Australian Journal of Entomology (2005) 44, 457-462

Kunjithapatham Dhileepan, Mariano Treviño and Sathyamurthy Raghu (2005)
Effect of temperature on the survival of Aconophora compressa Walker (Hemiptera: Membracidae): implications for weed biocontrol
Australian Journal of Entomology 44 (4), 457-462
Abstract: In weed biocontrol, similarity of abiotic factors between the native and introduced range of a biocontrol agent is critical to its establishment and effectiveness. This is particularly the case for weeds that have a wide geographical distribution in the native range. For such weeds, the choice of a specialist insect that has narrow tolerance limits to important abiotic factors can diminish its ability to be an effective biocontrol agent. The membracid Aconophora compressa was introduced in Australia from Mexico for biocontrol of Lantana camara, a plant with a wide climatic tolerance. In this study we investigated the effect of constant and alternating temperatures on A. compressa survival. Longevity of adults and nymphs declined with increasing temperatures, and at 39°C individuals survived for less than a day. At lower temperatures, nymphs survived longer than adults. Survival at alternating temperatures was longer than at constant temperatures, but the general trend of lower survival at higher temperatures remained. Spatially and temporally, the climatic tolerance of A. compressa appears to be a subset of that of lantana, thereby limiting its potential impact.
(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): Kunjithapatham Dhileepan, Sathyamurthy Raghu

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

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Lantana camara (weed)		Mexico
Aconophora compressa (weed bioagent)	Lantana camara (weed)		Mexico