NOTA CIENTÍFICA

First record of native predators on the invasive species Thaumastocoris peregrinus (Hemiptera:Thaumastocoridae) in Eucalyptus in Argentina

Primer registro de predadores nativos de la especie invasora Thaumastocoris peregrinus (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae) en Eucalyptus en la Argentina

 

Santadino, Marina V.¹, María B. Riquelme Virgala¹ & Carlos E. Coviella²

¹Laboratorio de Zoología Agrícola, Departamento de Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Luján. Cruces de rutas nacionales 5 y 7, (6700) Luján, Buenos Aires, Argentina. msantadino@yahoo.com.ar, mriquelme@agro.uba.ar
²Laboratorio de Ecología. Programa de Ecología Terrestre. Departamento de Ciencias Básicas. Instituto de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable (INEDES). Universidad Nacional de Luján. carlosecoviella@yahoo.com.

Recibido: 04-VI-2013;
Aceptado: 21-VIII-2013

 

---

RESUMEN. Se han observado, repetidamente, a dos predadores nativos consumiendo a Thaumastocoris peregrinus Carpintero & Dellapé (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae), chinche del eucaliptus. Para identificar a estos predadores y corroborar si estas especies pueden utilizar a T. peregrinus como alimento aceptable, se obtuvieron muestras de huevos de ambas especies de predadores del arboretum de la Universidad Nacional de Luján. Las ninfas fueron criadas por separado en condiciones de laboratorio y alimentadas ad libitum con ninfas y adultos de T. peregrinus. Se registró el número de presas consumidas diariamente y el tiempo de desarrollo. Las especies de predadores fueron identificadas como Atrachelus cinereus Fabricius (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) y Podisus australis Berg (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Este trabajo presenta el primer registro de predadores nativos utilizando a esta especie invasora como fuente de alimento sobre Eucalyptus camaldulensis en la provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina.

PALABRAS CLAVE: Asopinae; Harpactorinae; Relaciones tróficas; Enemigos naturales; Chinche del eucalipto.

ABSTRACT. Two native predators have been repeatedly observed consuming the bronze bug, Thaumastocoris peregrinus Carpintero & Dellapé (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae). To identify these predators and to corroborate whether these species can use T. peregrinus as a suitable food item, egg samples of both predator species were collected from the arboretum at the Universidad Nacional de Luján. Nymphs were reared individually under laboratory conditions and fed ad libitum with nymphs and adults of T. peregrinus. The number of prey consumed daily and the development time were recorded. The predator species were identified as Atrachelus cinereus Fabricius (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) and Podisus australis Berg (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). This research presents the first report of native predators using this invasive species as a food resource in Eucalyptus camaldulensis forest in Buenos Aires province, Argentina.

KEYWORDS: Asopinae;Harpactorinae; Trophicrelationship; Natural enemy; Bronze bug.

---

 

The bronze bug, Thaumastocoris peregrinus (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae) Carpintero & Dellapé, 2006, is an Eucalyptus sapfeeding insect native to Australia that has become a serious invasive pest damaging commercially grown Eucalyptus in the Southern Hemisphere. Since T. peregrinus was first reported outside Australia, in South Africa (Jacobs & Neser, 2005), populations have grown explosively and it has attained wide distribution over several regions in South America and more recently in Europe (Carpintero & Dellapé, 2006; Martínez & Bianchi, 2010; Wilcken et al., 2010; Ide et al., 2011; Laudonia & Sasso, 2012). In Argentina, this insect was recorded for the first time in April 2005, as T. australicus Kirkaldy, in the province of Buenos Aires and has become a key pest species associated with the production of Eucalyptus trees (Noack & Coviella, 2006; Mareggiani et al., 2011; Botto & Andorno, 2012).

The pest causes the canopy to turn silveryellow and as the infestation progresses the canopy subsequently shifts to a brown and red coloration, which makes the trees look bronzed (Jacobs & Neser, 2005). In Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, Garlet et al. (2012) observed a peak in the insect population between January and March (summer months), and concluded that high temperature and low relative humidity are ideal conditions for the development and reproduction of T. peregrinus.

The introduction of species into new environments and their establishment as invasive species constitutes a growing worldwide problem. One reason for this phenomenon is the absence of natural controls in the new invaded range (Carvallo, 2009). A biological control program is the best alternative to deal with most forest pests due to the high cost of chemical control and because there are no available pesticides for Thaumastocoris in Argentina. Biological control offers a relatively safe and effective means to reduce insect populations. A biological control strategy would involve searching for natural enemies both in the native range and in the new environment.

Two mymarid wasps, Cleruchoides noackae Lin & Huber and an unidentified species of Stethynium Enock, have been confirmed as parasitizing the eggs of T. peregrinus in Australia (Lin et al, 2007). Cleruchoides noackae has been introduced in South Africa and South America (Nadel & Noack, 2012), however, to date, the efficacy of this natural enemy has not been published. Souza et al. (2012) reported Supputius cincticeps Stål, (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae: Asopinae) preying on T. peregrinus in Brazil, constituting the first record of natural enemies feeding on the bronze bug in South America.

In Argentina, given the outbreak of T. peregrinus on Eucalyptus plantations across Buenos Aires province, an intensive sampling program was conducted from December 2010 to February 2011 to search for local natural enemies. The sampling was conducted in the Experimental Eucalyptus forest at Universidad Nacional de Luján (S34.6, W59.1). Two bug predators, one Reduviidae and one Pentatomidae, were repeatedly observed consuming T. peregrinus on Eucalyptus foliage. Eggs of each predator species were collected from leaves of E. camaldulensis infested with T. peregrinus and reared individually under standard laboratory conditions (26 °C and 60% RH). Ten nymphs of each predator species were fed ad libitum with large nymphs (IV and V instars) and adults of T. peregrinus. Consumption and developmental time of each nymphal stage of the predators were recorded. Adult specimens of each predator species obtained in the laboratory were placed in tubes with 70% alcohol and identified by Dr. Cecilia Melo and Dr. Pablo Dellapé as Atachelus cinereus Fabricius (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae) and Podisus australis Berg (Hemiptera:Pentatomidae: Asopinae) (fig. 1). Voucher specimens were deposited in the collection of the Museo de La Plata.

Fig. 1. Podisus australis nymphs feeding on an adult Thaumastocoris peregrinus.

Both species were able to complete their nymphal development with T. peregrinus as the only food resource, consumption of T. peregrinus per A. cinereus nymph was 101.7 ± 4.63 and its developmental time was 34.0 ± 0.58 days. The average consumption of T. peregrinus by A. cinereus nymphs was lower than that observed for other predator species (Souza et al., 2012). Atachelus cinereus is a predator species widely distributed throughout Argentina and other Central and South American countries (Melo et al., 2004; Carpintero & De Biase, 2011; Coscarón & Martin Park, 2011; Melo et al., 2011). It has been reported to feed on small insects, especially leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Auchenorhyncha) (Nanni et al. 2011). Only one nymph of Podisus australis survived to adulthood. Podisus australis has been recorded in Argentina and Uruguay. Although little information is available about the feeding habits of this species (Dellapé et al., 2003), it was observed feeding on larvae of the eucalyptus weevil, Gonipterus spp. (Herting, 1973). Because P. australis is considered to be a generalist species, it is likely that it exploits this new food source, because both phytophagous species share the same habitat (Souza et al., 2012).

This report provides the first record of these two native predators feeding on T. peregrinus, and, along with the information provided by Souza et al. (2012), suggests that the bronze bug could be starting to integrate into the local trophic structure on Eucalyptus in its new adopted range.

Such information improves the understanding of the interactions between native predators and exotic insects and could thus be useful for integrated pest management.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank Dr. Cecilia Melo and Dr. Pablo Dellapé from Universidad Nacional de La Plata for the taxonomic identification of the predator species. This research was partially funded by Universidad Nacional de Luján, and a grant from the Agencia de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica, Ministerio de Ciencia, Técnica e Innovación Productiva, Argentina, PRH 19, 2007.

LITERATURE CITED

1. BOTTO, E. N. & A. V. ANDORNO. 2012. Insectos exóticos invasivos que han afectado recientemente a los eucaliptos en la Argentina. In: VII Congreso Argentino Entomología. S.C. Bariloche, Argentina. Abril, 2012. p.69.         [ Links ]

2. CARPINTERO, D. L. & P. M. DELLAPÉ. 2006. A new species of Thaumastocoris Kirkaldy from Argentina (Heteroptera: Thaumastocoridae: Thaumastocorinae). Zootaxa 1228: 61-68.         [ Links ]

3. CARPINTERO, D. L. & S. DE BIASE. 2011. Los Hemiptera Heteroptera de la Isla Martín García (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Historia Natural 1(2): 27-47.         [ Links ]

4. CARVALLO, G. 2009. Especies exóticas e Invasiones biológicas. Ciencia Ahora 23: 15-21.         [ Links ]

5. COSCARÓN, M. del C. & A. MARTIN-PARK.2011. New data for Argentinian assassin bugs fauna (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae). Munis Entomology & Zoology 6(2): 758-763.         [ Links ]

6. DELLAPÉ, P. M., A. P. MARTÍNEZ & M. del C. COSCARÓN. 2003. New distributional records for the Asopine Pentatomids in temperate South America. Zootaxa 318: 1-16.         [ Links ]

7. GARLET, J., E. CORREA COSTA, J. BOSCARDIN, D. NASCIMENTO MACHADO & L. PEDRON. 2012. Fluctuação populacional de Thaumastocoris peregrinus (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae) em plantioclonal de Eucalyptus grandis X Eucalyptus urophyllaem Alegrete, RS, Brasil. In: Actas del 7mo Congreso de Medio Ambiente, La Plata, Argentina.         [ Links ]

8. HERTING, B. 1973. A catalogue of parasites and predators of terrestrial arthropods. Section A. Host or prey/enemy. Coleoptera to Strepsiptera. Common wealth Institute of Biological Control. Otawa, Canada.         [ Links ]

9. IDE, S., C. RUIZ, A. SANDOVAL & J. VALENZUELA. 2011. Detección de Thaumastocoris peregrinus (Hemiptera, Thaumastocoridae) asociado a Eucalyptus spp en Chile. Bosque 32 (3): 309-313.         [ Links ]

10. JACOBS, D. H. & S. NESER. 2005. Thaumastocoris australicus Kirkaldi (Heteroptera: Thaumastocoridae): a new insect arrival in South Africa, damaging to Eucalyptus trees. South African Journal of Science 101: 233-236.         [ Links ]

11. LAUDONIA, S. & R. SASSO. 2012. The bronze bug Thaumastocoris peregrinus: a new insect recorded in Italy, damaging to Eucalyptus trees. Bulletin of Insectology 65: 89 - 93.         [ Links ]

12. LIN, N., J. HUBER & J. LA SALLE. 2007. The Australian genera of Mymaridae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea). Zootaxa 1596: 1-111.         [ Links ]

13. MAREGGIANI, G., M. RIQUELME VIRGALA & H. FONTANA. 2011. Una amenaza para os eucaliptos: la chinche Thaumastocoris peregrinus. Revista Noti Forestal 195:18.         [ Links ]

14. MARTÍNEZ, G. & M. BIANCHI. 2010. Primer registro para Uruguay de la chinche del eucalipto, Thaumastocoris peregrinus Carpintero y Dellapé, 2006 (Heteroptera, Thaumastocoridae). Agrociencia 14 (1): 15-18.         [ Links ]

15. MELO, M. C., P. DELLAPÉ, D. CARPINTERO & M. del C. COSCARÓN. 2004. Reduviidae, Miridae, y Lygaeoidea (Hemiptera) recolectados en Colonia Carlos Pellegrini (Esteros del Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina). Revista de la Sociedad Entomológica Argentina 63(1-2): 59-67.         [ Links ]

16. MELO, M. C., P. DELLAPÉ, D. CARPINTERO & S. MONTEMAYOR. 2011. Heteroptera (Hemiptera) from the Chaco National Park (Argentina). Zootaxa 2999: 1-19.         [ Links ]

17. NADEL, R. & A. NOACK. 2012. Current understanding of the biology of Thaumastocoris peregrinus in the quest for a management strategy. International Journal of Pest Management 58 (3): 257-266.         [ Links ]

18. NANNI, A. S., A. L. MAGNANO & D. CARPINTERO. 2011. Los Heteroptera (Insecta: Hemiptera) edáficos del INTA Delta (partido de Campana, Buenos Aires). Variación espacial y temporal del elenco de las especies en distintos usos de la tierra. Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales 13(1): 27-39.         [ Links ]

19. NOACK, A. E. & C. COVIELLA. 2006. Thaumastocoris australicus Kirkaldy (Hemiptera, Thaumastocoridae): first record of this invasive pest of Eucalyptus in the Americas. General and Applied Entomology 35: 13-15.         [ Links ]

20. SOUZA, G.K., T. PIKART, F. PIKART, J. SERRAO, C. WILCKEN & J.C. ZANUNCIO. 2012. First record of the native Heteropteran preying on the introduced Eucalyptus pest, Thaumastocorisperegrinus (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae), in Brazil. Florida Entomologist 95 (2): 517-520.         [ Links ]

21. WILCKEN, C. F., E. SOLIMAN, L. NOGUEIRA de SÁ,L. RODRIGUES,T. RIBEIRO,P. FERREIRA-FILHO & R. J. RODRIGUES. 2010. Bronze bug Thaumastocoris peregrines Carpintero and Dellapé (Hemiptera, Thaumastocoridae) on Eucalyptus in Brazil and its distribution. Journal of Plant Protection Research 50(2): 201-205.         [ Links ]