A method is described for rearing two introduced parasitoids; Cotesia kazak (Telenga) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) on Helicoverpa spp. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Hyposoter didymator Thunberg (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) on cluster caterpillar, Spodoptera litura (F.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).It facilitates the production of large numbers of parasitoids for field release.A number of species of noctuids are considered to be major pests of agriculture in Western Australia. In response to this problem several species of hymenopteran parasitoids have been introduced and reared for field release. This paper describes the methods employed in mass rearing two of the species; Cotesia kuzak (Telenga) ( = Apanteles kazak Telenga 1949), using Helicoverpa armigera (Hiibner) and H. punctigera (Wallengren) as hosts, and Hyposoter didymator Thunberg on Spodoptera litura (F.). Our procedures were adapted from those of Carl (1977Carl ( , 1978. Singh et al. (1982) and Michael et al. (1984) to allow for large-scale production. General rearing proceduresHosts and parasitoids were both reared in a quarantine insectary. The host colonies were developed from field-collected adults, while pupae imported from Switzerland (C. kuzak) and Greece (H. didymator) initiated the parasitoid colonies. Larvae of the host species were laboratory reared on an artificial diet similar to that described by Shorey and Hale (1%5), but based on soybean, bran, wheatgerm and yeast.Room temperature was 15°C. except for two periods of the day (0500-0830 and 1500-2000 h) when it was 25 "C to encourage oviposition. Natural light was supplemented by fluorescent lighting to provide 15 h light. Relative humidity was 70 & 15%. Rearing of Cotesia kazakWe presented 100 Helicoverpa larvae (late first and second instar) to five female and five male C. kazak ( > 2 d old) in 2 L plastic bottles with a mesh base (Fig. 1). The bottles were positioned on their sides with the mesh end facing the light and contained two pieces of host diet (5 mm') and two pieces of folded greaseproof paper (as larval retreats). Five thin streaks of honey were scraped onto the mesh window as food for the wasps. The insects remained in the jar for 24 h, after which the parasitoids were removed to perspex holding cages supplied with honey. Transfer of adult C. kazuk was achieved using a vacuum pump.FIG. I-Diagram of set-up used for facilitating oviposition of host larvae by C. kazak.Host larvae were allowed to develop to third instar, at which time they were moved (using a fine paintbrush) to 2 L plastic boxes with mesh inserts in their lids. Each box was supplied with two pieces of host diet and two coloured paper napkins. Parasitoid pupae were conspicuous on the coloured background and could be cut away with scissors, while those on the surfaces of the container were levered off by fingernail without mortality. Pupae were placed in paper cups inside perspex cages where they emerged 12-20 d after oviposition, or up to 180 d later under diapause-inducing conditions (< 12 h light). Unparas...
DNA barcode data is presented for Australian cetoniine flower beetles to aid with species discovery and guide revisionary taxonomy. Sequences of the COI gene’s DNA barcode region were acquired from 284 cetoniine specimens, covering 68 described species and 33 genera. This equates to 48% of the known species and 83% of the genera which occur in Australia. Results suggest up to 27 putative undescribed species in our sample, only 11 of which were suspected to be undescribed before this study, leaving 16 unexpected (“cryptic”) species. The Australian cetoniine fauna may hence be increased by up to 19%. An unanticipated result of the work is that each of the five most visible and commonly collected Australian cetoniine species, Eupoecila australasiae (Donovan, 1805), Neorrhina punctatum (Donovan, 1805), Glycyphana (Glycyphaniola) stolata (Fabricius, 1781), Chondropyga dorsalis (Donovan, 1805) and Bisallardiana gymnopleura (Fischer, 1823), have unexpectedly high diversity in DNA barcode sequences and were consequently split into multiple clusters, possibly indicating the presence of cryptic species.
The identification, origin, introduction, establishment, spread and pest status of extralimital (introduced, those that naturally occur within and outside Australia, and possibly introduced but of uncertain origin) dynastines in Australia and its territories are reviewed. We examine likely introduction pathways and the species’ life histories and attempt to draw out factors that predispose some species to establish, naturalise and then become invasive. Six categories of extralimital dynastines are identified: established and have spread widely (invasive)—Cyclocephala signaticollis Burmeister, 1847, Heteronychus arator (Fabricius, 1775); established but have not spread widely (sleepers)—Oryctes rhinoceros (Linnaeus, 1758), Oryctoderus latitarsus Boisduval, 1835 (possibly), Papuana woodlarkiana (Montrouzier, 1855) (possibly), Temnorhynchus retusus (Fabricius, 1781); known from one or only a few specimens that have arrived but not established—H. parumpunctatus Burmeister, 1847, Or. centaurus Sternberg, 1910, Pa. angusta Arrow, 1914, Pentodon algerinus algerinus (Fuessly, 1778); with distributions that extend from New Guinea into northeastern Australia—Pa. woodlarkiana (possibly), Od. latitarsus (possibly), Xylotrupes carinulus Rowland, 2011; whose records within Australia are doubtful—Dipelicus integriceps (Fairmaire, 1877), D. montrouzieri (Reiche, 1860), Or. nasicornis (Linnaeus, 1758), Pa. tibialis Arrow, 1941, Phyllognathus degener Fairmaire, 1891; species whose identity is unclear—Carne’s (1981) enigmatic species. Characters that make a species an ideal tramp species are: adults feed and are active for an extended period after emergence; larval development is relatively quick; adults and larvae are associated with potted plants and lawn grasses; the native distribution is in the Southern Hemisphere so that life cycles are synchronised between original and introduced localities. Shipping ballast and potted plants were the probable major pathways of introduction, but now rapid air and land transport provide the means for movement into and within Australia of hitchhiker species. Key words: Dynastinae, introductions, exotic species, pest species, quarantine, biosecurity
Grandaustralis new genus and Grandaustralis boomerang new species are described from Western Australia. Grandaustralis is placed in the tribe Schizorhinini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae).
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