Host Plant Quality Factors That Influence the Growth and Development of Oxyops vitiosa, a Biological Control Agent of Melaleuca quinquenervia

t t The Australian weevil Oxyops vitiosa was released in 997 in Florida as a biological control agent of elaleuca quinquenervia. The larvae of this agent are ush-feeders, found only on the growing tips of their ost. Knowledge of this restriction to feeding on the rowing tips and other nutritional requirements may ssist in the establishment and dispersal of this speies. Therefore, O. vitiosa survival was assessed when eonates were fed M. quinquenervia leaves from ranches that had dormant buds or emerging bud eaves. Additionally, the influence of leaf quality from ifferent sites and within sites was determined by the eeding of neonates emerging bud leaves collected at hree sites and from three leaf qualities (poor, interediate, and high). Within-site leaf qualities were decribed in the field by leaf color and in the laboratory y percentage dry mass and nitrogen. Larval survival as lowest when fed leaves from branches that had ormant buds. Associated with this low survival were igh leaf toughness and percentage dry mass. When arvae were fed emerging bud leaves, most of the varition in larval survival and performance was attribted to differences in within-site plant quality. Generlly, the highest-quality leaves had relatively low perentage dry mass and high percentage nitrogen. arval survival generally decreased when fed the oor-quality leaves, and in one site, the intermediateuality leaves. Larvae required less time to develop to dults when fed the high-quality leaves. Development ime increased in females but not in males when the arvae were fed the poor-quality leaves. Adult biomass f both females and males generally increased when he larvae were fed the high-quality leaves from two of he three sites. The results indicate that the larvae of . vitiosa are restricted to feeding on flush foliage ith low toughness. Additionally, variations in foliar ercentage dry mass and nitrogen influence larval urvival and performance. This knowledge benefited he development of mass-production nursery sites and