Abstract
Curculionidae are a large mainly herbivorous family of beetles, some of which have become crop pests. Classical biological control has been attempted for about 38 species in 19 genera, and at least moderate success has been achieved in 31 % of cases. Only two weevil species have been considered to be completely controlled by a biological control agent. Success depends upon accurately matching natural enemies with their hosts, and hence taxonomy and phylogeny play a critical role. These factors are discussed and illustrated with two case studies: the introduction of the braconid parasitoid Mictroctonus aethiopoides into New Zealand for biological control of the lucerne pest Sitona discoideus, a case of complex phylogenetic relationships that challenged the prediction of potential non-target hosts, and the use of a mymarid egg parasitoid, Anaphes nitens, to control species of the eucalypt weevil genus Gonipterus, which involves failure to match up parasitoids with the right target amongst a complex of very closely related species. We discuss the increasing importance of molecular methods to support biological control programmes and the essential role of these emerging technologies for improving our understanding of this very large and complex family.
Highlights
Risk assessment for biological control agent (BCA) introduction has increasingly become standard best practice in recent years, and regulatory legislation has been adopted in many countries [1]
In this contribution we review classical biological control programs for which species of Curculionidae have been the target species and the range of insect biological control agents that have been used globally to assist in the management of weevil pest species
The biological control agents listed in BIOCAT that have been used for classical biological control of weevil target pests comprise parasitoids and predators from four insect orders, 22 families and
Summary
Risk assessment for biological control agent (BCA) introduction has increasingly become standard best practice in recent years, and regulatory legislation has been adopted in many countries [1]. BCA and its host(s), from introductions to new areas elsewhere and from data on laboratory host range tests usually carried out under quarantine conditions The latter is one of the key datasets that regulators have on which to base their assessment of risk to native and non-target species in the new proposed area of introduction [6]. The large family Curculionidae, represents a useful taxon for an analysis of biological control deployment and the challenges it presents for practitioners and regulators In this contribution we review classical biological control programs for which species of Curculionidae have been the target species and the range of insect biological control agents (predators and parasitoids) that have been used globally to assist in the management of weevil pest species. Case studies are used to exemplify each of these issues and to highlight the complexities of working with such a speciose and diverse family
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