The Mexican bromeliad weevil (Metamasius callizona): Changing Florida s canopy. Teresa M. Cooper, Ronald D. Cave, and J.

Transcription

1 The Mexican bromeliad weevil (Metamasius callizona): Changing Florida s canopy Teresa M. Cooper, Ronald D. Cave, and J. Howard Frank

2 Metamasius callizona. 1t to cm long, black with stripe across the elytra. Discovered established in Broward County, Florida in Native range: Southern Mexico and Guatemala.

3 M. callizona: expansion since Nearly expanded to fill new range. 22 counties, south and central Florida. Dispersal: Self movement. (Unwitting) human dispersal. Ferriter 2006

4 M. callizona damage on bromeliads.

5 Guzmania monostachia Florida s native bromeliads.

6 Tillandsia pruinosa Florida s native bromeliads.

7 Tillandsia variabilis Florida s native bromeliads.

8 Florida s native bromeliads. Catopsis berteroniana Catopsis nutans Tillandsia flexuosa Tillandsia floribunda

9 Tillandsia simulata Florida s native bromeliads.

10 Tillandsia paucifolia Florida s native bromeliads.

11 Tillandsia balbisiana Florida s native bromeliads.

12 Tillandsia fasciculata Florida s native bromeliads.

13 Tillandsia utriculata Florida s native bromeliads.

14 Enchanted Forest: decline of a bromeliad population.

15 Enchanted Forest: decline of a bromeliad population Dropped 87% in the first 6 months. At 2 years, dropped by 97%. Counted 1,001 fallen, dead bromeliads; 98.8% killed by the weevil

16 Bromeliads as a part of the ecosystem. Water source. Nutrient cycling. Phytotelmata: aquatic ecosystems in leaf axils. Invertebrates, reptiles, birds, mammals use bromeliads for nesting, hunting, refuge.

17 What is M. callizona s potential damage? Destroy up to 27 species (12 bromeliads, 15 invertebrates). Remove habitat and water sources from the canopy. Alter nutrient cycles.

18 Lixadmontia franki. Specialist parasitoid id of bromeliad-eating weevils. About the size of a house fly. Lixadmontia franki. Native range: Honduras. M. quadrilineatus M. callizona

19 M. callizona and L. franki life cycles. L. franki maggots find the weevil larva, beat through the skin, live and eat the weevil larva up from the inside out. Female M. callizona lay eggs in the bases of bromeliad leaves. Egg. Adults emerge, mate, and continue the cycle. Bromeliad leaf. M. callizona larvae kill bromeliads by chewing up meristemmatic tissue, killing the host bromeliad from the inside out. The weevil pupates. Female flies lay 1 st instar maggots on host bromeliads.. The maggots pupate then emerge as adults. Adults emerge, mate, and continue the cycle.

20 Testing L. franki in the field. EFS LRP LNWR BCNP Mar 07 Mar 08 Mar 09

21 Lake Rogers Park. Tillandsia simulata Tillandsia fasciculata ## L. franki released: Date 29 Jun Sep Dec Apr Jun Tillandsia balbisiana

22 Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. ## L. franki released: Date 20 Jul Oct Jan Apr Jul Tillandsia fasciculata Tillandsia balbisiana

23 Enchanted Forest Sanctuary. Tillandsia utriculata ## L. franki released: Date 3 Aug Oct Jan Apr Jun

24 Big Cypress National Preserve. T. fasciculata T. pruinosa ## L. franki released: Date 29 Aug Nov Feb May Jul

25 Post-monitoring: sentinel plants.

26 Post-monitoring: timing the sentinel plants. Maggot enters weevil larva. Maggot pupates. FLY RELEASE Females ready to larviposit. Fly emerges. Fly mates. Fly s maggots are mature. 5 weeks. Flies larvipositing. Sentinel plants in field. 7 weeks.

27 Results: two F2 flies recovered from LRP. Lake Rogers Park Release: 29 June 2007 Sentinel plants out: 7 August 2007 Sentinel plants retrieved: 21 August 2007 LRP

28 What does it mean? What do we do in the future? L. franki can survive and reproduce in Florida. Lots of area to monitor. Fly preference: sentinel plants vs. wild bromeliads. Heavy, clumsy traps. Continue releasing flies. Continue lab research. Future trips to Guatemala to search Future trips to Guatemala to search for alternative biological control agents.

29 Many thanks to our supporters South Florida Water Management District Florida Council of Bromeliad Societies, Inc. Department of Environmental Protection Florida Park Service University of Florida

30 References: Cave RD Admontia sp., a potential biological control agent of Metamasius callizona. J Brom Soc 47: Cave RD, Duetting PS, Creel OR, Branch CL Biology of Metamasius mosieri (Coleoptera: Dryopthoridae), with a description of larval and pupal stages. Ann Entomol Soc Am. 99(6): Cooper TM Seasonality and abundance of Metamasius callizona (Coleoptera: Dryopthoridae), an invasive insect herbivore, on two species of Tillandsia (Bromeliaceae) in Florida. J Nat Hist. 42(41-44): Ferriter A Distribution of Mexican bromeliad weevil in south and central Florida. Fig. 9-3 In: 2006 South Florida Environmental Report. Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD). Frank JH Bromeliad biota: A list of weevils known to eat bromeliads [online]. Gainesvill (FL): University of Florida [cited 2009 Mar 22]. Available from: ifas edu/wvbrom3 htm (June 2006). Frank JH Bromeliad-eating weevils. Selbyana. 20(1): Frank JF, Curtis GA Bionomics of the bromeliad-inhabiting mosquito Wyeomyia vanduzeei and its nursery plant Tillandsia utriculata. Fla Entomol. 54: Frank JH, Thomas MC Metamasius callizona (Chevrolat) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), an immigrant pest, destroys bromeliads in Florida. Can Entomol 126: Frank JH, Cave RD Metamasius callizona is destroying Florida s native bromeliads. In: Second International Symposium on Biological Control of Arthropods; 2005 Sep12-16; Davos, Switzerland: USDA Forest Service Publication FHTET Vol 1. P Gavilánez Margarita Susana García Fecundidad de cf. Lixophaga (Diptera: Tachinidae) y parasitismo artificial de Metamasius quadrilineatus (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae) como forma alterna para su producciòn masiva. Thesis. Zamorano, Honduras. Salas J, Frank JH Development of Metamasius callizona (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on pineapple stems. Florida Entomol 84: Wood DM, Cave RD Description of a new genus and species of weevil parasitoid from Honduras (Diptera: Tachinidae). Florida Entomol 89:

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