Austral Entomology最新文献

Cave crickets, also called wētā, are an important component of subterranean realms globally, but the true diversity of the group is poorly known. Speleotettix Chopard, 1944 contains two species from southeast Australia, Speleotettix tindalei Chopard, 1944 and Speleotettix chopardi (Karny, 1935). However, the initial description of the genus was poorly characterised, and its taxonomy has remained unclear since. Here, we take an integrative molecular and morphological approach to redescribe Speleotettix and describe three new species: Speleotettix aolae Beasley-Hall, sp. nov. from Victoria and Speleotettix binoomea Beasley-Hall, sp. nov. from New South Wales, both found in limestone caves, and Speleotettix palaga Beasley-Hall, sp. nov. from mineshafts in Victoria. To provide consistency in future work on the group, we also redescribe S. tindalei and treat S. chopardi as a nomen dubium. Finally, we transfer the threatened species Cavernotettix craggiensis Richards, 1974, an island species from Tasmania's Bass Strait, into the genus as Speleotettix craggiensis (Richards, 1974) comb. nov. In so doing, we increase the number of described rhaphidophorid species in Australia to 27 and significantly expand the distribution of Speleotettix, making it the most widespread of the Australian genera currently known. As all members of Speleotettix are short-range endemics at risk of decline, these findings have implications for their future conservation management.

The genus Microlechia Turati, 1924, including a newly described species Microlechia zwicki sp. nov., is recorded for the first time in Australia. Detailed illustrations of the adult specimen and male genitalia of this new species are provided, alongside a discussion of how it could be diagnosed form related species within the genus. An updated annotated checklist of the Australian Gnorimoschemini is also included, featuring illustrations of the adults and genitalia of several species.

Three polyphagous agromyzid leafminers, Liriomyza sativae Blanchard, Liriomyza huidobrensis (Blanchard) and Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess), have recently invaded mainland Australia, posing a threat to horticultural crops. Overseas, these species are often effectively controlled by local hymenopteran parasitoids. It is important to assess the abundance and composition of the existing parasitoid community capable of impacting these pests as they spread across Australia. We surveyed three adventive agromyzids, Liriomyza brassicae (Riley), Phytomyza plantaginis Goureau and Phytomyza syngenesiae (Hardy), and one endemic species, Liriomyza chenopodii (Watt), at six sites around Melbourne, Victoria, between August 2018 and January 2020. In all, 4748 agromyzids and 2474 identified parasitoids were reared. Eleven wasp species were identified: seven eulophids, three braconids and one pteromalid. Four eulophid species—Asecodes sp., Diglyphus isaea (Walker), Closterocerus mirabilis Edwards & La Salle and Hemiptarsenus varicornis (Girault)—and one braconid species, Opius cinerariae (Fischer), were reared from all agromyzid hosts. Three eulophid species—Chrysocharis pubicornis (Zetterstedt), Neochrysocharis formosa (Walker) and Zagrammosoma latilineatum Ubaidillah—and one pteromalid species, Trigonogastrella parasitica (Girault), were reared from three host agromyzids. C. pubicornis (Zetterstedt), a pupal parasitoid, was the most abundant parasitoid overall but was almost entirely reared from the two Phytomyza spp. at only one site. Peaks in parasitism were observed in late spring and late autumn, depending on the host. These results show that a diversity of local agromyzids persists throughout the year in southern Victoria, supporting a stable parasitoid community that should help control invasive Liriomyza spp. in the future.

Social bees of the tribe Meliponini (stingless bees) are used as managed pollinators of crops throughout the world's tropical and subtropical regions. On Australia's East Coast, two native species—Tetragonula carbonaria and Tetragonula hockingsi—are the most widely propagated in hives, but knowledge of their biology and ecology in natural nests remains poorly documented. Here we monitor a wild population of Tetragonula in remnant forest in south-east Queensland over a 5-year period to assess three aspects of their life history: (i) rates of colony mortality, (ii) rates of queen turnover and (iii) incidences of nest usurpation. The latter occurs when one colony usurps the nest cavity of another, installing its own queen and enslaving the existing workers and brood. The range of T. hockingsi has increased in recent decades due to hive trade and southward range expansion. Our study area was located in the southern region of overlap with T. carbonaria. A total of 58 wild colonies were identified within the study site (1.5 nests per hectare), three-quarters of which were T. carbonaria. Colony mortality averaged 8.3% per year, such that 40% of colonies had died by the end of the 5-year study interval. Sequencing of mitochondrial-COI and microsatellite genotyping of workers at four time points was used to infer that queen turnover (i.e., queens replaced by daughter queens) typically occurs every 20–30 months. Eight cases were detected consistent with interspecific nest usurpation, in all of which T. hockingsi replaced T. carbonaria. However, T. hockingsi colonies also had lower annual survivorship than those of T. carbonaria, resulting in a stable proportion of each species in the study area over time. Overall, results show that although nest occupancy by Tetragonula colonies is typically several years, colony death and nest usurpation are common in wild populations, and community composition is shaped by interspecific differences in both usurpation success and annual mortality.

Some thrips (Thysanoptera) species are presumed to injure avocado and macadamia trees and fruit when feeding as nymphs and adults. We investigated the abundance and species richness of thrips and monitored fruit and nut set and damage on four avocado (Fuerte, Hass, Maluma and Pinkerton) and macadamia (695, 814, 816 and A4) cultivars. Different stages of avocado fruit (1–3, 4–6 and 7–9 cm) or macadamia nut development (closed racemes, nut set, nut size 1–1.5 cm and nut size 3–4 cm) were sampled over two seasons in the Levubu region of Limpopo Province, South Africa. Thrips development on fruit, nuts and leaf flush was recorded to verify the thrips species causing damage. A total of 15 535 thrips were collected during August–January 2020–2021 and 2021–2022. Six thrips morphotypes were identified across macadamia and avocado orchards: Scirtothrips aurantii Faure (Thripidae), Thrips tenellus Trybom (Thripidae), Haplothrips gowdeyi Franklin (Phlaeothripidae), Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande (Thripidae), Megalurothrips sp. (Thripidae) and Caliothrips sp. (Thripidae). Thrips were less abundant in the 2020/2021 season compared to the 2021/2022 season and in avocados than in macadamias. Pinkerton (2020/2021: 4.9 ± 0.8 and 2021/2022: 13.1 ± 0.2) and Fuerte (2020/2021: 6.9 ± 1.3 and 2021/2022: 7.5 ± 0.1) had the highest damage and fruit set per inflorescence in both seasons. Fruit size 1–3 cm had a mean damage of 3.4 ± 0.8 in 2020/2021 and 4.0 ± 0.7 in 2021/2022, 4–6 cm had 5.3 ± 0.9 and 4.7 ± 0.7 in 2021/2022, and 7–9 cm had 5.2 ± 0.9 in 2020/2021 and 5.0 ± 0.8 in 2021/2022. Macadamia cultivars and developmental stages most affected by thrips were dependent on the season. Our results suggest that damage occurs earlier in fruit or nut development, and Fuerte avocados and Macadamia 695 were the least susceptible to thrips damage. S. aurantii larvae developed from all sampled avocado and macadamia tissues and were able to persist until the adult stage, confirming it as the main damaging thrips species of avocado and macadamia in the Levubu region.

No abstract is available for this article.

Non-crop floral resources in agricultural areas play an important role in supporting crop pollinating taxa and increasing biodiversity. We studied flower-insect interactions to two spring flowering crops and accompanying non-crop flowering resources (introduced/native) in apple and blueberry orchards in southern Tasmania, Australia, to (i) identify the important crop pollinating taxa in this region and (ii) examine if crop and non-crop introduced and native flowering plants within orchards supported different community assemblages of flower-feeding insects. We found a high overall contribution to crop visitation by introduced honeybees (Apis mellifera), which dominated visitation to apple (91% of total visits) and blueberry (76% total visits). A second introduced bee, the earth bumblebee (Bombus terrestris), made up 19% of total visits to blueberry, yet rarely visited flowering apple. Reed bees (Exoneura) were the most frequent native bee visitor to both apple 2.5% and blueberry 4%. Non-crop flowering plants around orchards showed significantly different community assemblages of flower-feeding insects in comparison to flowering crops. These differences were shaped by high association of insects with certain vegetation types, including A. mellifera with flowering apple, B. terrestris with flowering blueberries, native reed bees (Exoneura) with flowering apple and native flowers, soil nesting halictid bees (Lasioglossum) with introduced and native flowers and hoverflies with flowering apple and introduced forbs.

The citrus gall wasp, Bruchophagus fellis, is a significant pest in Australian citrus production. It particularly affects Valencia citrus growers, as the available chemical control options are considered unsuitable due to persistence of residues and associated long withholding periods, or too costly. We investigated the effectiveness of two spinosyn-based foliar products, spinosad and spinetoram, for controlling B. fellis and their impact on beneficial arthropods in citrus orchards. Both chemicals demonstrated efficacy, with over 98% mortality in B. fellis adults within 24 h of direct application in laboratory tests. Residual toxicity assessments showed prolonged efficacy, with spinetoram remaining toxic to B. fellis for up to 21 days and spinosad for up to 14 days post-spray. Spinetoram appears more toxic to B. fellis than spinosad. A field trial confirmed efficacy of both active ingredients in reducing B. fellis infestations, particularly with well-timed applications before peak adult B. fellis emergence. A double-spray application of spinetoram (1 week apart) showed the most effective control, with 66% reduction in gall weights and 84% reduction in the proportion of large galls compared to the untreated control. Four important beneficial arthropods [Aphytis lingnanensis (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), Cryptolaemus montrouzieri (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), Mallada signatus (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) and Neoseiulus californicus (Acari: Phytoseiidae)] of Australian citrus orchards were selected for the toxicity studies. Spinosad and spinetoram appeared relatively safe to C. montrouzieri and M. signatus but were highly toxic to A. lingnanensis and N. californicus. Based on these findings, spinetoram could be a good foliar application option for Valencia growers to target adult B. fellis.

The Australian Agaristinae comprises a small group of predominantly diurnal moths with aposematic larvae and adults that are assumed to be unpalatable to most predators. A critical review of the larval food plants of this subfamily based on published records in the literature, together with unpublished records, is presented. Of the 120 moth–plant species-level records, associations are documented for two-thirds of all species (34 out of 53, or 64%) and almost all genera (19 out of 21, or 90%) of Agaristinae. At the generic level, the overwhelming pattern is a high level of monophagy (12 genera on 1 plant family), followed by oligophagy (4 genera on 2 families); only three genera (Apina, Phalaenoides, Cruria) are polyphagous (>3 plant families). Despite high levels of specialisation, Australian Agaristinae, overall, feed on a set of 19 families of angiosperms in 16 orders and eight higher informal groups, most of which are not closely related. Lack of a well-resolved global phylogeny of Agaristinae precludes analyses of deep evolutionary patterns of host usage, but Vitaceae (Vitales) are the most widely exploited family (used by 12 moth species in 10 genera), followed by Dilleniaceae (Dilleniales) (used by 11 moth species in six genera). Available data indicate no evidence of phylogenetic conservatism in the Australian Agaristinae; rather, there appears to be a pattern of frequent host shifts and repeated colonisations to distantly related plants. The role of secondary plant compounds (e.g. sequestration of alkaloids and other metabolites) in chemical defence of Agaristinae requires further study, especially in the Vitaceae and Dilleniaceae.

The genus Tetramesa Walker (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae) comprises over 200 species of herbivorous wasps that feed exclusively on grasses. Recent field surveys in South Africa for grass biological control programs have uncovered a large diversity of potential Tetramesa on African grasses. Here, mitochondrial (cytochrome c oxidase I [COI]) and nuclear (28S) genetic sequences were used to compare the outputs of seven popular species delimitation methods and to guide the generation of consensus species boundaries for putative Tetramesa taxa and close relatives. Additionally, the nuclear region was used to run a dated analysis that applied a molecular clock rate. Consensus species delimitation results found 35 molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) in the COI data and 21 MOTUs in the 28S data. Of the 35 COI MOTUs, there were 17 putative Tetramesa taxa (16 novel southern African taxa and 1 described Northern Hemisphere species, Tetramesa romana), 13 of which showed evidence of specialisation to a single host plant. Comparatively, of the twenty-one 28S MOTUs, there were 5 putative Tetramesa taxa (4 novel southern African taxa and 1 T. romana), all of which showed evidence of host specificity. The dated analysis suggested that the genus Tetramesa originated ~67.1 mya. There was evidence of rapid diversification in the Southern Hemisphere clades between 5 and 15 mya, which coincides with grassland expansions and climatic fluctuations in Africa at the time that may have driven host specialisation. The present results provide valuable insights into the diversity and broader scale evolutionary patterns in this Southern Hemisphere microhymenopteran group.