Journal of the Australian Entomological Society (1990) 29, 87-88
P.J. De Barro (1990)
Natural enemies and other species associated with Saccharicoccus sacchari (Cockerell) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in the Bundaberg area, southeast Queensland
Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 29 (2), 87-88
Abstract: The pathogenic fungus Aspergillus parasiticus Speare, a 'habitat destroyer' Cacoxenus perspicax (Knab), and a parasitoid Anagyrus saccharicola Timberlake are the major natural enemies of the sugarcane mealybug Saccharicoccus sacchari (Cockerell) in the Bundaberg area. Their abundance varied over a 17-month period and may have been linked to January-March rainfall. The number of An. saccharicola emerging from a mummy depended on the host size. Five insect predators, Chrysopa innota Walker, Elaunon bipartitus (Kirby), Nala lividipes (Dufour), Halmus ovalis (Blackburn) and Isauria aphidovora (Meyrick) and 3 additional fungal pathogens, Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff), Penicillium sp. and Cordyceps sp. are recorded. A parasitoid of C. perspicax, Chartocerus (Xana) sp. is also recorded. The ants, Pheidole megacephala (F.), Paratrechina obscura Mayr and Iridomyrmex sp. are involved in mutualistic behaviour with S. sacchari.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Full text of article
Database assignments for author(s): Paul J. De Barro
Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
surveys/distribution/isolation
general biology - morphology - evolution
