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Natural enemies of soft scale insects ( H emiptera: C occoidea: C occidae) in A ustralian vineyards
Author(s) -
Rakimov A.,
Hoffmann A.A.,
Malipatil M.B.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
australian journal of grape and wine research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.65
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1755-0238
pISSN - 1322-7130
DOI - 10.1111/ajgw.12134
Subject(s) - coccidae , biology , biological pest control , neuroptera , hemiptera , aphelinidae , natural enemies , pest analysis , scale insect , vineyard , predation , pest control , parasitoid , botany , ecology , homoptera , horticulture
Background and Aims There is increasing interest in using natural enemies to control pests in viticulture, but in A ustralian vineyards, this is often hampered by a lack of information on enemies of particular pest groups. Here we provide an assessment for the first time of the natural enemies of coccids of grapevines. Methods and Results The main coccid pest, P arthenolecanium persicae , was attacked by the parasitoid M etaphycus maculipennis , which constituted 75% of the parasitoids collected from this species. The second most abundant coccid in A ustralia vineyards, P arthenolecanium pruinosum , was attacked only by one parasitoid, C occophagus lycimnia . The most common coccinellid predator was R hyzobius pulchellus , whereas other coccinellids including C ryptolaemus montrouzieri were less common. Several other coleopteran species as well as the moth M ataeomera dubia and several neuroptera are also likely to be important coccid predators. Conclusions These results point to a complex and much wider range of natural enemies attacking vineyard C occidae than previously appreciated, although P . pruinosum may have few enemies. Significance of the Study Grapevine scale pests have an array of natural enemies including parasitoids, beetles, moth larvae and lacewings, highlighting the importance of maintaining a diverse insect community in vineyards for biological control.