Liriomyza huidobrensis (Blanchard) is native to South America but has expanded its range and invaded many regions of the world, primarily on flowers and to a lesser extent on horticultural product shipments. As a result of initial invasion into an area, damage caused is usually significant but not necessarily sustained. Currently, it is an economic pest in selected native and invaded regions of the world. Adults cause damage by puncturing abaxial and adaxial leaf surfaces for feeding and egg laying sites. Larvae mine the leaf parenchyma tissues which can lead to leaves drying and wilting. We have recorded 365 host plant species from 49 families and more than 106 parasitoid species. In a subset of the Argentinian data, we found that parasitoid community composition attacking L. huidobrensis differs significantly in cultivated and uncultivated plants. No such effect was found at the world level, probably due to differences in collection methods in the different references. We review the existing knowledge as a means of setting the context for new and unpublished data. The main objective is to provide an update of widely dispersed and until now unpublished data, evaluate dispersion of the leafminer and management strategies in different regions of the world, and highlight the need to consider the possible effects of climate change on further regional invasions or expansions.

A molecular method is presented for differentiating the morphologically cryptic leafminers Liriomyza langei Frick and L. huidobrensis (Blanchard). This method requires polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of a 1031-bp region of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase DNA followed by restriction fragment analysis using the restriction enzymes SpeI and EcoRV. Spel cuts the mitochondrial fragment of L. langei into two fragments, but does not cut the L. huidobrensis fragment. EcoRV cuts the L. huidobrensis fragment into two fragments, but does not cut the L. langei fragment. This PCR-restriction fragment-length polymorphism (RFLP) method is faster and less costly than DNA sequencing,which is currently the only other way to differentiate these two species. We apply the method to samples from recently introduced leafminer populations in Sri Lanka, Canada, and South Africa and find that the invasive leafminer in all three locations is L. huidobrensis.

Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is an invasive and extremely damaging leaf-mining moth of South American origin. It is a serious pest of tomatoes. This species was first recorded outside of its native range in Spain (2006), and has subsequently spread into Asia and Africa. Here we report the first records of this species for the Republic of South Africa, where moths were first trapped in August and October 2016. The species was identified using both morphological and molecular approaches. Monitoring of the spread of tomato leaf miner in South Africa and the implementation of control measures are managed by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), South Africa.

Regular counts of Arachnida on Protea nitida Mill. were made in three study areas in the western Cape over a period of one year. They were also investigated in the rest of the natural distribution area of P. nitida in the southern and western Cape. Collections were made according to three standardized methods. Five arachnid orders were collected, of which the Araneae (spiders) were dominant. Thirty‐two spider species (653 individuals) representing 18 families were collected, of which five families and eight genera (eight species) were recorded for the first time on the Proteaceae in the Cape fynbos. Four non‐Araneae orders were collected. A microhabitat preference was observed in some families. Numbers of immature spiders peaked in autumn. Adults and immatures did not always have the same habitat distribution and did not always peak during the same season. Families also showed differences in seasonal abundance. Plant architecture and distribution influenced the number of species collected. Protea nitida hosted more spider species than less complex plants with smaller distributions. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of biodiversity and invertebrate conservation.

‘SpuntaG2’ is a transgenic potato (Solanum tuberosum) cultivar that contains the cry1Ia1 gene for resistance to potato tuber moth (Phthorimaea operculella), which is a serious pest of potato in many parts of the world. Previous studies have characterized ‘SpuntaG2’ at the molecular level and evaluated it for safety as a human food source. The objective here was to determine the efficacy of ‘SpuntaG2’ against the potato tuber moth in the field and in storage and to evaluate its agronomic performance. Efficacy trials at seven South African locations over 5 years indicated that ‘SpuntaG2’ gave complete control of potato tuber moth in the field and storage. The agronomic performance (tuber size and yield) of ‘SpuntaG2’ was not statistically different from ‘Spunta’ or was better than ‘Spunta’ at all locations/years with two exceptions. Three years of trials in Michigan further support these conclusions. Evaluations done during the 2006–07 South African season showed that ‘SpuntaG2’ did not differ from non-transgenic ‘Spunta’ for the following traits: maturity, growth habit, eye morphology, tuber size distribution, tuber shape, skin and flesh color, growth cracks, internal defects, specific gravity, chip color, cooking quality, disease resistance, and pollen fertility. Based on the results of these trials, it was concluded that ‘SpuntaG2’ provides the agronomic performance of ‘Spunta’ with the added benefit of resistance to potato tuber moth.