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OBCL Newsletter Overseas Biological Control Laboratories Edited by Dawn Gundersen-Rindal US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service

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OBCL Newsletter Overseas Biological Control Laboratories Edited by Dawn Gundersen-Rindal US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service December 2019 OBCL Newsletter Overseas Biological Control Laboratories Edited by Dawn Gundersen-Rindal US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service Guillermo Cabrera Walsh, [email protected] / In This Issue www.fuedei.org The Sino-American Biological Control Laboratory (Sino-ABCL) is based in Beijing, China. Introduction ............................................................ 1 Contact: Liu Chenxi, [email protected] FuEDEI - Argentina ............................................... 1 Previous newsletter editions are available at: Reactivation weed biocontrol in S. America ... 1 www.ars-ebcl.org Biological control of Palo Verde ..................... 2 Invasive Crazy Ants ......................................... 3 Grant from Perez-Guerrero Trust Fund ........... 4 Foundation for the Study of Biological control lecture ................................. 5 Invasive Species - FuEDEI ABCL - Australia .................................................. 5 FUEDEI’s quest for reactivating weed Biocontrol agents round leaved tooth cup ........ 5 biocontrol in South America Ear leaf Acacia .................................................. 6 by Willie Cabrera Walsh, Alejandro Sosa, Fernando EBCL - France and Greece .................................... 7 McKay and Mariano Maestro Parasitoids of Brown Marmorated Stink Bug .... 7 Invasive alien species are considered the Bagrada hilaris stink bug .................................. 8 second most important threat to biodiversity, and Parasitoids of olive fruit fly ............................... 9 among them invasive plants rank the highest. Sandfly Sterile Insect Technique ..................... 10 Classical weed biocontrol (CWB) is a technique for Sino-ABCL - China ............................................ 12 controlling widespread exotic plants by releasing Natural enemy complex Roseau Cane Scale ... 12 specific natural enemies (arthropods and pathogens) from the plant’s native range. CWB was first used Recent Publications by ABCL ............................. 14 toward the end of the 19th century, but picked up Recent Publications by EBCL ............................. 14 momentum as from the 1950s, with a peak in biocontrol agent releases between 1990 and 2000 (Fig. 1). Argentina made auspicious incursions into Introduction OBCL is a group of overseas laboratories that support the domestic research carried out by USDA-ARS with the aim of “finding solutions to agricultural problems that affect Americans every day from field to table”. The Australian Biological Control Laboratory (ABCL) is based in Brisbane, Australia. The facility is run through a Specific Cooperative Agreement between USDA-ARS and Australia’s Federal research body, Figure 1. Number of CWB releases per CSIRO. continent. Note Europe and South America show Contact: Matthew Purcell, [email protected] remarkably lower levels than North America, The European Biological Control Laboratory Australasia and Africa. (EBCL) is based in Montpellier, France, and has a CWB to control American and Eurasian weeds in satellite laboratory in Thessaloniki, Greece. Contact: the 70s and 80s, but the research teams were mostly Dawn Gundersen-Rindal, dawn.gundersen- dismantled in the 90s. On the other hand, CWB [email protected] / www.ars-ebcl.org research for South American plants invasive in the The Foundation for the Study of Invasive Species US, Australia and South Africa remains pretty well (FuEDEI) is based in Hurlingham, Argentina and is operated as a nonprofit research organization. Contact: OBCL Newsletter, December 2019 Page 2 developed in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. However, support for CWB is not equal FuEDEI, together with other local scientists, are across scientific disciplines. In theoretical ecology trying to rekindle interest for CWB in South and multidisciplinary scientific journals there were America by organizing the next International 1.75 favourable articles for each unfavourable one. Symposium of Biological Control of Weeds, and This quotient increased to 2.9 for management and CWB to control American and Eurasian weeds in agriculture journals, and 13.6 for taxonomy and the 70s and 80s, but the research teams were mostly experimental biology journals. Results suggest that dismantled in the 90s. On the other hand, CWB ecological academia is more hostile toward weed research for South American plants invasive in the biocontrol than scientists in applied and US, Australia and South Africa remains pretty well experimental biology. leading several projects of national and The number of weed biocontrol agents international interest (see previous reports). released around the world has fallen drastically in The reason why CWB is not easily accepted the last twenty years, or so, suggesting that the in Latin America, compared to other continents, is exotic weed management community could be baffling. A revision of over 3,500 publications of disconnected from the opinion of science. This the last 30 years on weed management from all slump is probably related to lower investment over the world reveals that scientific perception of levels, shorter financial cycles, difficulties to obtain CWB has been consistently favourable during the collection and export permits, and lower tolerance last decades, with lower acceptance levels in Latin for less than categorical specificity test results. America (Fig 2). On the other hand, Latin America, However, it is possible that administrators may be essentially Mexico, Brazil and Argentina, have influenced by negative reports from the less provided more biocontrol agents to the world than specialized but more widely read multidisciplinary any other continent, followed by Europe (Fig. 3), scientific journals, where biocontrol is frequently contradictorily, the regions with lowest CWB criticized. application (Fig. 2). Biological control of Palo Verde by Fernando Mc Kay Parkinsonia aculeata L. is a thorny leguminous shrub native to the hot and dry regions of North, Central and South America. In Australia, where the plant was accidentally introduced, its dense thorny thickets are injurious to the environment and agriculture. A biological control program was initiated by Australia in 1983, with extensive surveys for biological control agents Figure 2. Releases (in numbers) of CWB agents conducted in North America, resulting in the around the world. release into Australia of three insects, a mirid (Hemiptera) and two bruchids (Coleoptera). None of them have caused significant population-level impacts, so native-range surveys were recommenced in 2008 in South America. Since then, two species of Geometridae, Eueupithecia cisplatensis Peout and E. vollonoides Hausmann have been released from Argentina and Paraguay. At the moment, CSIRO researchers are tidying up some loose ends of the Eueupithecia project but are also evaluating the suitability of another Parkinsonia biocontrol agent for Australia. Field surveys conducted in North-central Figure 3. Origin (in numbers) of the CWB agents Argentina on P. aculeata L. between 2008 and used around the world. 2011 revealed the presence of the stem-galling OBCL Newsletter, December 2019 Page 3 midge Neolasioptera aculeatae Gagné (Diptera: species list of the genus had to be revised, and the Cecidomyiidae) (Fig. 4; Fig. 5). The biological range of N. fulva determined for the southern attributes of N. aculeatae and its restricted field distribution of the genus (Fig. 6a). The objective host range suggests that it could be a promising was to assess the native and introduced ranges, biological control agent for P. aculeata. Building addressing questions such as: Where did introduced on FuEDEi’s previous N. aculeatae work, CSIRO populations come from? What characteristics make (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research this species so invasive? Does it have natural Organisation) and FuEDEI are initiating a co- enemies which could be potential biocontrol operative biological control program on agents? Parkinsonia. FuEDEI researchers will conduct field The province of Misiones, in northeastern collection of N. aculeatae and characterization of Argentina, holds the southernmost region of the the biology of N. aculeatae and its associated Atlantic Forest, a biodiversity hotspot, and hosts parasitoid community, field host-associations of both N. fulva and its parasitoid phorid specie Neolasioptera, and development of a rearing Pseudacteon convexicauda. Phorids were found methodology to establish a colony of N. aculeatae. throughout this province in several campaigns, but Bolivia Neolasioptera aculeatae only in two other sites within the whole native Present Paraguay Absent Chile range. S Brazil F During collection surveys in that province, SE CH we also found one population of the old world SF C species, Paratrechina longicornis, ant with dubious previous records in Argentina, thus probably being ER the first record in this country. The longhorn crazy Uruguay ant has spread across six continents and lives in some 120 countries, including Brazil and Paraguay. BA km We believe this population might have arrived to 0 200 400 Argentina through a commercial route from Brazil, Figure 4. Main collecting sites of N. aculeatae in where the ant has been registered in 2010 (Fig. 6b). Argentina. As this is considered a tramp species, its discovery should raise concern for local biodiversity. Figure 5. Neolasioptera aculeatae galls on a Parkinsonia aculeata. Invasive crazy ants by María Belén Fernández, Luis Calcaterra Nylanderia fulva is
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