Early Season Aggregation Behavior in Adult Larinus Minutus, an Introduced Phytophage of Centaurea Spp

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Early Season Aggregation Behavior in Adult Larinus Minutus, an Introduced Phytophage of Centaurea Spp

Session 9 Post-release Evaluation and Management 473 Early Season Aggregation Behavior in Adult Larinus minutus, an Introduced Phytophage of Centaurea spp. in North America G. Piper Department of Entomology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6382 USA [email protected] Abstract Larinus minutus Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a Eurasian beetle that was initially released in North America in 1991 for the biological control of several invasive knapweeds (Centaurea spp.). Larvae consume developing achenes within the capitula whereas adults feed on foliage and flowers. This weevil preferentially attacks diffuse knapweed, Centaurea diffusa Lam. (Asteraceae). Early season feeding on C. diffusa by the adults may lead to outright mortality, especially of seedling and rosette stage plants, or, if attacked bolted plants survive beetle depredation, pronounced tissue shredding/ discoloration, stunting, and flower head deformation typically result. From mid- May to mid-June in eastern Washington, large numbers of L. minutus adults aggregate beneath the rosettes of certain C. diffusa plants, especially those growing in open areas with well-drained sandy or gravelly soils or soils covered with short grasses and mosses. Soil aggregations of up to 800 adults have been recorded within a 40 cm diameter area around a single plant, with beetles being most numerous near the root crown area of the rosette where they often appear to be “stacked” upon one another. This behavior was not reported by European researchers who conducted pre-introduction studies on the weevil. It has not been determined with certainty if an aggregation or sex pheromone is responsible for this phenomenon or if the beetle is attracted to kairomones emitted by healthy or attacked plants. Field investigations have revealed that adults will re- aggregate beneath heavily damaged plants within one to two days following “beetle depopulation”, thus suggesting the possible involvement of a plant kairomone cue. XIII International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds - 2011.

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