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Native to South Africa and Madagascar, the invasive fireweed,  Senecio madagascariensis  Poiret (Asteraceae), is a target for biological control in Australia and Hawaii, where substantial infestations persist. Earlier studies in the weed’s region of origin, namely KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa, assessed the seasonal abundance of stem-boring insect herbivores in  S. madagascariensis  populations. The weevil  Gasteroclisus tricostalis  (Thunberg) (Curculionidae) and moth  Metamesia elegans  (Walsingham) (Tortricidae) were prioritised as candidate agents for Australia due to their persistence across seasons. In this study, the host ranges of these two candidate agents were assessed by comparing the stem-boring curculionids and lepidopterans that are associated with  S. madagascariensis  with those associated with non-target  Senecio  species in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands region. DNA barcoding of the adults and endophagous larvae recovered during field sampling of  S. madagascariensis  and 17 non-target  Senecio  species in 2017/18, as well as those from earlier field surveys, was used to differentiate the insect species and elucidate their host-plant affinities. Although weevil larvae were recovered from the stems of seven non-target  Senecio  species,  G. tricostalis  was associated only with  Senecio inaequidens  DC. and  Senecio skirrhodon  DC., both in the  S. madagascariensis  species complex .  Lepidopteran larvae were associated with three non-target  Senecio  species, all in the  S. madagascariensis  species complex, with  M. elegans  associated only with  Senecio harveianus  MacOwan and  S. inaequidens . These results suggest that  G. tricostalis  and  M. elegans  have restricted host ranges and that further host-specificity studies in quarantine are warranted to demonstrate their suitability for release.

biocontrol science and technology

Host-plant affinities of stem-boring weevils and moths associated with fireweed ( Senecio madagascariensis ) in South Africa: evaluating native host ranges of candidate biocontrol agents using DNA barcoding