Journal of Applied Entomology (2015) 139, 154-157

W.G. van Herk, R.S. Vernon, E.M.L. Cronin and S.D. Gaimari (2015)
Predation of Thereva nobilitata (Fabricius) (Diptera: Therevidae) on Agriotes obscurus L. (Coleoptera: Elateridae)
Journal of Applied Entomology 139 (1-2), 154-157
Abstract: Little is known about the natural enemies of wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae), but there are frequent anecdotal reports of (usually unnamed) stiletto fly larvae (Diptera: Therevidae) preying on various species. We observed larvae of Thereva nobilitata (Fabricius) feeding on larvae of the dusky wireworm, Agriotes obscurus L., during the summer of 2011, in Agassiz, British Columbia. This finding is of interest as: both the predator and the wireworm are introduced species to this area from Europe; T. nobilitata is uncommon in North America; and this predator has not been associated with any wireworm species previously. We observed that larvae of male and female T. nobilitata will feed on various sizes of A. obscurus larvae, most feeding being carried out by the smallest T. nobilitata larvae. These findings suggest future work should assess the potential for therevid larvae as top-down regulators of Agriotes larvae under field conditions.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Willem G. van Herk, Robert S. Vernon

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Agriotes obscurus		Canada (west)