Proyecto Miconia POTENTIAL BIOCONTROL AGENTS Feeding on Miconia calvescens For the past three years entomologists at the HIGH PRIORITY (merit further evaluation of biology and impact) University of Costa Rica have searched for TAXON ATTACKS enemies of Miconia calvescens, continuing work Psyllidae Dicledophlebia sp. Shoots/Inflorescences begun in the 1990s by the Hawaii Department of Euselasia chrysippe Leaves Argidae unidentified sawfly Leaves Agriculture. Although it overwhelms forest Cecidomyiidae unidentified midge Flowers ecosystems in Tahiti and threatens to do the same Coleophoridae Mompha sp. Flowers in Hawaii, Miconia calvescens is very sparsely Lycaenidae Thecla opisena Fruits unidentified borer Fruits distributed in its native range, and its insect fauna Curculionidae Anthonomus sp. Fruits is concomitantly rare. Despite these challenges, Pedetinus halticoides Fruits our team has discovered a variety of enemies with Cryptorhynchus melastomae Stem Nematoda gall-forming nematodes Leaves/shoots potential for biological control of this devastating weed. Two potential agents are being studied in LOW PRIORITY (less promising impact / more difficult to evaluate) detail and soon will be imported to Hawaii for Cerambycidae Platyarthoron chilense Stem unidentified borer Stem quarantine testing. Additional agents await Chrysomelidae Margaridisa sp. Leaves funding for detailed evaluation. Percolapis sp. Leaves Typophorus variabilis Leaves Curculionidae Macrocopturus tricolor Stem species of Derelomini Leaves? Penestes sp. Leaves Arctiidae Melese sp. Gracillariidae unidentified leaf miner Leaves Lycaenidae Euselasia aurantia Leaves Euselasia bettina Leaves Theritas mavors Leaves Ancyluris inca Leaves Anteros formosus Leaves Symmachia tricolor Leaves Noctuidae Antiblemma sp. Leaves Species of Plusiinae Leaves Notodontidae unidentified species Leaves Costa Rica Meragisa sp. Leaves Oecophoridae 2 unidentified species Leaves Euselasia chrysippe Dicledophlebia sp. Pterophoridae unidentified species Leaves? (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Riodininae) (Homoptera: Psyllidae: Paurocephalinae) REJECTED (generalist, low impact, rare, etc.) Orthoptera unidentified spp. Leaves Larvae of this butterfly eat miconia leaves. Clusters This potential biocontrol agent is new to Cicadellidae unidentified spp. Sap of eggs (65 on average) are laid on the underside science (manuscript in preparation). These Clastopteriadae Clastoptera sp. Xylem of leaves. Larvae molt, move and feed together in small orange-red psyllids infest young leaves Membracidae Micrutalis sp. Phloem Pseudococcidae unidentified sp. Phloem groups throughout development. The life cycle and flower buds, sucking plant fluid. Their Chrysomelidae Metrionella sp. Leaves requires approximately 1 month under laboratory presence is readily detected by white threads Xenocassis sp. Leaves conditions. Butterflies did not mate or lay eggs in of wax they excrete as nymphs. This species is Curculionidae Exophthalmus jekelianus cf. Leaves Zanola impedita Leaves small cages, but did lay eggs on large plants in easy to rear on potted host plants in the Arctiidae species of Ctenuchinae Leaves large field cages and in a small forest at UCR. greenhouse. Development of eggs and five Crambidae unidentified sp. Leaves Although adult behavior remains poorly nymphal instars to adults requires about 4 Geometridae 3 spp. Leaves Hesperiidae Cyclosemia sp. Leaves understood, we are now able to generate weeks in total. Although field populations are Limacodidae Talima aurora Leaves substantial numbers of eggs for quarantine studies typically small, under laboratory conditions Euclea zygia Leaves M. calvescens in Hawaii. This species and two congeners also infestation can severely stunt miconia plants. Parasa imatata Leaves in native habitat Epiperola peluda Leaves collected on M. calvescens appear to be very host- This species and its close relatives appear to Natada sp. Leaves specific, probably attacking only a few species of be highly specific, each attacking a few closely Notodontidae Rhuda difficilis Leaves Psychidae unidentified species Leaves Outplantings of M. calvescens Miconia. There are few lycaenids (and no related melastomes. Its susceptibility to riodinines) in Hawaii, so this species may possibly parasites and predators of psyllids already in Saturniidae Hylesia continua Leaves (such as this plot on the UCR escape parasites that limit impacts of other Hawaii remains to be evaluated. campus) facilitate observation lepidopteran biocontrol agents. and collection of insect agents under natural conditions. Acknowledgments We thank Cliff Smith for making Proyecto Miconia possible. Thanks also to Gerardo Rojas for assistance in the field, Leonora Rodriguez for graphical expertise, and Marvin Vargas and Daniel Briceño for administrative support. We were generously assisted in species identification by Daniel Burckhardt, Jens Prena, Marc Epstein, Wills Flowers, Charles O’Brien, Robert Anderson, Phil DeVries, Alec McClay, Humberto Lezama, Carolina Godoy, Edward Riley, Bernardo Espinosa, and Andy Warren. The Hawaii Department of Agriculture provided access to collections and other valuable data. Proyecto Miconia has been funded by the state of Hawaii, the National Park Service and the USGS Biological Resources Division, via the University of Hawaii Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit, and by USDA Forest Service International Programs.

Email contacts: Edgar A Rojas ([email protected]) Stem boring weevil Leaf rasping sawfly Leaf gall associated with Flower feeding butterfly Fruit feeding weevil Tracy Johnson ([email protected]) Cryptorhynchus melastomae (unidentified argid) unidentified nematodes Thecla opisena Anthonomus sp. This poster was prepared for the Hawaii Conservation Conference, June 2004.