Mike Cripps [email protected]

Cirsium arvense, Lincoln CALIFORNIAN ( ARVENSE)

• Native to Eurasia

• Weed in temperate regions of the world

• 1878 first record in New Zealand

• Present on most NZ pastoral farms

CALIFORNIAN THISTLE IMPACT ON A TYPICAL SHEEP FARM

- thistle

+ thistle CALIFORNIAN THISTLE NATIONAL IMPACT

Farm type Loss in farm gross revenue ($ m, 2011-12) Dairy 446 Sheep/beef 233 Deer 6 TOTAL 685 CALIFORNIAN THISTLE LIFE CYCLE

MOWING: POPULATION MODEL RESULTS

Population increase

Population decline MOWING IN THE RAIN http://agpest.co.nz/?pesttypes=californian-thistle

Rain Dry CLASSICAL BIOCONTROL HISTORY

Species Release year(s) Established Altica carduorum 1979; 1990  Hadroplontus litura 1976; 1988  conicus 1973; 1977  Urophora cardui 1976, 1995, 1996

(Limited) Lema cyanella 1983; 1990

(Limited) CLASSICAL BIOCONTROL: PRESENT

Species Release year(s) Established Cassida rubiginosa 2007 (Green thistle )  Ceratapion onopordi 2009 (Stem weevil) ? GREEN THISTLE BEETLE: LIFE CYCLE Green thistle beetle infestation SUSTAINABLE FARMING FUND PROJECT

1. What can I expect from the beetle?

2. Where can I get it?

WHAT CAN IT DO? NATIVE RANGE

St. Ursanne, Switzerland Control

Biomass Cassida

Days

bugguide.net FEEDING DAMAGE: LINCOLN NZ

Cirsium vulgare WHAT EXPLAINS SPECIALISATION?

Special meal? Thistle buffet? THISTLE BUFFET EXPERIMENT

100

Winged 80 Cali Marsh Scotch 60 Nodding

40 % Survival %

20

0 0 20  Relatedness40 60 80 Phylogenetic distance (my) I have heaps of ! Where can I get this beetle? BEETLE RELEASE CAGE

Fraser Laird, Wanganui AT FIELD DAYS HABITAT AND OVERWINTERING SURVIVAL: WI PERE FARM TRIAL

Pasture

Pine forest Native bush MASS REARING OF THE GREEN THISTLE BEETLE?

Rearing on artificial diet? ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS