Billaea rhynchophorae, a palm weevil parasitoid with global potential

Abstract

The American palm weevil, Rhynchophorus palmarum, is the main primary pest of palms in tropical America and the principal vector of the red ring disease, the major phytosanitary problem of coconut and oil palm in South America. The current management of the problem is based on the capture of adult weevils with aggregation pheromone and the elimination of diseased palms, a system difficult to implement for smallholder producers. Biocontrol agents of the weevil, the tachinid parasitoids Billaea spp., are known with limited distribution in Bahía State of Brazil. Their introduction and release in affected areas could greatly improve the natural control of the weevils. Furthermore, these parasitoids are known to attack palm-boring weevils in five different genera and could be a new control option for the red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, the worst pest of palms worldwide. The collection, rearing and study of these parasitoids for introduction in new areas are the aim of this study. A detailed analysis of the necessary steps to comply with regulatory aspects and a research programme to ensure biosafety is described.

Perspectives for Synergic Blends of Attractive Sources in South American Palm Weevil Mass Trapping: Waiting for the Red Palm Weevil Brazil Invasion

“…Given that Rhynchophorus has a palm borer lifestyle, the damage is based on larvae survivorship in the host palm trunk coupled with late damage and infestation diagnosis [ 17 ]. Thus, understanding the insect’s behavior is important for the implementation of new control strategies, especially those derived from research on telemetry [ 37 ], semiochemical interference [ 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ], new secondary metabolites and formulations [ 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 ], early infestation detection [ 50 ], novel biopesticides [ 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 ], and natural enemies [ 55 , 56 ].…”

“…Billaea rhynchophorae (Blanchard) and Billaea menezesi (Guimarães) (Diptera: Tachinidae) [ 55 , 56 ] are indigenous larval parasitoids of R. palmarum in Brazil. A better knowledge of both Tachinidae lifecycle and host acceptation will tell if they can serve in the inundative biological control of all Rhynchophorus , pest species.…”

“…Likewise, a study [ 55 ] suggested the importance of Billaea spp. introduction and mass release—not available at the time—in coconut and oil palm production areas waiting for the potential invasion of R. ferrugineus .…”

“…All states of Brazil such as Acre (AC), Alagoas (AL), Amazonas (AM), Bahia (BA), Ceará (CE), Espirito Santo (ES), Goiás (GO), Maranhão (MA), Mato Grosso (MT), Mato Grosso do Sul (MS), Minas Gerais (MG), Pará (PA), Paraíba (PB), Paraná (PR), Pernambuco (PE), Piauí (PI), Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Rio Grande do Norte (RN), Rondonia (RO), Roraima (RR), Sao Paulo (SP), Sergipe (SE), and Tocantins (TO) are particularly interested with the weevil outbreak and are the largest commercial coconut producers in ton (t) of Brazil (Figure 1). derived from research on telemetry [37], semiochemical interference [38][39][40][41], new secondary metabolites and formulations [42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49], early infestation detection [50], novel biopesticides [51][52][53][54], and natural enemies [55,56].…”

Dynamis borassi (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), a New Potential Pest to the Palms (Arecaceae): An Early Warning for the Palm Producers

“…This strategy could be complemented by removal of seriously damaged palms to reduce reproduction. In addition, we are studying the possibilities to collect and introduce a tachinid parasitoid from Brazil that may provide durable relief from damage by the palm weevil (Löhr et al 2019).…”