldwide significance due to its extensive distribution and its impacts on primary industries and nature conservation. However, quantitative data on the impact of the weed on soil ecosystem properties are scanty, especially in SE Australia, despite the pervasive presence of the weed along its coastal and inla...
The host-range extension by natural enemies under laboratory conditions continues to plague the interpretation of host-specificity results. Candidate biocontrol agents presently under evaluation for release on L. camara in South Africa accept closely related native plant species. The host-range results of two natural enemies, Falconia intermedia (H...
A comparison between two extraction approaches of volatiles compounds from six species of Verbenaceae collected at Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais, Brazil was done. The essential oil and hexanic fraction of leaves from two Lantana and four Lippia species collected in two different seasons were analyzed by GC/MS. Among various identified compounds from...
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... Overall, inoculation with individual insect species had a greater impact on leaf density and reproductive output than both agents combined. However, the shorter pre-oviposition (2-3 days after adult emergence) for O. camarae (Simelane 2002) and longer pre-oviposition period (about 3 weeks after adult emergence) for U. girardi (Harley 1969) suggest that earlier utilization of leaves by O. camarae in combined treatments may have resulted in the depletion of food resource for U. girardi which required a longer development period. The fact that both U. girardi adult and larval stages feed on leaves of the same plant suggests that the fly has a better chance of surviving and completing its life cycle when confined alone, thereby intensifying damage and suppressing plant growth. ...
Interaction between two biological control agents released against Lantana camara L. (sensu lato) (Verbenaceae) was studied in replicated semi-field plots. Caged plants under semi-field conditions were inoculated with Uroplata girardi Pic (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and Ophiomyia camarae Spencer (Diptera: Agromyzidae), either alone or in combination, to investigate the extent to which co-infestation of the two agents affects the reproductive capacity and growth of their host. At the end of the trial, both single and combined attacks by the two agents had no effect on stem diameter, stem height, and canopy width. However, uncaged control plants were heavily attacked by Teleonemia scrupulosa Stål (Hemiptera: Tingidae), and therefore became significantly shorter than all the caged plants in all the treatments. When confined alone, feeding damage by O. camarae resulted in higher reduction of fruit and flower biomass relative to that caused by U. girardi alone. However, when confined alone, U. girardi caused higher reductions in leaf density and fruit biomass than when combined with O. camarae. Single attack by O. camarae caused higher reduction in flower biomass than simultaneous attack by both agents. Above-ground biomass of all single and combined treatment plants were significantly lower than those of the caged control plants. Uncaged control plants exposed to heavy attack by T. scrupulosa did not produce flowers and fruits, and their above-ground biomass was significantly lower than those of caged control plants. Overall, the study showed that simultaneous attack by the two herbivores alters their herbivory, thereby affecting reproductive capacity and growth of their host.
... Despite feeding on some non-target plant species during laboratory no-choice tests, both Pseudonapomyza sp. and M. polluta, have only been recorded on T. stans, six years after their release in South Africa (Madire, 2013;. Similar trends were observed with the leaf-mining fly Ophiomyia camarae Spencer (Agromyzidae) and root-feeding L. bethae, which fed on a few non-target species of Lippia L. in the laboratory (Simelane, 2002(Simelane, , 2005 but have only been recovered on the target L. camara, since their release in South Africa over 11 years ago (Simelane & Mawela, 2018 This study has demonstrated that Heikertingerella sp. is safe for release as a biocontrol agent against T. stans in South Africa and possibly elsewhere in the world. As a root-feeding agent, we believe that ...
Native to Central America, Tecoma stans (L.) Juss ex Kunth var. stans (Bignoniaceae) is a small tree that is invasive in South Africa and neighbouring countries. The plant was targeted for biological control in South Africa in 2003, with two insect agents released and established so far. The root‐feeding flea beetle, Heikertingerella sp. (Coleoptera: Galerucinae: Alticini), was imported from Mexico as an additional biocontrol agent and its biology and host specificity was assessed under quarantine conditions. The beetle displayed a generation time (i.e. from adult to adult) of 49 to 67 days, ensuring four annual generations under laboratory conditions. The beetle's larval and adult stages inflicted high levels of damage on the root system and the leaves of T. stans, respectively. No‐choice tests with 40 test‐plant species revealed adult feeding on only two non‐target species, Tecoma × alata and T. capensis (Thunb.) Spach, with feeding four times higher on T. stans. Larvae developed to adulthood on T. stans only. Multi‐choice tests involving the three Tecoma species confirmed these trends, demonstrating that Heikertingerella sp. is host specific. Since T. × alata is a hybrid of T. stans with invasive tendencies, any unlikely attacks by Heikertingerella sp. would be inconsequential in South Africa. The native T. capensis, which suffered little leaf damage and produced no F1 adults, is also at minimal risk of attack. We conclude that Heikertingerella sp. is a suitable biocontrol agent for T. stans and that permission for its release in South Africa be sought.
... Ryan et al. (1994) reported that higher levels of soluble P have negative effect on AM colonization but insoluble rock phosphate did not decrease levels of AM spore population. Possibly another reason attributed to this is growth of invasive species, like Lantana camara was very high in oldest OB dump which omit many chemical in the vicinity of root hair (Simelane, 2002;Sharma et al., 2005) and showed less root colonization (Table 4) present result was supported by Bhale et al. (2011) who observed 4% RC in Lantana camara. Chandra and Kehri (2006) also recorded lowest number of spore density 8 spores and 16 sporocarps in rhizosphere of Lantana camara. ...
28 planted and 22 naturally growing tree species was assessed from iron ore mine overburden (OB) dump of Dalli Rajhara Chhattisgarh, India. Mycorrhizal fungi showed variation in root percent colonization and number of spores. Both planted and naturally growing tree species showed maximum number of spores in three year old dump and minimum in nine year. 60% colonization in Moringa pterygosperma, 33.33 in Albizia odoratissima, 53.33 in Dodonaea viscosa, 46.67 in Gmelina robusta and 66.67 in Annona squanrosa was only studied from iron ore mine OB land. In planted species maximum number of spores was observed in Fabaceae and minimum in Poaceae. Zero percent colonization was observed in Amaranthaceae, Combretaceae, Asteraceae, Sapindaceae and Apocynaceae family.
... This was also true of the tortoise beetle Gratiana boliviana Klug, 1829 (Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) which did not attack unsprayed fields of eggplant (Solanum melongena L. (Solanaceae)) which were growing within or near patches of its natural host, Solanum viarum L. (Solanaceae), despite having been reared successfully on eggplant under laboratory conditions (Gandolfo, Sudbrink, & Medal, 2000). Despite the results of no-choice tests, similar arguments against non-target attacks were made for several insect agents for weedy Solanum species in South Africa (Hill & Hulley, 1995a;Olckers, 2000;Olckers, Hoffmann, Moran, Impson, & Hill, 1999), a rust fungus for Heliotropium europaeum L. (Boraginaceae) in Australia (Hasan & Delfosse, 1995) and a leaf-mining fly for Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae) in South Africa (Simelane, 2002). Indeed, the lack of oviposition by P. maculiventris on non-target asteraceous plants during multi-choice tests is an indication that these plants are unlikely to be attacked under field conditions. ...
The biology and host range of the defoliating beetle Physonota maculiventris Boheman (Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) were studied in quarantine to determine its suitability for release as a biological control agent against Mexican sunflower, Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl.) A. Gray (Asteraceae), in South Africa. Females laid 5.25 ± 0.25 (mean ± SE) egg batches during their lifetimes, with each batch consisting of approximately 33 eggs. Larvae were highly gregarious as early instars and both larvae and adults fed voraciously, often defoliating the plants completely. The life cycle of the beetle was completed in 67.5 ± 7.5 days under quarantine conditions. Among the 58 test plant species subjected to no-choice tests, P. maculiventris developed successfully on T. diversifolia and some sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) cultivars. However, only minor damage was recorded on non-target species, notably the exotic weed Xanthium strumarium L. and some H. annuus cultivars. Also, survival to adulthood was considerably lower on sunflower cultivars than on the target weed during these tests. During choice tests, P. maculiventris oviposited and developed successfully on T. diversifolia only, with only minor feeding damage on some H. annuus cultivars, suggesting that the beetle’s field host range will be confined to the target weed. Risk analysis also showed that P. maculiventris presents an extremely low risk to non-target plant species (e.g. within the tribe Heliantheae and other close relatives). The study concluded that P. maculiventris is safe for release in South Africa and an application for its release is being considered by the relevant South African regulatory authorities.
... But in present finding observed that no correlation with age, three year dump have maximum spore and its reduced with increasing age of dumps expect eight year dumps. These may be due to age of dump was increase invasive species was grown, and root colonization with invasive species was very poor or absent (Simelane 2002;Sharm et al., 2005;Bhale et al.,2011;Chandra and Kehri, 2006). Diversity of the AM fungal communities have been related the diversity of the plant communities (Rabatin and Stinner, 1989). ...
We investigated the diversity of AM fungi in Dalli-Rajhara (Chhattisgarh, India)
mine overburden (OB) dump and compares with natural forest soils of adjoining
areas. Soil samples were collected from rhizosphere region of planted and
naturally growing tree species in mine OB dump. AM spore was isolated by wet
sieving and decanting and sucrose floatation method, spore density (per 100g dry
soil) was calculated. On the basis of morphological character isolated AM fungi of
9 families and 10 genera were identified namely, Ambisporaceae (Ambispora),
Archaeosporaceae (Archaeospora), Acaulosporaceae (Acaulospora),
Diversisporaceae (Diversispora), Entrophosporaceae (Entrophospora),
Gigasporaceae (Gigaspora, Scutellospora), Pacisporaceae (Pacispora),
Glomeraceae (Glomus) and Paraglomaceae (Paraglomus). Total 71 species were
identified among them Glomus spp. was found to be the most taxonomically
diverse with 18 to 29 species followed by Acaulospora spp. (10-16 species).
... The leaf-mining and stem-boring larvae feed internally (occasionally emerging from one leaf and infesting another) and so have little opportunity to contact other plants. Host range tests of other lepidopteran as well as dipteran leaf miners used similar adult oviposition tests to infer the ability of larvae to feed on test plant species (Simelane 2002, Madire et al 2011, McKay et al 2012, and this method is appropriate when the larvae cannot move off of the host plant on which they were deposited as eggs (Sheppard 1999). ...
Cape-ivy (Delairea odorata Lemaire) is an ornamental vine native to South Africa that has escaped into natural areas in coastal California and Oregon, displacing native vegetation. Surveys in South Africa led to the discovery of the leaf- and stem-mining moth Digitivalva delaireae Gaedike and Kruger (Lepidoptera: Glyphipterigidae: Acrolepiinae) as one of several common and damaging native herbivores on Cape-ivy. In greenhouse studies, adult female life span averaged 16 d (46 d maximum). Most (72%) mated females began laying eggs within 72 h of emergence. Females had an average lifetime fecundity of 52 eggs, with >70% laid on leaf laminae, and 89% of eggs were laid by the 15th day postemergence. Lifetime fertility (adult production) averaged three to four offspring per female. At 25°C, egg hatch required 10 d, pupal formation 26 d, and adult emergence 41 d, while under variable greenhouse and laboratory conditions development to adult required 54-60 d. In four-way choice tests, involving 100 plant species other than Cape-ivy, including 11 genera and 37 species in the Asteraceae, subtribe Senecioninae from both native and invaded ranges, D. delaireae inflicted damage and produced pupae only on Cape-ivy. Leaf mining damage occurred on 30% of leaves of native Senecio hydrophilus in no-choice tests and on 2% of leaves in dual-choice tests, but no pupation occurred. If approved for field release in the continental United States, the moth D. delaireae is expected to produce multiple generations per year on Cape-ivy, and to pose little risk of damage to native plants.
Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America 2015. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.
... While leaf-mining Agromyzidae have occasionally been deployed as biological control agents in South Africa (Baars & Neser, 1999;Simelane, 2002;Madire, Simelane, & Waladde, 2011), with some evidence of efficacy (Simelane & Phenye, 2005), this study failed to provide any evidence of impact. C. eupatorivora exploited very low proportions of available leaves and caused trivial levels of damage to C. odorata populations along the KwaZulu-Natal south coast, an area that that was deemed to be particularly suitable for this agent. ...
The leaf-mining fly Calycomyza eupatorivora Spencer (Diptera: Agromyzidae) has become widely established in the eastern regions of South Africa, following its release for the biological control of the invasive shrub Chromolaena odorata (L.) King and Robinson. This study was conducted to gain some insight into the impact of C. eupatorivora populations, by assessing their seasonal activity, habitat preferences, levels of leaf exploitation and extent of larval mortality in the field over a 1-year period. Leaf mining intensity was poorly synchronised with leaf availability, with leaf exploitation peaking at the end of the growing season of C. odorata. Although significantly more mines were recovered on plants growing in shaded situations, the percentage of available leaves that were exploited for mining was not significantly different between plants growing in shaded versus open situations. Overall, the levels of leaf damage were trivial with mines recovered from <5% of available leaves that were sampled during the study. Besides leaf-quality requirements, these low levels of leaf exploitation may have been influenced by high larval mortality which varied between 60 and 83%, depending on whether lower or higher estimates were used. These evaluations have verified the results of earlier laboratory studies which suggested that the impact of C. eupatorivora on mature populations of C. odorata in South Africa will be negligible.
... In this study, exposure of plants to single mating pairs of flies for the duration of their adult lifespan resulted in the exploitation of all available leaves, with two mines per leaf on average (Madire, Simelane, & Waladde, 2011). Similarly, exposure of Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae) plants to single mating pairs of Ophiomyia camarae Spencer (Agromyzidae) for only four days also resulted in total leaf utilisation, with 1-2 mines for every leaf (Simelane, 2002). Our results suggest significant within-plant variation in the leaves of C. odorata in relation to their suitability for the larvae of C. eupatorivora, but whether this relates to leaf toughness (e.g. ...
... Clissold, Sanson, Read, & Simpson, 2009;Peeters, Sanson, & Read, 2007), nutritional composition (e.g. De Bruyn, Scheirs, & Verhagen, 2002Scheirs, De Bruyn, & Verhagen, 2001, 2002 or both, is unknown. Like herbivorous insects, in general, leaf-mining species prefer tissues that are high in nutrient content and low in chemical and structural defences (Scheirs et al., 2001, 2002 andreferences therein). ...
... Such qualitative preferences have not been reported for other leaf-mining Agromyzidae that were considered as biological control agents (e.g. Day et al., 2009;Hill, Wittenberg, & Gourlay, 2001;Madire et al., 2011;Simelane, 2002). In any event, the low levels of leaf exploitation and leaf area removal at relatively high adult densities (5-10 females per plant) have suggested that C. eupatorivora is unlikely to have a major impact on C. odorata populations in the field. ...
The leaf-mining fly Calycomyza eupatorivora Spencer (Diptera: Agromyzidae) was released in the eastern coastal regions of South Africa for the biological control of the invasive shrub Chromolaena odorata (L.) King and Robinson. Despite widespread establishment, its ability to inflict sufficient foliar damage has been questioned. This laboratory study was initiated to provide some insight into how increasing fly populations (represented by 1, 5 and 10 mating pairs per plant) are likely to influence leaf-mining intensity and the levels of damage. On average, individual plants exposed to five mating pairs displayed significantly more larval mines (248) than those exposed to single pairs (69), while plants exposed to 10 mating pairs were intermediate (125). Similarly, at densities of five mating pairs per plant, the percentages of available leaves that were exploited peaked at 36%, while the percentages of available leaf area that were removed by larval leaf mining peaked at 22%. The non-linear relationship between leaf mining and fly density and the high percentages of unexploited leaves suggest that leaf mining may be influenced by leaf quality, the nature of which is currently unconfirmed. These results also suggest that the levels of leaf exploitation by C. eupatorivora will be too low to have any meaningful impact in the field. Field evaluations, to be reported in a later contribution, have indeed confirmed that the impact of C. eupatorivora on mature populations of C. odorata is negligible.
... The minimal feeding damage (i.e. less than 5% of leaves with feeding scars) recorded on non-target plant species was not of a comparable magnitude to that recorded on T. stans which approached 100% of leaves with feeding scars. These sorts of minor attacks on non-target plants are most often attributed to cage artefacts, and they seldom occur under field conditions (Madire, Simelane, et al. 2011;McFadyen, Vitelli, & Setter, 2002;Olckers, Zimmermann, & Hoffmann, 1995;Simelane, 2002. Under restricted caged conditions, many insect species have been known to demonstrate an artificially wide host range, which is seldom realised under field conditions (Harris, 1984;Hill & Hulley, 1995;Kaufman & Landis, 2000;Olckers et al., 1995;Peschken, 1984;Ward, Pienkowski, & Kok, 1974). ...
The host range of Mada polluta Mulsant (Coleoptera:Coccinnellidae) was studied to assess its suitability as a biological control agent of Tecoma stans (L.) Juss ex Kunth var stans (Bignoniaceae), an invasive weed in South Africa. Biology of M. polluta and its host range were determined in the laboratory using no-choice and multi-choice feeding, oviposition and larval survival tests. Out of 36 plant species from 12 plant families (Bignoniaceae, Acanthaceae, Asteraceae, Verbenaceae, Lamiaceae, Oleaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Fabaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Solanaceae, Apiaceae, Chenopodiaceae and Poaceae) within the order Lamiales that were tested during the host specificity testing, M. polluta showed a very strong preference for T. stans, depositing its eggs on T. stans and none on non-target plant species. In no-choice tests, an average of 246 eggs was laid on T. stans, and from these, 133 larvae developed to adulthood. The beetle also showed very promising biological attributes that will contribute to its success as a biological control agent of T. stans. These attributes include highly damaging larvae and adults, high fecundity (532 eggs/female) and a short life cycle (four weeks). The short life cycle will enable multiple generations per year and rapid population increase in the field. It is concluded that M. polluta is sufficiently host-specific to be released against T. stans in South Africa. It is, therefore, strongly recommended that permission be granted to release this beetle from quarantine for biological control of T. stans in South Africa.
... The lantana hispid Uroplata girardi Pic (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) (Cilliers 1987a), and the leaf-mining ßy Ophiomyia camarae Spencer (Diptera: Agromyzidae) (Simelane 2002) were among the suite of biological control agents released against lantana in South Africa in the 1970s and 2001, respectively. Uroplata girardi female inserts its egg into the leaf tissue, covering it with frass that remains visible on the leaf surface (Cilliers 1987b Uroplata girardi was found to be abundant at several sites along KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) humid coast in 1998, with Ϸ50% of the leaves per plant infested with larvae during population peaks in March and April (Cilliers 1987a, Baars 2003a, Baars and Heystek 2003. ...
... Uroplata girardi females insert each egg into the leaf tissue, covering it with frass that remains visible on the leaf surface (Cilliers 1987b). Ophiomyia camarae females insert each egg into the leaf vein, often toward the apex of the leaf, leaving a visible oviposition scar on the surface of the leaf (Simelane 2002). To conÞrm whether new larval mines were closely correlated with numbers of eggs laid under the experimental condition of this study, 30 adults of both insect species were conÞned separately on potted L. camara plants in two separate gauzecovered cages (55 by 55 by 95 cm). ...
Multiple releases of insect agents intended to target a single plant pest species could result in competitive interactions that in turn might affect the community structure of the phytophagous insects. Two leaf-feeding biological control agents, Uroplata girardi Pic (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and Ophiomyia camarae Spencer (Dipetera: Agromyzidae), were released against the weed Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae) in South Africa in the 1970s and 2001, respectively. Since the population explosion of O. camarae in 2005, a decline of U. girardi populations had been observed in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) humid coast, leading to speculation that negative interaction may be operating between the agents. The study therefore was conducted to determine the competitive effect of O. camarae on U. girardi. The study showed that 76% of O. camarae larval mines were formed on uninfested (clean) compared with only 24% formed on U. girardi-infested leaves, suggesting that the fly chose to lay more eggs on clean leaves. Almost the same number of U. girardi larval mines was formed on both O. camarae-infested and clean leaves, indicating that U. girardi females in this case oviposited indiscriminately on the two types of leaves. The survival of U. girardi was 53.8% when reared on clean leaves compared with only 14.6% survival on O. camarae-infested leaves. At the end of the sampling period, densities of U. girardi was over two times higher in single-species than in combined-species treatment. Releasing both agents together did not significantly affect O. camarae densities during the sampling period. In the field, O. camarae densities increased rapidly from spring to autumn, whereas those of U. girardi remained consistently low during the same period. The bias toward oviposition on clean leaves in O. camarae enables its larvae to avoid unfavorable encounters with U. girardi larvae, thus enhancing its development and survival. The apparent inability of U. girardi to distinguish between suitable and unsuitable leaves for oviposition could compromise the fitness of this beetle, and this could explain the suppression of U. girardi populations during summer when O. camarae populations begin to increase rapidly. This study provides evidence for an asymmetric interaction between two introduced agents, and therefore highlights the importance of conducting interaction studies on agents with extensive niche overlap before their release into the environment.
