Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-45l2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-28T07:31:41.169Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Influence of temperature, photoperiod and humidity on oviposition and egg hatch of the root-feeding flea beetle Longitarsus bethae (Chrysomelidae: Alticinae), a natural enemy of the weed Lantana camara (Verbenaceae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 April 2007

D.O. Simelane
D.O. Simelane*
Affiliation:
Weeds Division, Agricultural Research Council–Plant Protection Research Institute, Private Bag X134, Queenswood, 0121, Pretoria, South Africa Department of Zoology, University of Cape Town, Private Bag Rondebosch, 7701, Cape Town, South Africa
*
*Fax: +27 12 329 3278 E-mail: simelaned@arc.agric.za
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The root-feeding flea beetle Longitarsus bethae Savini & Escalona, was introduced into South Africa as a candidate biological control agent for the noxious and invasive weed, Lantana camara L. As part of the study to predict the beetles' survival in its new range, the influence of climatic conditions on its egg development and reproductive performance were investigated in the laboratory. The threshold temperature (T°) and degree-days (DD) required for egg hatch were determined after exposing the eggs to various constant temperatures (12, 17, 22, 27 and 32°C) in separate growth chambers. The DD required for egg hatch was 178.6, and the temperature threshold required for egg hatch was 11.3°C. Survival of eggs varied from 27 to 56% at 32 and 17°C, respectively, and was optimum between 17 and 25°C. Oviposition was examined under high and low relative humidity (RH) regimes while egg hatch was determined at six RH levels, each maintained in a separate controlled growth chamber set at a constant temperature (25°C). Whilst RH had no influence on oviposition, eggs were highly susceptible to aridity, and continuous exposure to relative humidity below 63% for more than three days was wholly lethal at 25°C. Optimum egg hatch occurred at RH between 85 and 95% for up to 12 days. The effect of day length on oviposition and subsequent egg hatch was investigated under two photoperiod regimes. Neither oviposition nor subsequent egg hatch was influenced by photoperiod. The knowledge obtained will be useful for mass rearing as well as field release programmes for L. bethae.

Keywords

Longitarsus bethaeLantana camaratemperaturephotoperiodhumidityovipositionegg development
Type
Research Article
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 97 , Issue 2 , April 2007 , pp. 111 - 116
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arnold, C.Y. (1959) The determination and significance of the base temperature in a linear heat unit system. American Society of Horticultural Science 74, 430–435.Google Scholar
Campbell, A., Franzer, B.D., Gilbert, N., Gutierrez, A.P. & Mackauer, M. (1974) Temperature requirements of some aphids and their parasites. Journal of Applied Ecology 11, 431–438.Google Scholar
Chocorosqui, V.R. & Panizzi, A.R. (2003) Photoperiod influence on the biology and phenological characteristics of Dichelops melacanthus (Dallas, 1851) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae). Brazilian Journal of Biology 63, 655–664.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Danks, H.V. (2003) Studying insect photoperiodism and rhythmicity: components, approaches and lessons. European Journal of Entomology 100, 209–221.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Day, M.D. & Neser, S. (2000) Factors affecting the biological control of lantana in Australia and South Africa. pp. 897–908in Spencer, N.R. (Ed.) Proceedings of the Tenth International Symposium of Biological Control of Weeds, 4–14 July 1999, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA.Google Scholar
Debach, P. & Rosen, D. (1991) Biological control by natural enemies. 2nd edn. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Denlinger, D.L. (2002) Regulation of diapause. Annual Review of Entomology 47, 93–112.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Denlinger, D.L., Giebultowicz, J.M. & Saunders, D.S. (Eds) (2001) Insect timing: circadian rhythmicity to seasonality. 234 pp. Amsterdam, Elsevier.Google Scholar
Dent, D. (1991) Insect pest management. 432 pp. Wallingford, Oxon, CAB International.Google Scholar
Force, D.C. & Messenger, P.S. (1964) Duration of development, generation time, and longevity of three hymenopterous parasites of Therioaphis maculata, reared at various constant temperatures. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 57, 405–413.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Foster, R.E., Ruesink, W.G. & Luckmann, W.H. (1979) Northern corn rootworm egg sampling. Journal of Economic Entomology 72, 659–663.Google Scholar
Gaston, K.J. (2003) The structure and dynamics of geographic ranges. 234 pp. Oxford, Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilbert, N. & Raworth, D.A. (1996) Insects and temperature – a general theory. Canadian Entomologist 128, 1–13.Google Scholar
Goehring, L. & Oberhauser, K.S. (2002) Effects of photoperiod, temperature, and host plant age on the induction of reproductive diapause and development time in Danaus plexippus. Ecological Entomology 27, 674–685.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hinton, H.E. (1981) Biology of insect eggs. Volumes 1–3, 1125 pp. New York, Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Howe, R.W. (1967) Temperature effects on embryonic development in insects. Annual Review of Entomology 12, 15–42.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kalyebi, A., Overholt, W.A., Schulthess, F., Mueke, J.M. & Sithanantham, S. (2006) The effect of temperature and humidity on the bionomics of six African egg parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). Bulletin of Entomological Research 96, 305–314.Google Scholar
Kramer, D.A., Stinner, R.E. & Hain, F.P. (1991) Time versus rate in parameter estimation of nonlinear temperature-dependent development models. Environmental Entomology 20, 484–488.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lamb, R.J. (1992) Development rate of Acyrthosiphon pisum (Homoptera: Aphidiidae) at low temperatures: implications for estimating rate parameters for insects. Environmental Entomology 21, 10–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liu, S.-S. & Meng, X.-D. (1999) Modelling development time of Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) at constant and natural temperatures. Bulletin of Entomological Research 89, 53–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McPherson, J.E. (1974) Photoperiod effects in a Southern Illinois population of the Euschistus tristigmus complex (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 67, 943–952.Google Scholar
McPherson, J.E. (1975) Effects of developmental photoperiod on adult morphology in Euschistus tristigmus Say (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 68, 1107–1110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perdikis, D.C., Lykouressis, D.P. & Economou, L.P. (2004) Influence of light-dark phase, host plant, temperature, and their interactions on the predation rate in an insect predator. Environmental Entomology 33, 1137–1144.Google Scholar
Saunders, D.S. (1971) The temperature compensated photoperiodic clock ‘programming’ development and pupal diapause in the flesh fly, Sarcophaga argyrostoma. Journal of Insect Physiology 17, 801–812.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Savini, V. & Escalona, H.E. (2005) A new species of Longitarsus Latreille, 1825 from Mexico (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Alticinae, Longitarsini). Zootaxa 956, 1–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schaub, L., Graf, B. & Butturini, A. (2005) Phenological model of pear psylla Cacopsylla pyri. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 117, 105–111.Google Scholar
Simelane, D.O. (2005) Biological control of Lantana camara (Verbenaceae) in South Africa: targeting a different niche with a root-feeding agent, Longitarsus sp. BioControl 50, 375–387.Google Scholar
Simelane, D.O. (2006) Prediction of safety and effectiveness of a candidate biocontrol agent: quarantine evaluation of the root-feeding Mexican flea beetle, Longitarsus bethae, for potential release against the noxious weed, Lantana camara, in Africa. PhD thesis, University of Cape Town, South Africa.Google Scholar
Skinner, L.C., Ragsdale, D.W., Hansen, R.W., Chandler, M.A. & Moon, R.D. (2004) Temperature-dependent development of overwintering Aphthona lacertosa and A. nigriscutis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae): two flea beetles introduced for the biological control of leafy spurge, Euphorbia esula. Environmental Entomology 33, 147–154.Google Scholar
Statistica (2004) Statistica for Windows. v. 6.1. Statistica Enterprise Systems and Technology, Tulsa, Oklahoma.Google Scholar
Winston, P.W. & Bates, D.H. (1960) Saturated solutions for the control of humidity in biological research. Ecology 41, 232–237.Google Scholar
Woodson, W.D. & Jackson, J.J. (1996) Developmental rate as a function of temperature in Northern corn rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 89, 226–230.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zaslavski, V.A., Zinovjeva, K.B., Umarova, T.Y. & Reznik, S.Y. (1999) Interaction of circadian rhythm synchronized by photoperiod and thermoperiod with direct influence of light and temperature in adult eclosion rhythm determination in two species of the genus Trichogramma (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). Entomological Review 79, 3–14.Google Scholar