ABSTRACT

Brazilian peppertree, Schinus terebinthifolia Raddi (Anacardiaceae), is an ornamental shrub from South America that is invasive in Florida, California, Hawaii and Texas, USA and has become a global invader. Exploratory surveys were conducted in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay to discover natural enemies as possible biological control agents. One of the insects collected was subsequently identified as the stem boring weevil Apocnemidophorus pipitzi (Faust). The weevil was found at several localities in Paraguay in April 2007 and transported to Florida, USA, for biological and host range studies. Laboratory no- choice, and multiple-choice tests were performed to determine if A. pipitzi was suitably host specific for release as a biological control agent of Brazilian peppertree in Florida. In total, 79 North American plant species in 40 families and 28 Orders were tested. In the no-choice tests, complete development was significantly higher on Brazilian peppertree, Hardee peppertree, Schinus polygama (Cav.) Cabrera & I.M. Johnst., the invasive ornamental Chinese pistache, Pistacia chinensis Bunge and cultivated pistachio nut, Pistacia vera L. Both Pistacia spp. are chemically related to Brazilian peppertree. However, when given a choice, the stem boring weevil A. pipitzi reproduced only on Brazilian peppertree and the invasive congeneric Hardee peppertree. Overall, results of laboratory host range testing showed the stem boring weevil A. pipitzi is a Schinus specialist. This finding is consistent with field observations, museum records, and the preference-performance hypothesis, where larval survival, growth and normal development are maximised on plants selected for oviposition by the females.

摘要

巴西胡椒树Schinus terebinthifolia Raddi (Anacardiaceae) 是一种来自南美洲的观赏灌木，入侵美国佛罗里达州、加利福尼亚州、夏威夷和德克萨斯州，并已成为全球入侵者。在阿根廷、巴西和巴拉圭进行了探索性调查，以发现可能是生物防治剂的天敌。收集到的其中一种昆虫随后被鉴定为茎孔象鼻虫Apocnemidophorus pipitzi（浮士德）。象鼻虫于 2007 年 4 月在巴拉圭的几个地方被发现，并被运送到美国佛罗里达州进行生物和宿主范围研究。实验室没有选择，并进行了多项选择测试以确定A. pipitzi适合作为宿主特异性释放作为佛罗里达州巴西胡椒树的生物控制剂。总共测试了 40 科 28 目 79 种北美植物物种。在无选择测试中，巴西胡椒树、Hardee 胡椒树、Schinus polygama (Cav.) Cabrera & IM Johnst.、入侵的观赏开心果Pistacia chinensis Bunge 和栽培开心果Pistacia vera L 的完全发育显着更高。开心果属 在化学上与巴西胡椒树有关。然而，当有选择时，茎闷象鼻虫A. pipitzi仅在巴西胡椒树和侵入性同类哈迪胡椒树上繁殖。总体而言，实验室宿主范围测试的结果表明茎孔象鼻虫A. pipitzi是Schinus专家。这一发现与实地观察、博物馆记录和偏好性能假设一致，其中幼虫存活、生长和正常发育在雌性选择用于产卵的植物上最大化。