Host Specificity of Aphthona abdominalis Duftschmid (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), a Biological Control Agent for Euphorbia esula L. (leafy spurge, Euphorbiaceae) in North America

• Published in: Biological control Vol. 5; no. 3; pp. 353 - 360
• Main Authors: Fornasari, L., Pecora, P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01-09-1995
• Subjects: APHTHONA; APIACEAE; APOCYNACEAE; ARALIACEAE; ASCLEPIADACEAE; ASTERACEAE; AUXILIAIRE DE LUTTE BIOLOGIQUE; BIOLOGICAL CONTROL; BIOLOGICAL CONTROL ORGANISMS; CHENOPODIACEAE; CICLO VITAL; CISTACEAE; COMPOSITAE; CONTROL BIOLOGICO; CONVOLVULACEAE; CYCLE DE DEVELOPPEMENT; DESHERBAGE; EBENACEAE; ENEMIGOS NATURALES; ENNEMI NATUREL; ENSAYO; ESCARDA; EUPHORBIA ESULA; EUPHORBIACEAE; FABACEAE; GENERATION INTERVAL; GERANIACEAE; GRAMINEAE; HOST PARASITE RELATIONS; ITALIA; ITALIE; ITALY; JUGLANDACEAE; LABIATAE; LAMIACEAE; LEGUMINOSAE; LIFE CYCLE; LINACEAE; LUTTE BIOLOGIQUE; LYTHRACEAE; MORACEAE; NATURAL ENEMIES; ORGANISMOS PARA CONTROL BIOLOGICO; POACEAE; RELACIONES HUESPED PARASITO; RELATION HOTE PARASITE; ROSACEAE; RUTACEAE; SCREENING; TESTAGE; TESTING; UMBELLIFERAE; VITIDACEAE; WEED CONTROL
• ISSN: 1049-9644; 1090-2112
• DOI: 10.1006/bcon.1995.1041

Studies were conducted to determine the host specificity of
Aphthona abdominalis both in the field and in the laboratory, using field-collected adults and their overwintering progeny.
A. abdominalis has four or more generations per year in Italy and occupies a well-defined ecological niche on
Euphorbia esula L., leafy spurge. Therefore, it can effectively complement the impact of damage caused by other natural enemies of leafy spurge; the other species of
Aphthona previously released are univoltine. The main damage by
A. abdominalis is caused by the larvae feeding on the roots and the underground portions of shoots throughout the generations of this multivoltine flea beetle. Experiments were conducted on its host specificity using 56 plant species in 21 families, in addition to the control species. Tests with larvae and adults, conducted in the laboratory and in the field, under no-choice and free-choice conditions, demonstrated that this flea beetle has a high level of specificity. In the field, under free-choice conditions,
A. abdominalis attacked and developed only on leafy spurge. This flea beetle has a good potential for being effective in humid habitats, where other flea beetles previously released did not perform well.