Diclidophlebia smithi (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) a potential biological agent for Miconia calvescens .

Abstract

Diclidophlebia smithi Burckhardt, Morais and Picanço (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) is a monophagous species which was selected as possible agent of biological control of miconia, Miconia calvescens DC. (Melastomataceae), a native plant of Central and South America that has become an aggressive invader of forest ecosystems in French Polynesia, Hawaii and Australia. The objective of this work was to study the biology and population dynamics of D. smithi in Viçosa and Dionísio (state of Minas Gerais, Brazil) from June 2001 to June 2002 and from February 2004 to February 2005 and evaluate injuries caused to the host plant and occurrence of natural enemies of this psyllid. Frequency distribution of the distance between the antennae indicated the existence of five nymphal instars. Colonies of the psyllid were observed throughout the year in Viçosa and Dionísio. Population peaks occurred from April to July (winter: a period of low temperatures, drought and short photoperiod in this region). Nymphs and adults were observed attacking buds, inflorescences and infrutescences of M. calvescens and causing damage by sucking the plant sap and injecting toxins. Desirable traits such as high population growth rate, easy mass rearing, occurrence throughout the year, host specificity, attack to reproductive organs and potential capacity to adapt to different climatic conditions including those similar to where M. calvescens invasions are occurring, all indicate that D. smithi is a promising biological control agent of M. calvescens.

Lepidopterans as Potential Agents for the Biological Control of the Invasive Plant,Miconia calvescens

“…To select agents for the biological control of M. calvescens , surveys on the arthropods that attack this weed in Brazil have been carried out since 2001 (Picanço et al 2005; Morais et al 2010a, 2010b). In these previous studies, some species of Lepidoptera were found damaging M. calvescens , including Salbia lotanalis Druce (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) (mistakenly identified as Ategumia sp.…”

Biology, Behavior, and Larval Morphology of Salbia lotanalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), a Potential Biological Control Agent of Miconia calvescens (Myrtales: Melastomataceae) from Costa Rica

“…Several insects from Brazil and Costa Rica have been studied as potential biological control agents of M. calvescens (Burckhardt et al 2005(Burckhardt et al ,2006Picampo et al 2005;Badenes-Perez and Johnson 2007a,b, 2008, Allen 2010, Badenes-Perez et al 2010, Morais et al 2010a,b, Reichert et al 2010, Chacon-Madrigal et al 2012, Morais et al 2012). Among these insects, Salbia lotanalis Druce (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) has been studied in its native habitat in Brazil and in Costa Rica (Castillo 2009;Morais et al 2010bMorais et al , 2012Janzen and Hallwachs 2014;Badenes-Perez et al 2014).…”

Description, Biology, and Impact of the Fruit-Feeding Moth, Mompha luteofascia sp. n. (Lepidoptera: Momphidae), on Miconia calvescens (Melastomataceae) in Costa Rica

“…As a result of M. luteofascia feeding, seed germination was drastically reduced from 34.8% in undamaged fruits to 1.9 and 0.1% in fruits with medium and high fruit damage, respectively. Through impacts on reproduction of M. calvescens, M. luteofascia might prove a useful complement to the effects of a number of potential biological control agents under evaluation (Burckhardt et al 2005;Johnson 2007a,b, 2008;Allen 2010;Badenes-Pérez et al 2010Hanson et al 2010;Morais et al 2010aMorais et al ,b, 2012Morais et al , 2013Nishida 2010;Reichert et al 2010;Castillo et al 2014).…”