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Mind the gap: the delayed recovery of a population of the biological control agent Megamelus scutellaris Berg. (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) on water hyacinth after winter

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 August 2020

Benjamin E. Miller Open the ORCID record for Benjamin E. Miller [Opens in a new window] ,
Julie A. Coetzee Open the ORCID record for Julie A. Coetzee [Opens in a new window]  and
Martin P. Hill Open the ORCID record for Martin P. Hill [Opens in a new window]
Benjamin E. Miller*
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology and Entomology, Centre for Biological Control, Rhodes University, Makhanda, PO Box 94, 6140, South Africa
Julie A. Coetzee
Affiliation:
Department of Botany, Centre for Biological Control, Rhodes University, Makhanda, PO Box 94, 6140, South Africa
Martin P. Hill
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology and Entomology, Centre for Biological Control, Rhodes University, Makhanda, PO Box 94, 6140, South Africa
*
Author for correspondence: Benjamin Erich Miller, E-mail: b.miller@ru.ac.za
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Abstract

Cold winter temperatures significantly affect the biological control effort against water hyacinth, Pontederia ( = Eichhornia) crassipes Mart. (Pontederiaceae), in more temperate regions around the world. The population dynamics of the planthopper Megamelus scutellaris Berg. (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), a newly released biological control agent of water hyacinth, were recorded on the Kubusi River in the Eastern Cape Province (South Africa) over 15 months to determine the population recovery post-winter. Megamelus scutellaris incurred a severe population decline at the onset of winter when the water hyacinth plants became frost damaged. The combined effect of a population bottleneck and low minimum winter temperatures (6.12°C) below the agent's lower developmental threshold (11.46°C) caused a post-winter lag in agent density increase. Subsequently, the maximum agent population density was only reached at the end of the following summer growing season which allowed the water hyacinth population to recover in the absence of any significant biological control immediately post-winter. Supplementary releases of agents from mass-reared cultures at the beginning of the growing season (spring) is suggested as a potential method of reducing the lag-period in field populations in colder areas where natural population recovery of agents is slower.

Keywords

BiocontrolplanthopperPontederia (Eichhornia) crassipesPontederiaceaepopulation dynamicsSouth Africa
Type
Research Paper
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 111 , Issue 1 , February 2021 , pp. 120 - 128
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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