Field Release and Establishment of the Decapitating Fly Pseudacteon curvatus on Red Imported Fire Ants in Florida

Vázquez, Ricardo; Porter, Sanford D.; Briano, Juan A.

doi:10.1007/s10526-005-0107-6

Cited by 25 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…In Florida, P. tricuspis populations spread, on average, 1.5 km in the first year after release, 15 km in the second year and up to 30 km/year in the third year (Porter et al 2004). In comparison, populations of P. curvatus in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida spread from 0.8 to 1.6 km the first year post-release (Graham et al 2003a;Vazquez et al 2006), and exhibited 5-44 km total spread by the end of the second year (Graham et al 2003a;Thead et al 2005). Given these large distances covered in short periods, it appears likely that long-distance dispersal is occurring in these systems and, given that these are small bodied, flying insects, we hypothesize that it is a wind-assisted phenomenon.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Dynamic expansion in recently introduced populations of fire ant parasitoids (Diptera: Phoridae)

2007

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Combating invasive species requires a detailed, mechanistic understanding of the manner and speed with which organisms expand their ranges. Biological control efforts provide an opportunity to study the process of species invasions and range expansions under known initial conditions. This study examines the rate, pattern and mechanisms of spread for two populations of the biological control agent Pseudacteon tricuspis, phorid-fly parasitoids of imported fire ants. We employ a trap-based survey method that detects phorid flies in low-density populations, and provides data on abundance. This technique allows us to differentiate between continuous population spread and effective long-distance dispersal and to examine density gradients of phorid flies across the expanding population front. We find that occupied sites in front of the leading edge of continuous populations were common; forming small populations we refer to as satellite populations. Satellite populations are tens of kilometers from the nearest possible source. Wind governs the dynamics of spread in these two central Texas populations. Population edges expanding with the wind exhibited a higher frequency of effective long-distance dispersal than did populations expanding into the wind. This enhanced effective long-distance dispersal rate translated into a five times faster rate of spread for population edges traveling with the wind. This planned invasion shares many characteristics in common with unplanned species invasions including: protracted establishment phase during which densities were below detection thresholds, and slow initial spread immediately after establishment followed by rapid, accelerating spread rates as population sizes grew.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Dynamic expansion in recently introduced populations of fire ant parasitoids (Diptera: Phoridae)

2007

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“…Several phorid fly species have been introduced to the southern United States for biological control of the invasive imported fire ant complex consisting of Solenopsis richteri Forel, Solenopsis invicta Buren and their Hybrid (S. richteri Â S. invicta) (which are shortened as ''Black'', ''Red'' and ''Hybrid'', respectively) (Gilbert et al, 2008;Callcott et al, 2011). The first two released species, Pseudacteon tricuspis Borgmeier and Psuedacteon curvatus Borgmeier, have successfully established in most release sites and dispersed at a rate of ca 20 km per year Thead et al, 2005;Pereira and Porter, 2006;Vazquez et al, 2006;Henne et al, 2007;Porter, 2010), and the established populations appear to be as highly host specific as pre-release populations and pose no obvious threat to nontarget species (Vazquez and Porter, 2005;Morrison and Porter, 2006). A biotype of P. tricuspis well established in north Florida was originally collected from Jaguariuna, Brazil in 1996 on Red fire ant (Porter and Alonso, 1999;Porter et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing electroantennogram and behavioral responses of two Pseudacteon phorid fly species to body extracts of Black, Red and Hybrid imported fire ants, Solenopsis spp.

Chen

Ochieng

et al. 2012

Journal of Insect Physiology

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“…and Juan Briano (Vazquez et al 2006). The first releases of the Formosa biotype were made in 2003 around Gainesville, FL (Vazquez et al 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire Ant Decapitating Fly Cooperative Release Programs (1994–2008): TwoPseudacteonSpecies,P. tricuspisandP. curvatus, Rapidly Expand Across Imported Fire Ant Populations in the Southeastern United States

Callcott¹,

Porter

Weeks³

et al. 2011

Journal of Insect Science

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Natural enemies of the imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren S. richteri Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), and their hybrid, include a suite of more than 20 fire ant decapitating phorid flies from South America in the genus Pseudacteon. Over the past 12 years, many researchers and associates have cooperated in introducing several species as classical or self-sustaining biological control agents in the United States. As a result, two species of flies, Pseudacteon tricuspis Borgmeier and P. curvatus Borgmeier (Diptera: Phoridae), are well established across large areas of the southeastern United States. Whereas many researchers have published local and state information about the establishment and spread of these flies, here distribution data from both published and unpublished sources has been compiled for the entire United States with the goal of presenting confirmed and probable distributions as of the fall of 2008. Documented rates of expansion were also used to predict the distribution of these flies three years later in the fall of 2011. In the fall of 2008, eleven years after the first successful release, we estimate that P. tricuspis covered about 50% of the fire ant quarantined area and that it will occur in almost 65% of the quarantine area by 2011. Complete coverage of the fire ant quarantined area will be delayed or limited by this species' slow rate of spread and frequent failure to establish in more northerly portions of the fire ant range and also, perhaps, by its preference for red imported fire ants (S. invicta). Eight years after the first successful release of P. curvatus, two biotypes of this species (one biotype occurring predominantly in the black and hybrid imported fire ants and the other occurring in red imported fire ants) covered almost 60% of the fire ant quarantined area. We estimate these two biotypes will cover almost 90% of the quarantine area by 2011 and 100% by 2012 or 2013. Strategic selection of several distributional gaps for future releases will accelerate complete coverage of quarantine areas. However, some gaps may be best used for the release of additional species of decapitating flies because establishment rates may be higher in areas without competing species.

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Field Release and Establishment of the Decapitating Fly Pseudacteon curvatus on Red Imported Fire Ants in Florida

Cited by 25 publications

References 28 publications

Dynamic expansion in recently introduced populations of fire ant parasitoids (Diptera: Phoridae)

Dynamic expansion in recently introduced populations of fire ant parasitoids (Diptera: Phoridae)

Comparing electroantennogram and behavioral responses of two Pseudacteon phorid fly species to body extracts of Black, Red and Hybrid imported fire ants, Solenopsis spp.

Fire Ant Decapitating Fly Cooperative Release Programs (1994–2008): TwoPseudacteonSpecies,P. tricuspisandP. curvatus, Rapidly Expand Across Imported Fire Ant Populations in the Southeastern United States

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