New Zealand Journal of Zoology abstracts
Curculionoidea (Insecta: Coleoptera) of New Zealand agricultural grassland and
lucerne as potential non-target hosts of the parasitoids Microctonus
aethiopoides Loan and Microctonus hyperodae Loan (Hymenoptera:
Braconidae)
B. I. P. BARRATT
A. A. EVANS
C. M. FERGUSON
New Zealand Pastoral Agriculture Research Institute Ltd.
Invermay Agricultural Centre
Private Bag 50034
Mosgiel, New Zealand
M. R. MCNEILL
J. R. PROFFITT
New Zealand Pastoral Agriculture Research Institute Ltd.
Canterbury Agriculture and Science Centre
P.O. Box 60
Lincoln, New Zealand
G. M. BARKER
Landcare Research
Private Bag 3127
Hamilton, New Zealand
Abstract The parasitoids
Microctonus
aethio-poides Loan and
Microctonus hyperodae Loan (Hymenoptera:
Braconidae) have been introduced into New Zealand to control the adult stage of
the forage pests
Sitona discoideus and
Listronotus bonariensis
(Coleoptera: Curculionidae), respectively. These parasitoids have been chosen
to examine the environmental impact of introduced biological control agents on
native and non-target species. A survey of the Curculionoidea fauna of pasture,
lucerne, and modified native grassland in parts of the southern South Island,
Canterbury, and the northern North Island of New Zealand, where these
parasitoids are present, was carried out in order to identify Curculionoidea
with taxonomic and ecological affinities with the target hosts, and hence,
potential non-target hosts. At a total of 155 sites, 85 species of
Curculionoidea were identified, of which 64 (75%) were native species. Three
tribes in the subfamily Brachycerinae (broad-nosed weevils) accounted for 61
species, and 7 tribes of the subfamily Curculioninae accounted for 17 species.
Fifty species, of which more than half were in the genera
Irenimus
Pascoe and
Nicaeana Pascoe, were in the tribe Entimini (Brachycerinae),
a group which has been found to be particularly susceptible to parasitism by
M. aethiopoides. The distribution of taxa in relation to sampling
localities and broad vegetation categories is discussed.
Keywords Curculionidae; survey; parasitoid non-target hosts;
Microctonus aethiopoides Loan; Microctonus hyperodae Loan
Received 30 June 1997; accepted 25 September 1997
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