Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Host specificity of Ischnodemus variegatus, an herbivore of West Indian marsh grass (Hymenachne amplexicaulis)

BioControl volume 54, pages 307–321 (2009)Cite this article

An Erratum to this article was published on 05 September 2008

Abstract

West Indian marsh grass, Hymenachne amplexicaulis Rudge (Nees) (Poaceae), is an emergent wetland plant that is native to South and Central America as well as portions of the Caribbean, but is considered invasive in Florida USA. The neotropical bug, Ischnodemus variegatus (Signoret) (Hemiptera: Lygaeoidea: Blissidae) was observed feeding on H. amplexicaulis in Florida in 2000. To assess whether this insect could be considered as a specialist biological control agent or potential threat to native and cultivated grasses, the host specificity of I. variegatus was studied under laboratory and field conditions. Developmental host range was examined on 57 plant species across seven plant families. Complete development was obtained on H. amplexicaulis (23.4% survivorship), Paspalum repens (0.4%), Panicum anceps (2.2%) and Thalia geniculata (0.3%). Adults survived 1.6 times longer and laid 6.6 times more eggs on H. amplexicaulis than the other species. Oviposition on suboptimal host species was positively related to I. variegatus density under multiple choice conditions. Results from field experiments indicated that H. amplexicaulis had higher densities of I. variegatus than other species. Spill-over to suboptimal hosts occurred in an area where H. amplexicaulis was growing in poor conditions and there was a high density of I. variegatus. Thus, laboratory and field studies demonstrate that I. variegatus had higher performance on H. amplexicaulis compared to any other host, and that suboptimal hosts could be colonized temporarily.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

39,95 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

References

  • Baranowski RM (1979) Notes on the biology of Ischnodemus oblongus and I. fulvipes with descriptions of the immature stages (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae). Ann Entomol Soc Am 72:655–658

    Google Scholar 

  • Baranowski RM, Slater JA (2005) The Lygaiedae of the West Indies. Agricultural Experimental Station, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 402 pp

  • Bernays EA, Chapman RF (1994) Host plant selection by phytophagous insects. Chapman & Hall, New York, 312 pp

  • Bernays E, Graham M (1988) On the evolution of host specificity in phytophagous arthropods. Ecology 69:886–892

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blossey B, Casagrande R, Tewksbury L, Landia DA, Wiedenmann RN, Ellis DR (2001) Non-target feeding of leaf beetles introduced to control purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria). Nat Area J 21:368–377

    Google Scholar 

  • Csurhes SM, Mackey AP, Fitzsimons L (1999) Hymenachne in Queensland. Pest Status Review Series, State of Queensland (Department of Natural Resources and Mines), Brisbane

  • Dhileepan K, Treviño M, Raghu S (2006) Temporal patterns in incidence and abundance of Aconophora compressa (Hemiptera: Membracidae), a biological control agent for Lantana camara, on target and nontarget plants. Environ Entomol 35:1001–1012

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diaz R, Overholt WA, Cuda JP, Pratt DA, Fox A (2008) Temperature-dependent development, survival and potential distribution of Ischnodemus variegatus (Hemiptera: Blissidae), an herbivore of West Indian marsh grass (Hymenachne amplexicaulis). Ann Entomol Soc Am 101:604–612

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Enriquez-Quiroz JF, Quero-Carrillo AR, Hernandez-Garay A, Garcia-Moya E (2006) Azuche, Hymenachne amplexicaulis (Rudge) Nees, forage genetic resources for floodplains in tropical Mexico. Genet Resour Crop Ev 53:1405–1412

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FLEPPC [Internet]. Florida: Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (2007) http://www.fleppc.org/list/list.htm. Accessed 22 September 2007

  • Halbert SE (2000) Entomology section. Trilogy; 39 (5) http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/pi/enpp/00-sep-oct.html#ent. Accessed 22 September 2007

  • Harrington J (1972) Notes on the biology of Ischnodemus species of America North of Mexico (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae: Blissinae). Occ Pap Univ Conn Biol Sci Ser.2 6:47–56

    Google Scholar 

  • Heard TA (2000) Concepts in host selection behavior and their application to host specificity testing. In: van Driesche RG, Heard TA, McClay A, Reardon R (eds) Host-specificity testing of exotic arthropod biological control agents: the biological basis for improvement in safety. USDA Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team, FHTET-99-1, Morgantown, USA, pp 1–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Houston WA, Duivenvoorden LJ (2002) Replacement of littoral native vegetation with the ponded pasture grass Hymenachne amplexicaulis: effects on plant, macroinvertebrate and fish biodiversity in the Fitzroy River, Central Queensland, Australia. Mar Freshwater Res 53:1235–1244

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalmbacher R, Mullahey J, Hill K (1998) Limpograss and Hymenachne grown on flatwoods range pond margins. J Range Manage 51:282–287

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • New York Botanical Garden (2007) Virtual Herbarium. http://sciweb.nybg.org/science2/VirtualHerbarium.asp. Accessed 12 December 2007

  • Overholt WA, Ewe SML, Diaz R, Morgan EC, Moeri OE (2004) Feeding effects of Ischnodemus variegatus (Hemiptera: Blissidae) on photosynthesis and growth of Hymenachne amplexicaulis (Poaceae). Fla Entomol 87:312–316

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SAS Institute (1999) SAS/STAT User’s guide. SAS Institute, Cary, NC

  • Schooler SS, Coombs EM, McEvoy PB (2003) Nontarget effects on crepe myrtle by Galerucella pusilla and G. calmariensis (Chrysomelidae), used for biological control of purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria). Weed Sci 51:449–455

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schoonhoven LM, van Loon JJA, Dicke M (2005) Insect-plant biology. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Slater JA (1976) Monocots and chinch bugs: a study of host plant relationships in the lygaeid subfamily Blissinae (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae). Biotropica 8:143–165

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slater JA (1987) The taxonomic status of Ischnodemus oblongus (Fabricius) and Ischnodemus variegatus (Signoret) (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae: Blissinae). J New York Entomol Soc 95:294–297

    Google Scholar 

  • Slater JA, Baranowski RM (1990) Lygaeidae of Florida (Hemiptera: Heteroptera), vol 14. Arthropods of Florida and neighboring land areas. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Gainesville, Florida 211 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Slater JA, Wilcox DB (1969) A revision of the Genus Ischnodemus in the Neotropical Region (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae: Blissinae). Misc Publ Entomol Soc Am 6:199–238

    Google Scholar 

  • Slater JA, Wilcox DB (1973) The chinch bugs or Blissinae of South Africa (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae). Mem Entomol Soc S Afr 12:1–135

    Google Scholar 

  • Soares DJ, Barreto RW (2006) Additions to the Brazilian mycobiota of the grassy weed, Hymenachne amplexicaulis, with a discussion on the taxonomic status of Paraphaeosphaeria recurvifoliae. Australasian Plant Path 35:347–353

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soreng RJ, Davidse G, Peterson PM, Zuloaga FO, Judziewicz EJ, Filgueiras TS, Morrone O (2007) Catalog of new world grasses. http://mobot.mobot.org/W3T/Search/nwgc.html. Accessed 12 December 2007

  • Tejos MR (1978) Effect of age on the productivity of paja de agua grass (Hymenachne amplexicaulis (Rudge) Nees) in a controlled flooding savannah. Agronomia Tropical 28:613–626

    Google Scholar 

  • Tropical Weeds Research Centre (2007) Hymenachne (Hymenachne amplexicaulis) control and management in Queensland. http://www.nrw.qld.gov.au/tropical_weeds/projects/hymenachnecontrol.html. Accessed 27 September 2007

  • United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS), Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) (2000) Reviewer’s manual for the technical advisory group of biological control agents of weeds: guidelines for evaluating the safety of candidate biological control agents. 224 pp

  • University of Florida Herbarium (2007) University of Florida. http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/scripts/dbs/herbs_project/herbsproject/herbs_pub_proc.asp. Accessed 12 June 2007

  • van Klinken RD (2000) Host specificity testing: why we do it and how can we do it better? In: R. van Driesche, T. Heard, A. McClay, & R. Reardon (Eds.), Proceedings: host specificity testing of exotic arthropod biological control agents: the biological basis for improvement in safety. Forest Service, Morgantown, West Virginia, pp 54–68

  • van Klinken RD, Edwards OR (2002) Is host specificity of weed biological control agents likely to evolve once released? Ecol Lett 5:590–596

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wapshere AJ (1989) A testing sequence for reducing rejection of potential biological control agents for weeds. Ann Appl Biol 114:515–526

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wunderlin RP, Hansen BF (2004) Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants. [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), Florida Center for Community Design and Research.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa. Available via. http://www.plantatlas.usf.edu/. Accessed 12 December 2007

Download references

Acknowledgements

We express our gratitude to Dennis Giardina and Mike Barry, Florida Panther Preserve, for collection and identification of grasses. Diana Cordeau, Jackie Markle, Brittany Evans, Yordana Valenzuela, Brianne Schobert, Freddy Soza, Douglas Gonzalez, Veronica Manrique, Fabian Diaz and Larry Markle provided great support during the data collection. Paul Benshoff and Diane Donaghy from Myakka River State Park provided support during the development of this project. Several grasses were identified by Mark A. Garland at FDACS, DPI-Gainesville. Two anonymous reviewers provided useful comments. The University of Florida-Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program provided financial support for the project.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Florida, Fort Pierce, FL, USA

    Rodrigo Diaz, William A. Overholt, James P. Cuda, Paul D. Pratt & Alison Fox

Authors
  1. Rodrigo Diaz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. William A. Overholt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. James P. Cuda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Paul D. Pratt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Alison Fox
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rodrigo Diaz.

Additional information

Handling Editor: John Scott.

An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10526-008-9192-7

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Diaz, R., Overholt, W.A., Cuda, J.P. et al. Host specificity of Ischnodemus variegatus, an herbivore of West Indian marsh grass (Hymenachne amplexicaulis). BioControl 54, 307–321 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-008-9188-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-008-9188-3

Keywords

  • Blissidae
  • Hemiptera
  • Herbivore performance
  • Host quality
  • Poaceae

Search

Navigation