Abstract.
The biology and phenology of the eriophyid mite, Floracarus perrepae Knihinicki and Boczek, a potential biological control agent of Lygodium microphyllum (Cav.) R. Br., was studied in its native range – Queensland, Australia. F. perrepae forms leaf roll galls on the subpinnae of L. microphyllum. It has a simple biology, with females and males produced throughout the year. The population was female biased at 10.5 to 1. The immature development time was 8.9 ± 0.1 and 7.0 ± 0.1 days; adult longevity was 30.6 ± 1.6 and 19.4 ± 1.2 days and mean fecundity per female was 54.5 ± 3.2 and 38.5 ± 1.6 eggs at 21 and 26 °C, all respectively. Field studies showed that the mite was active year round, with populations peaking when temperatures were cool and soil moisture levels were highest. Two species of predatory mites, Tarsonemus sp. and a species of Tydeidae, along with the pathogen Hirsutella thompsonii, had significant effects on all life stages of F. perrepae. Despite high levels of predators and the pathogen, F. perrepae caused consistent damage to L. microphyllum at all the field sites over the entire 2 years of the study.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
L.A. Andres (1982) Considerations for the use of phytophagous mites for the biological control of weeds M.A. Hoy G.L. Cunnigham L. Knutson (Eds) Biological Control of Pests by Mites University of California Berkeley 53–56
J.W. Amrine SuffixJr. (1996) Phyllocoptes fructiphilus and biological control of multiflora rose E.E. Lindquist M.W. Sabelis J. Bruin (Eds) Eriophyoid Mites – their Biology, Natural Enemies and Control Elsevier Science Publ. AmsterdamThe Netherlands 741–749
P.E. Boldt R. Sobhian (1993) ArticleTitleRelease and establishment of Aceria malherbae (Acari: Eriophyidae) for control of field bindweed in Texas Environ. Entomol. 22 234–237
D.T. Briese J.M. Cullen (2001) The use and usefulness of mites in biological control of weeds R.B. Halliday D.E. Walter H.C. Proctor R.A. Norton M.J. Colloff (Eds) Acarology: Proceedings of the 10th International Congress CSIRO Publishing Melbourne 453–463
L.A. Caresche A.J. Wapshere (1974) ArticleTitleBiology and host specificity of the Chondrilla gall mite Aceria chondrillae (G. Can.) (Acari: Eriophyidae) Bull. Ent. Res. 64 183–192 Occurrence Handle10.1017/S0007485300031060
J.R. Carey (1993) Applied Demography for Biologists with Special Emphasis on Insects Oxford University Press New York 206
C. Craemer R. Sobhian A.S. McClay J.W. Amrine SuffixJr. (1999) ArticleTitleA new species of Cecidophyes (Acari: Eriophyidae) from Gallium aparine (Rubiaceae) with notes on its biology and potential as a biological agent for Gallium spurium Int. J. Acarol. 25 255–263
H.L. Cromroy (1978) The potential use of eriophyoid mites for control of weeds T.E. Freeman (Eds) Proceedings of the IVth International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds IFAS, University of Florida Gainesville FL 473–475
J.M. Cullen D.T. Briese (2001) Host plant susceptibility to eriophyid mites for weed biological control R.B. Halliday D.E. Walter H.C. Proctor R.A. Norton M.J. Colloff (Eds) Acarology: Proceedings of the 10th International Congress CSIRO Publishing Melbourne 342–348
J.M. Cullen R.H. Groves J.F. Alex (1982) ArticleTitleThe influence of Aceria chondrille (Acari: Eriophyidae) on the growth and reproductive capacity of Chondrilla juncea J. Appl. Ecol. 19 529–537
J.M. Cullen A.D. Moore (1983) ArticleTitleThe influence of the three populations of Aceria chondrillae (Acari: Eriophyidae) on three forms of Chondrilla juncea J. Appl. Ecol. 20 235–243
E.A. Fitzpatrick H.A. Nix (1969) ArticleTitleA model for simulating soil water regime in alternating fallow-crop systems Agric. Metereol. 6 303–319 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0002-1571(69)90023-5
Freeman T.P., Goolsby J.A., Ozman S.K., Nelson D.R. 2004. An ultrastructural study of the relationship between the mite Floracarus perrepae Knihinicki & Boczek (Acariformes: Eriophyidae) and the fern Lygodium microphyllum (Cav.) R. Br. (Lygodiaceae). Aust. J. Entomol. (in press).
J.A. Goolsby J.R. Makinson D.M. Hartley R. Zonneveld A.D. Wright (2004a) Pre-release evaluation and host range testing of Floracarus perrepae (Eriophyidae) genotypes for biological control of Old World climbing fern J.M. Cullen D.T. Briese D.J. Kriticos W.M. Lonsdale L. Morin J.K. Scott (Eds) Proceedings of the XIth International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds CSIRO Entomology Canberra Australia 113–116
J.A. Goolsby A.D. Wright R.W. Pemberton (2003) ArticleTitleExploratory surveys in Australia and Asia for natural enemies of Old World climbing fern, Lygodium microphyllum: Lygodiaceae Biol. Control 28 33–46 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S1049-9644(03)00054-9
J.A. Goolsby R. Zonneveld A. Bourne (2004b) ArticleTitlePre-release assessment of impact on biomass production of an invasive weed Lygodium microphyllum (Lygodiaceae: Pteridophyta), by a potential biological control agent Floracarus perrepae (Acari: Eriophyidae) Environ. Entomol. 33 997–1002
D.L. Jones (1987) Propagation and hybridization of ferns Encylclopaedia of Ferns Timber Press PortlandUSA 125–157
M.H. Julien M.W. Griffiths (1999) Biological Control of Weeds: A World Catalogue of Agents and their Target Weeds CABI Publishing Wallingford 223
D.K. Knihinicki J. Boczek (2002) ArticleTitleNew eriophyoid mites (Acari: Prostigmata: Eriophyoidea) from Australia Int. J. Acarol. 28 241–249 Occurrence Handle10.1080/01647950208684298
O.V. Kovalev (1973) Modern outlooks of biological control of weed plants in the U.S.S.R. and the international phytophagous exchange P.H. Dunn (Eds) Proceedings of the IInd International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds 4–7 October 1971, Rome Italy CAB Slough England 166–172
E.E. Lindquist J.W. Amrine SuffixJr. (1996) Systematics, diagnoses for major taxaand keys to families and genera with species on plants of economic importance E.E. Lindquist M.W. Sabelis J. Bruin (Eds) Eriophyoid Mites – their Biology, Natural Enemies and Control Elsevier Science Publ. AmsterdamThe Netherlands 33–87
E.E. Lindquist G.N. Oldfield (1996) Evolution of eriophyoid mites in relation to their host plants E.E. Lindquist M.W. Sabelis J. Bruin (Eds) Eriophyoid Mites – their Biology, Natural Enemies and Control Elsevier Science Publ. Amsterdam The Netherlands 277–300
J.L. Littlefield R. Sobhian (2000) The host specificity of Pyllocoptes nevadensis Roivainen (Acari: Eriophyidae), a candidate for the biological control of leafy and cypress spurges N.R. Spencer (Eds) Proceedings of the Xth International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds, 4–14, July 1999 Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA 1030
F.A. Mahr R.M. Kwong D.A. McClaren P.W. Jupp (1997) ArticleTitleRedistribution and present status of the mite Aculus hyperici (Acari: Eriophyidae) for the control of St. John’s wort Hypericum perforatum Australia Plant Prot. Qtly. 12 84–88
A.S. McClay J.L. Littlefield J. Kashefi (1999) ArticleTitleEstablishment of Aceria malherbae (Acari: Eriophyidae) as a biological control agent for field bindweed (Convolvulaceae) in the Northern Great Plains Can. Entomol. 131 541–547 Occurrence Handle10.4039/Ent131541-4
G.J. Michels D.A. Fritts J.B. Bible (2000) Release and colonization of the bindweed gall mite Aceria malherbae (Acari: Eriophyidae): a field bindweed biological control program for the Texas High Plains N.R. Spencer (Eds) Proceedings of the Xth International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds 4–14, July 1999 Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA 1030
L.R. Nault W.E. Styer (1969) ArticleTitleThe dispersal of Aceria tulipae three other grass-infesting eriophyid mites in Ohio Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 62 1446–1455
S.K. Ozman S. Toros (1997) ArticleTitleLife cycles of Phytoptus avellanae Nal. and Cecidophyopsis vermiformis Nal. (Acari: Eriophyidae) Acta Hort. 445 493–501
R.W. Pemberton (1998) ArticleTitleThe potential of biological control to manage Old World climbing fern (Lygodium microphyllum)an invasive weed in Florida Am. Fern J. 88 176–182
R.W. Pemberton A.P. Ferriter (1998) ArticleTitleOld World climbing fern (Lygodium microphyllum), a dangerous invasive weed in Florida Am. Fern J. 88 165–175
P. Pratt M.B. Raychhetry T.K. Van T.D. Center (2002) ArticleTitleField-based rates of population increase for Oxyops vitiosa (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), a biological control agent of the invasive tree Melaleuca quinquenervia Fla. Entomol. 85 286–287
S.S. Rosenthal (1996) Aceria Epitrimerus Aculus species and biological control of weeds E.E. Lindquist M.W. Sabelis J. Bruin (Eds) Eriophyoid Mites – their Biology, Natural Enemies and Control Elsevier Science Publ. AmsterdamThe Netherlands 729–739
B.D. Smith (1960) ArticleTitleThe behaviour of the black current gall mite (Phytoptus ribis Nal.) during the free living phase of its life cycle Ann. Rep. Long Ashton Agr. Hort. Res. St., Bristol, UK 1959 130–136
R. Sobhian L.A. Andres (1978) ArticleTitleThe response of the skeletonweed gall midge Cystiphora schmidti (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), and gall mite Aceria chondrillae (Acari: Eriophyidae) to North American strains of Rush Skeletonweed (Chondrilla juncea) Environ. Entomol. 7 506–508
T.R.E. Southwood (1978) Ecological Methods – with Particular Reference to the Study of Insect Populations Chapman and Hall London, UK 524
Sternlicht M. 1962. The Citrus Bud Mite. Alon Hanot. Special edition, 25.11.1962. 14 pp. (in Hebrew).
M. Sternlicht S. Goldenberg M. Cohen (1973) ArticleTitleDevelopment of the plum gall and trials to control its mite Acalitus phloeocoptes (Eriophyidae: Acarina) Ann. Zool. – Ecol. Animale. 5 365–377
R.W. Sutherst G.F. Maywald T. Yonow P.M. Stevens (1999) CLIMEX. Predicting the Effects of Climate on Plants and Animals. CD-ROM and User Guide CSIRO Publishing Collingwood Australia
E. Swirski (1962) ArticleTitleContribution to the knowledge of the fluctuations in population of the citrus rust mite (Phyllocopturata oleivora Ashm.) in the coastal plain of Israel Israel J. Agric. Res. 12 175–187
E. Swirski S. Amitai (1960) ArticleTitleSex ratio in the citrus rust mite (Phyllocopturata oleivora Ashm.) in the citrus grove Ktavim. 10 225–226
E. Westphal (1992) Ceccidogenesis and resistance phenomena in mite-induced galls J.D. Shorthouse O. Rohfritsch (Eds) Biology of Insect-Induced Galls Oxford University Press Oxford UK 141–156
A.J. Willis J.E. Ash R.H. Groves (1995) ArticleTitleThe effects of herbivory by a mite Aculus hyperici (Acari: Eriophyidae), and nutrient deficiency on growth in Hypericum species Aust. J. Bot. 43 305–316
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ozman, S.K., Goolsby, J.A. Biology and phenology of the eriophyid mite, Floracarus perrepae, on its native host in Australia, Old World climbing fern, Lygodium microphyllum . Exp Appl Acarol 35, 197–213 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-004-4186-3
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-004-4186-3