Host Specificity in Two Additional Pseudacteon Spp. (diptera: Phoridae), Parasitoids of Solenopsis Fire Ants (hymenoptera: Formicidae)
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چکیده
We tested the host specificity of two South American Pseudacteon phorid flies, P. obtusus Borgmeier and P. borgmeieri Schmitz, on North American colonies of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, and the tropical fire ant, S. geminata (F.). Sequential host specificity tests conducted in the laboratory indicated that P. obtusus was highly specific to S. invicta . In individual trials, 20 females attacked S. invicta but none attacked S. geminata . Pseudacteon borgmeieri females, in contrast, attacked both Solenopsis species. Six of the eighteen known South American Pseudacteon species have now been tested for host specificity, and 4 of the 6 reveal a high degree of specificity to S. invicta , thus representing good biocontrol candidates.
منابع مشابه
New species and records of Pseudacteon Coquillett, 1907 (Diptera, Phoridae), parasitoids of the fire ant Solenopsis geminata group (Hymenoptera, Formicidae).
The genus Pseudacteon Coquillett (Diptera, Phoridae) has a worldwide distribution and comprises parasitic myrmecophilous species that decapitate host ants. Seventy one species are known in the genus, 41 of them occur in the Neotropical Region and are 25 from Brazil. In northeastern Brazil, there are only records for two species, Pseudacteon dentiger Borgmeier and Pseudacteon antiguensis Malloch...
متن کاملPhenology and Dispersal in Pseudacteon Flies (Diptera: Phoridae), Parasitoids of Solenopsis Fire Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
The phenology and dispersal abilities of Pseudacteon phorid ßies, parasitoids of Solenopsis Þre ants, were measured at multiple sites over several years. Four Pseudacteon species [P. browni Disney, P. spatulatus (Malloch), P. crawfordi Coquillett, and an undescribed species, P. sp. A.] were found in the vicinity of 5 S. geminata (F.) populations over a 3-yr period. P. browni was the most common...
متن کاملPhorid flies, Pseudacteon spp. (Diptera: Phoridae), affect forager size ratios of red imported fire ants Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Texas.
Multiple species of Pseudacteon phorid flies (Diptera: Phoridae) are currently being released throughout the southern United States to aid biological control of red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). It is anticipated that these flies will interfere with S. invicta foraging, allowing native ant assemblages to outcompete S. invicta for available resources. N...
متن کاملPatterns of Host Specificity in Pseudacteon Parasitoid Flies (Diptera: Phoridae) that Attack Solenopsis Fire Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Environ. Entomo!. 26(5): 1149-1154 (1997) ABSTRACT Pselldacteon phorids that parasitize the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, inSouthAmericaare not present in the introduced range ofthispest speciesin the United States. Sequential host specificity tests were conducted with 4 South American Pselldacteon species, P. litoralis Borgmeier, P. wasmanni (Schmitz), P. triCllspis Borgmeie...
متن کاملPseudacteon notocaudatus and Pseudacteon obtusitus (Diptera: Phoridae), two new species of fire ant parasitoids from South America.
Ongoing studies in South America of phorid flies of the genus Pseudacteon Coquillett 1907 have revealed two further new species in this genus that are described here: P. obtusitus and P. notocaudatus. Both species are parasitoids of Solenopsis (F.) fire ants.
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