Dalotia Coriaria Research Articles

Efficacy of commercially available predators, nematodes and fungal entomopathogens for augmentative control of Drosophila suzukii

AbstractThe recent arrival of Drosophila suzukii, an invasive pest of soft‐skinned fruit with a wide host range, has resulted in increased production costs for growers and the need for additional insecticide applications each growing season. There are few effective organic insecticides for D. suzukii, and insecticide use in conventional farms may be disruptive to natural enemies, suggesting a need for effective biological control to combat D. suzukii. Commercially available natural enemies were evaluated for their potential use in augmentative releases, including: the predators Orius insidiosus and Dalotia coriaria; the entomopathogenic fungi Metarhizium anisopliae, Beauveria bassiana and Paecilomyces fumosoroseus; and the entomopathogenic nematodes Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, Steinernema feltiae and S. carpocapsae. This suite of natural enemies was chosen to target D. suzukii adults as well as larvae in hanging or dropped fruit. Of the cultured fungal strains tested, only M. anisopliae significantly decreased D. suzukii survival, but it had low residual activity and no effect on D. suzukii fecundity. O. insidiosus decreased D. suzukii survival in simple laboratory arenas but not on potted blueberries or bagged blueberry branches outdoors. D. coriaria did not decrease D. suzukii survival in infested blueberries in simple laboratory arenas. The nematodes tested showed low infection rates and were not able to affect D. suzukii survival. Although this suite of natural enemies showed limited ability to suppress D. suzukii under the tested conditions, these and related natural enemies are present as part of the endemic natural enemy community in agricultural fields, where they may contribute to D. suzukii suppression.

Effect of a Physical Barrier on Adult Emergence and Egg Survival Associated with the Fungus Gnat, Bradysia sp. nr. coprophila (Diptera: Sciaridae), under Laboratory Conditions

This study was conducted to assess the direct and indirect effects of Growstones™ aggregates, which are made from recycled glass, on fungus gnat, Bradysia sp. nr. coprophila (Diptera: Sciaridae), adult emergence, female egg-laying capacity, and egg survival. A series of experiments were performed under laboratory conditions to evaluate the effect of different sizes (2.0 to 10.0 mm) of Growstones™ aggregates, layer thicknesses (0.63 to 3.18 cm), and the use of the biological control agent, the rove beetle, Dalotia coriaria, along with different thicknesses (1.27 and 3.18 cm) of small Growstones™ aggregates on fungus gnat adult emergence. For each experiment, Growstones™ aggregates were applied to the surface of the growing medium in 473-mL polypropylene deli containers. This study demonstrated that the thickest (3.18 cm) layer of small (2.0 mm) Growstones™ aggregates significantly reduced or delayed the emergence of fungus gnat adults. In addition, the thickest layer of small Growstones™ aggregates may have indirectly affected egg survival. However, the use of Growstones™ along with rove beetle adults did not significantly reduce fungus gnat adult emergence.

Life History Characteristics of the Rove Beetle,Dalotia coriaria(Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) under Laboratory Conditions

Rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) have been reported as predators of animal and human disease vectors and of insect pests associated with field and greenhouse crops including species in the genera Aleochara, Holobus, Paederus, Dalotia, Staphylinus and Philonthus; however, there is limited information on their life history parameters. The rove beetle Dalotia coriaria (Kraatz) is a predator of greenhouse pests including fungus gnats. In this study, stage-specific and total development, fecundity, longevity, and sex ratio were investigated under laboratory conditions using growing medium as a substrate, which was designed to simulate what rove beetles would experience under greenhouse conditions. Duration of life stages was 2.2, 7.1, and 7.8 days for egg, larva and pupa respectively, whereas total development time from egg to adult was 17.0 days. Average fecundity was 90.2 eggs per female and the number of adults produced per female was 69.1. In addition, D. coriaria male and female adult longevity was 60.3 and 47.8 days. The sex ratio was 1∶1 (females∶males). These results will be helpful in improving augmentative biological control and mass-rearing.

Biological control of western flower thrips,Frankliniella occidentalis(Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), in gerberas, chrysanthemums and roses

Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), western flower thrips (WFT), is a major worldwide pest of vegetables and ornamental crops. The biology of WFT was examined on gerberas, chrysanthemums and roses in relation to plant stage (flowering and non-flowering), pupation site, soil moisture and plant parts often inhabited by adult and immature thrips. Four foliage thrips predators (Transeius montdorensis (Schicha), Orius armatus (Gross), Mallada signata (Schneider) and Neoseiulus cucumeris (Oudemans)) and three soil predators (Geolaelaps aculeifer (Canestrini), Steinernema feltiae (Filipjev) and Dalotia coriaria (Kraatz)) were studied to determine their ability to reduce the numbers of WFT on gerberas, chrysanthemums and roses. There was no difference in the number of adults that emerged from growing media of high or low moisture content on any host plant. There were also no differences in the total numbers of WFT recaptured from flowering gerberas, chrysanthemums or roses. However, about seven times the number of thrips were collected from flowering chrysanthemums compared with non-flowering chrysanthemums, indicating that the flowering plants were more suitable hosts. Of all thrips recollected, the greatest percentage was immature (larval and pupal) thrips (70%, 71% and 43%) on the flowers for gerberas, chrysanthemums and roses, respectively. The mean percentage of thrips that emerged as adults from the soil was very low (5.3 ± 1.2, 8.5 ± 2.9, 20.5 ± 9.1 and 28.2 ± 5.6%) on gerberas, flowering and non-flowering chrysanthemums, and roses, respectively. Simultaneous release of foliage and soil predators did not reduce the number of thrips beyond that caused by foliage predators alone. Of the foliage predators, T. montdorensis, O. armatus and N. cucumeris performed best, significantly reducing the numbers of adult and immature thrips on flowers and foliage by 30–99%. Further research is required to determine the most cost-effective rates of release in cut flower crops.

Survey of rove beetles (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) from Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with new records and description of a new species. Part 1

The first survey of rove beetle species from Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is presented. Thirty-five species are reported from the following subfamilies: Aleocharinae (14), Micropeplinae (1), Omaliinae (7), Oxytelinae (2), Paederinae (1), Proteininae (2), Pselaphinae (1), Staphylininae (3), and Tachyporinae (4). All species are listed in Table 1. One new species, Oxypoda stanleyi Klimaszewski & McLean, sp. n., is described and illustrated and three new adventive aleocharine species are recorded for the first time from British Columbia. They are: Dalotia coriaria (Kraatz), Mocyta fungi (Gravenhorst), and Oxypoda opaca (Gravenhorst). These exotic species were previously known from the Palaearctic region, eastern Canada, and the United States.

Pella glooscapi, a new rove beetle, and new records of aleocharines from Nova Scotia, Canada (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae)

A new aleocharine rove beetle, Pella glooscapi Klimaszewski & Majka, sp. n., from Nova Scotia, Canada, is described and illustrated. Data on bionomics and distribution are provided. A short diagnosis, description, colour body image, and black and white genital images are also provided. It appears to be closely related to P. criddlei (Casey). Pella loricata (Casey), Zyras obliquus (Casey), and Dalotia coriaria (Kraatz) are newly recorded from Nova Scotia, and for Atlantic Canada as a whole.

Doubts on the appropriateness of universal human papillomavirus vaccination: is evidence on public health benefits already available?

How symbiotic lifestyles evolve from free-living ecologies is poorly understood. In Metazoa’s largest family, Staphylinidae (rove beetles), numerous lineages have evolved obligate behavioral symbioses with ants or termites. Widespread convergence...