Prospects for Biological Control of Marchalina hellenica in Australia Using a Silver Fly

¹ Forest Research Institute - Hellenic Agricultural Organization Demeter, 57006 Vassilika, Thessaloniki, Greece.
² Invertebrate & Weed Sciences, Agriculture Victoria Research Division, Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, AgriBio Centre, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.
³ HVP Plantations, 50 Northways Road, Churchill, Victoria, Australia.
⁴ Office of the Chief Plant Protection Officer, Agriculture Victoria
⁵ Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International, Bakeham Ln, Englefield Green, Egham TW20 9TY, UK
⁶ Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International, Rue des Grillons 1 CH-2800 Delémont, Switzerland.
⁷ Agricultural University of Athens, Faculty of Crop Science, Laboratory of Agricultural Zoology and Entomology, 75 Ieara Odos str., 11855 Athens, Attica, Greece.

Academic Editor: David R. Coyle

Published: 05 July 2021 by MDPI in The 1st International Electronic Conference on Entomology session Forest and Urban Entomology

https://doi.org/10.3390/IECE-10602

Abstract:

The giant pine scale (GPS), Marchalina hellenica (Hemiptera, Margarodidae), is native in Greece and Turkey, where it is not considered a pest of Pinus spp.. However, in 2014 GPS was accidentally introduced in Australia and soon its population increased dramatically causing significant damage to Pinus radiata plantations. The silver fly, Neoleucopis kartliana (Diptera, Chamaemyiidae) was found as the most abundant predator of GPS. To assess the potential use of this species in a classical biological control program, GPS-infested branches were collected from five different areas of northern Greece and examined in the laboratory to study its biology and attempt to rear it.

Keywords: Classical biological control; Chamaemyiidae; Margarodidae

Supplementary material: Download Supplementary material View paper View video presentation