Environmental Entomology (1983) 12, 807-809

Frank J. Messina (1983)
Parasitism of two goldenrod beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) by Aplomyiopsis xylota (Diptera: Tachinidae)
Environmental Entomology 12 (3), 807-809
Abstract: The tachinid Aplomyiopsis xylota parasitizes larvae of the goldenrod beetles Trirhabda virgata and T. borealis. The intensity of parasitism varied with larval stage and time of year. Parasitism of 3rd-instar larvae, the primary host stage, was high (70 to 90%) early in the season when T. borealis was vulnerable. Rates of parasitism dropped later in the season when most T. virgata larvae were sufficiently mature to elicit parasitoid attack. Percent parasitism was inversely correlated with host density, suggesting that the parasitoid's capacity was saturated when hosts were abundant. The susceptibility of larvae did not vary by which goldenrod species served as the larval food plant.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)

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.
	Solidago canadensis (weed)
Trirhabda virgata (weed bioagent)	Solidago canadensis (weed)		U.S.A. (NE)
Trirhabda borealis (weed bioagent)	Solidago canadensis (weed)		U.S.A. (NE)