Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T17:50:17.537Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Argentine stem weevil (Listronotus bonariensis, Coleoptera: Curculionidae) population dynamics in Canterbury, New Zealand dryland pasture

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 December 2010

S.L. Goldson ,
M.C. Barron ,
J.M. Kean  and
C. van Koten
S.L. Goldson*
Affiliation:
AgResearch, Private Bag 4749, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
M.C. Barron
Affiliation:
Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research, PO Box 40, Lincoln 7640, New Zealand
J.M. Kean
Affiliation:
AgResearch, Private Bag 4749, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
C. van Koten
Affiliation:
AgResearch, Private Bag 4749, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
*
*Author for correspondence Fax: +64 3 325 9946 E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The Argentine stem weevil (Listronotus bonariensis) was an economically important pest in New Zealand pastures until the release of the parasitoid Microctonus hyperodae. This contribution uses historical data to investigate the regulation of the pest populations prior to, and somewhat during, the establishment of this parasitoid in dryland Canterbury, New Zealand. Thus, a significant goal of this study is to provide an L. bonariensis population dynamics baseline for any future work that aims to analyse the full effects of M. hyperodae on the weevil, now that equilibrium with the weevil host has been reached.

The population dynamics of L. bonariensis, based on a life-table approach, were investigated using data collected regularly for eight years from populations in Canterbury, New Zealand. The key factor affecting end-of-season L. bonariensis density was found to be variation in second generation fourth instar prepupal and pupal mortality. This may have been caused by arrested development and ongoing mortality resulting from the onset of cooler autumnal conditions.

A compensatory response was found in recruitment to the second summer weevil generation, whereby the realised fecundity of the emergent first summer generation of weevils was found to be negatively related to the density of adult weevils per ryegrass tiller. This is the first time that this has been found via long-term population analysis of L. bonariensis, although indications of this have been found elsewhere in caging, pot and small plot experiments.

In this study, the effect of the parasitoid biocontrol agent Microctonus hyperodae on L. bonariensis population dynamics was unclear, as the analysis covered a period when the parasitoid Microctonus hyperodae was introduced and still establishing. It does, however, raise important questions for future analysis in terms of the interaction between parasitism and unrealised fecundity.

The results in this contribution also highlighted regional differences. Overwintering mortality of adult weevils in Canterbury was constant between years, whilst earlier studies in the North Island Waikato region indicated this mortality was density dependent. In addition, the availability of tillers in endophyte-free ryegrass pastures in Canterbury had no influence on egg and early-instar larval survival, which contrasts with the finding from endophytic Waikato pastures.

Keywords

life tablesmortalitydensity dependence
Type
Research Paper
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 101 , Issue 3 , June 2011 , pp. 295 - 303
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anonymous (1996) The shoot weevil, El gorgojo del macolla. Campo y tecnologia 5, 32–33.Google Scholar
Barker, G.M. & Pottinger, R.P. (1982) Preliminary studies on the population biology of Listronotus bonariensis (Kuschel) (Curculionidae). pp. 95–100 in Proceedings of the 3rd Australasian Conference on Grassland Invertebrate Ecology. 8–31 October 1985, Whangarei, New Zealand.Google Scholar
Barker, G.M., Pottinger, R.P. & Addison, P.J. (1984) Effect of Argentine stem weevil on productivity of grasses in the Waikato. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 27, 93–102.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barker, G.M., Prestidge, R.A. & Pottinger, R.P. (1986) Strategies for Argentine stem weevil control: effects of drought and endophyte. pp. 107–114 in Proceedings of the 47th New Zealand Grasslands Association Conference. 28–31 October 1985, Whangarei, New Zealand.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barker, G.M., Pottinger, R.P. & Addison, P.J. (1989) Population dynamics of the Argentine stem weevil (Listronotus bonariensis) in pastures of Waikato, New Zealand. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 26, 79–115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barlow, N.D. & Dixon, A.F.G. (1980) Simulation of Lime Aphid Population Dynamics. 165 pp. Wageningen, The Netherlands, Pudoc.Google Scholar
Easton, H.S. (2007) Grasses and Neotyphodium endophytes: co-adaptation and adaptive breeding. Euphytica 154, 295–306.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gassen, D.N. (1984) Insetos Associados à Cultura do Trigo no Brasil, Passo Fundo EMBRAPA-CNPT, 1984. 39 pp. EMBRAPA-CNPT. Circular Técnica, 3.Google Scholar
Goldson, S.L. (1979) The reproductive seasonality and morphology of Argentine stem weevil Hyperodes bonariensis Kuschel (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and the effect of host grasses on its pre-reproductive development. PhD thesis, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand.Google Scholar
Goldson, S.L. (1981) Reproductive diapause in the Argentine stem weevil, Listronotus bonariensis (Kuschel) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), in New Zealand. Bulletin of Entomological Research 71, 275–287.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldson, S.L. (1982) An examination of the relationship between Argentine stem weevil (Listronotus bonariensis (Kuschel)) and several of its host grasses. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 25, 395–403.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldson, S.L. & Trought, T.E.T. (1980) The effect of Argentine stem weevil on pasture composition in Canterbury. pp. 46–48 in Proceedings of the 33rd New Zealand Weed and Pest Control Conference. 2–14 August 1980, Tauranga, New Zealand.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldson, S.L., McNeill, M.R., Proffitt, J.R., Barker, G.M., Addison, P.J., Barratt, B.I.P. & Ferguson, C.M. (1993) Systematic mass rearing and release of Microctonus hyperodae (Hym.: Braconidae, Euphorinae), a parasitoid of the Argentine stem weevil Listronotus bonariensis (Col.: Curculionidae) and records of its establishment in New Zealand. Entomophaga 38, 527–536.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldson, S.L., Barker, G.M. & Barratt, B.I.P. (1994) The establishment of the Argentine stem weevil parasitoid at its release sites. pp. 274–276 in Proceedings of the 47th New Zealand Plant Protection Conference. 9–11 August 1994, Waitangi, New Zealand.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldson, S.L., Proffitt, J.R. & Baird, D.B. (1998a) The bionomics of Listronotus bonariensis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Canterbury, New Zealand. Bulletin of Entomological Research 88, 415–423.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldson, S.L., Proffitt, J.R. & Baird, D.B. (1998b) Establishment and phenology of the parasitoid Microctonus hyperodae Loan in New Zealand. Environmental Entomology 27, 1386–1392.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldson, S.L., Proffitt, J.R. & Baird, D.B. (1999) Listronotus bonariensis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) flight in Canterbury, New Zealand. Bulletin of Entomological Research 89, 423–431.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldson, S.L., Proffitt, J.R. & Baird, D.B. (2001) Unexpected presence of larvae of Argentine Stem weevil, Listronotus bonariensis (Kuschel) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), in New Zealand pasture thatch. Australian Journal of Entomology 40, 158–162.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Granger, C.W.J. & Newbold, P. (1974) Spurious regressions in econometrics. Journal of Econometrics 2, 111–120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hardy, R.J., Terauds, A., Rapley, P.E.L., Williams, M.A., Treson, J.E., Miller, L.A., Brieze-Stegeman, R. & McQuillan, P.B. (1979) Insect pest survey. Tasmanian Department of Agriculture, No. 11, 34p.Google Scholar
Kalvelage, H. (1999) Effect of temperature on development of Listronotus bonariensis (Kuschel) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on Lolium perenne (L.) (Gramineae: Festucoidae). PhD thesis, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand.Google Scholar
Malone, L.A. (1987) Longevity and fecundity of Argentine stem weevils, Listronotus bonariensis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), infected with Microsporidium itiiti (Protozoa: Microspora). Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 50, 113–117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manly, B.F.J. (1977) The determination of key factors from life table data. Oecologia 31, 111–117.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Manly, B.F.J. (1990) Stage-Structured Populations: Sampling,Aanalysis and Simulation. 187 pp. London, UK, Chapman and Hall.Google Scholar
McNeill, M.R., Baird, D.B. & Goldson, S.L. (1998) Evidence of density-dependent oviposition behaviour by Listronotus bonariensis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Canterbury pasture. Bulletin of Entomological Research 88, 527–536.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McNeill, M.R., Proffitt, J.R., Barlow, N.D. & Goldson, S.L. (2003) Population regulation of Argentine stem weevil Listronotus bonariensis (Kuschel) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in dryland New Zealand pastures: a multitrophic interaction. Environmental Entomology 32, 771–779.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pilkington, S. & Springett, B.P. (1988) Do epideictic pheromones play a role in Argentine stem weevil oviposition? Proceedings of the 5th Australasian Conference on Grassland Invertebrate Ecology, 243–245.Google Scholar
Podoler, H. & Rogers, D. (1975) A new method for the identification of key factors from life-table data. Journal of Animal Ecology 44, 85–114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pottinger, R.P. (1961) A study on the biology and economic importance of the Argentine stem weevil, Hyperodes bonariensis Kuschel, in New Zealand. M.Agr.Sc.(Hons.) thesis, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand.Google Scholar
Prestidge, R.A., Pottinger, R.P. & Barker, G.M. (1982) An association of Lolium endophyte with ryegrass resistance to Argentine stem weevil. pp. 119–122 in Proceedings of the 35th New Zealand Weed and Pest Control Conference. 9–12 August 1982, Hamilton, New Zealand.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prestidge, R.A., van der Zijpp, S. & Badan, D. (1984) Effects of Argentine stem weevil on pastures in the Central Volcanic Plateau. New Zealand Journal of Experimental Agriculture 12, 323–331.Google Scholar
Prestidge, R.A., Barker, G.M. & Pottinger, R.P. (1987) Observations on Argentine stem weevil mortalities in Volcanic Plateau pastures. New Zealand Entomologist 10, 64–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prestidge, R.A., Barker, G.M. & Pottinger, R.P. (1991) The economic cost of Argentine stem weevil in pastures in New Zealand. pp. 165–170 in Proceedings of the 44th New Zealand Weed and Pest Control Conference. 13–15 August 1991, Tauranga, New Zealand.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Royama, T. (1996) A fundamental problem in key factor analysis. Ecology 77, 87–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, R.F. (1973) The analysis of intra-generation change in animal populations. Journal of Animal Ecology 42, 611–622.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Southwood, T.R.E. (1978) Ecological Methods with Particular Reference to the Study of Insect Populations. 2nd edn. 524 pp. London, UK, Chapman & Hall.Google Scholar
Varley, G.G. & Gradwell, G.R. (1960) Key factors in population studies. Journal of Animal Ecology 29, 399–401.CrossRefGoogle Scholar