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PROCEEDINGS OF THE 21ST CONGRESS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN AFRICA Proceedings of the 21st Congress of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa 8–11 July 2019 Coastlands Umhlanga Hotel & Conference Centre, Umhlanga, South Africa Abstract Volume Edited by: Kirstin Williams & Burgert Muller Organising Committee Des Conlong Kirstin Williams Caswell Munyai Sandra Memela Stuart Rutherford Abstract Volume Edited by: Kirstin Williams Burgert Mulller Assistance by: Angela Walton Published by the Entomological Society of Southern Africa ISSN: 1010-2566 Suggested citation: 2019. Kgatla, M. Foundational biodiversity information programme generated data: An assessment of entomology related primary data. Proceedings of the 21st Congress of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa, 8–11 July 2019, Coastlands Umhlanga Hotel & Conference Centre, Umhlanga, South Africa. Entomological Society of Southern Africa, Umhlanga, p. 63 [Congress abstract]. Front cover image: Cacosceles newmannii (Cerambycidae) by Lynette Clennell. ii ESSA 2019 oral presentation Proceedings of the 21st Congress of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa Abstracts Suitability of entomopathogenic fungal isolates for microbial control of citrus pests: biological traits and importance of formulation Mavis Acheampong1, Martin Hill1, Sean Moore1,2, Candice Coombes1 1Centre for Biological Control, Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa. 2Citrus Research International, Grahamstown, South Africa. Entomopathogenic fungal isolates have been identified as promising microbial control agents of the soil-dwelling life stages of a key citrus pest, Thaumatotibia leucotreta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) under laboratory and field conditions. The control potential of these isolates has also been investigated against arboreal citrus pests, Scirothrips aurantii Faure (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), Planococcus citri Risso (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) and Aonidiella aurantii Maskell (Hemiptera: Diaspididae). Although mortality under laboratory conditions was positive, foliar field applications of the three most virulent entomopathogenic fungal isolates, against these pests, have been disappointing. These findings highlighted the need to investigate other biological attributes of these fungal isolates besides virulence, to select suitable candidates for the foliar environment. Thus, the temperature tolerance, humidity requirements, UV sensitivity and the endophytic potential of the seven initial promising isolates were addressed in this study. The results showed that temperature and humidity are not likely to impair the control potential of any of these promising EPF isolates in citrus orchards. In contrast, all the isolates investigated were highly sensitive to simulated solar radiation (5.2 KJ/m2) following 2 h exposure, emphasising the need to develop a suitable UV protectant formulation, or alternate application mode, if foliar application of these fungi against S. aurantii, P. citri and A. aurantii is to be successful. Isolates B. bassiana G 14 2 B5 and B. bassiana G Ar 17 B3, were the most UV tolerant. 2 ESSA 2019 oral presentation Asynchrony among insect pollinator groups and flowering plants with elevation: significance for global climate change studies Opeyemi Adedoja1, Michael Samways1, Temitope Kehinde2 1Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa. 2Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Mountains influence species distribution through differing climate variables associated with increasing elevation. These factors determine species niche ranges and phenology. Although the distribution patterns of some insect groups relative to elevation have been established, how differing environmental conditions across elevation zones differentially influence the phenology of various insect groups is largely unknown. This is especially important in this era of rapid climate change. We assessed how species composition and peaks in abundance among different insect pollinator groups and flowering plants differ across four floristically distinct elevation zones up a sentinel mountain subject to strong weather events. We sampled insect pollinators in four major groups (bees, wasps, beetles and flies) over two spring seasons. Pollinator species composition across all elevation zones track flowering plant species composition. In terms of abundance, beetles were the dominant group across the three lower zones, but declined greatly in the summit zone, where flies and bees were more abundant. Bee abundance peaked earlier than the other groups across all four elevation zones, where there were significant peaks in abundance. Bee abundance peaked earlier than flowering plants at the middle zone and slightly later than flowering plants at this base zone, suggesting a mismatch. We conclude that, while elevation shapes species distribution, it also influences species phenology, and can lead to a mismatch as seen here. In addition to the effect of local climate, real-time changes in abiotic conditions across elevation zones drives species phenology, and may be of great significance for long-term assessments of species distribution in sensitive mountain ecosystems. oral presentation ESSA 2019 3 Indigenous olive seed wasp on cultivated olives in the Western Cape Elleunorah Allsopp1, Muriel Knipe1, Christian Giacalone2, Virgilio Caleca2 1ARC Infruitec-Nietvoorbij, Stellenbosch, South Africa. 2Palermo University, Palermo, Italy. Most phytophagous insects on cultivated olives, Olea europaea L. subsp. europaea var. europaea, in South Africa are native and originate from local wild olives, Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata. Research showed that Eupelmus spermophilus Silvestri (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae) is the primary seed wasp attacking cultivated olives in the Western Cape. It overwinters and reproduces year round in wild olives, but females will lay eggs in young cultivated olives, primarily oil cultivars with smaller fruit, although they occasionally also oviposit in larger table olives, if the olives are still small enough for the female to reach the kernel with her ovipositor. Larvae and pupae develop inside the kernel and the adult wasps chew exit holes through the pit and fruit. Seed wasp exit holes are sometimes mistaken for olive fruit fly exit holes. Some infested olives remain on the trees and are harvested and processed, but many fall from the trees before harvest, constituting direct yield loss. Olive seed wasp was shown to cause sporadic economic damage only in orchards where wild olives grow in close proximity to the cultivated olives, since E. spermophilus does not overwinter in cultivated olives. Seasons with very low olive seed wasp infestation and yield loss in two trial sites corresponded with below average rainfall in the preceding winter and very low numbers of wild olives during the preceding winter and spring. E. spermophilus was shown to be the first truly phytophagous Eupelmus known. 4 ESSA 2019 oral presentation Mating disruption for the control or suppression of Macadamia Nut Borer (Thaumatotibia batrachopa) in macadamia orchards Natasha Auret, Gerhard Booysen Insect Science (Pty) Ltd, Tzaneen, South Africa. The Macadamia nut borer, Thaumatotibia batrachopa, (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) is of major economic importance in the tropical and subtropical fruit industry. Macadamias and litchis are the only hosts of T. batrachopa under major cultivation in South Africa. Controlling T. batrachopa population levels are essential for limiting fruit damage in these crops. The efficacy of a mating disruption programme for the control of T. batrachopa was evaluated by deploying Insect Science X-Mate M.N.B.TM dispensers at a rate of 25 dispensers per ha in a macadamia orchard as part of an integrated insect control programme. The efficacy of the treatment was determined by evaluating the number of adult T. batrachopa moths caught in monitory traps after deployment of the X-Mate M.N.B.TM dispensers. Furthermore, T. batrachopa larvae feeding damage in nuts collected from the blocks treated with X-Mate M.N.B.TM were compared to nut damage levels in the untreated control blocks. The trial is still ongoing, but it is expected that integrated control with mating disruption dispensers in combination with a chemical insecticide programme will reduce theT. batrachopa moth catches and lower nut feeding damage during the growing season in order to successfully combat the macadamia nut borer in macadamia orchards. poster presentation ESSA 2019 5 Determining the diet of a collembolan and a spider in termite mounds using next generation sequencing H. Badenhorst1, C.R. Haddad1, M.T. Madisha2, C. Janion-Scheepers3, M. Gryzenhout2, M.M. Nyaga4 1Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa. 2Department of Genetics, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa. 3Iziko South African Museum, Cape Town, South Africa. 4Next Generation Sequencing Unit/Division of Virology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa. Termites are a significant terrestrial insect group, as they fulfil various ecological functions. The snouted harvester termite, Trinervitermes trinervoides (Blattodea: Termitidae), is common and widespread in South Africa. These termites are an important food source for many animals, and their abandoned mounds provide refuge for various taxa. However, little biological research has focused on the termitophiles occupying active and abandoned T. trinervoides