Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #305156
Title: Host specificity of Asian Chrysochus Chevr. in Dej. (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Eumolpinae) and their potential use for biological control of invasive Vincetoxicum species

Author
item DOLGOVSKAYA, MARGARITA - Russian Academy Of Sciences
item VOLKOVITSH, MARK - Russian Academy Of Sciences
item REZNIK, SERGEY - Russian Academy Of Sciences
item MOSEYKO, ALEXEY - Russian Academy Of Sciences
item Milbrath, Lindsey

Submitted to: Entomological Review(Entomol Rev)
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/4/2016
Publication Date: 12/2/2016
Citation: Dolgovskaya, M., Volkovitsh, M., Reznik, S., Moseyko, A.G., Milbrath, L.R. 2016. Host specificity of Asian Chrysochus Chevr. in Dej. (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Eumolpinae) and their potential use for biological control of invasive Vincetoxicum species. Entomological Review (Entomol Rev). 96:826-830.

Interpretive Summary: Pale and black swallow-wort are exotic, invasive weeds of natural areas and managed ecosystems in northeastern North America. A biological control program is being developed for these weeds. We evaluated three species of beetles from Asia for what plants, in addition to the swallow-worts, they might use as hosts. We used a subset of closely-related species, including the native milkweeds, to determine whether more extensive tests should be conducted or if the beetles should be rejected as potential biological control agents. Beetle larvae, which feed on plant roots, successfully developed on some milkweed species although survival was reduced compared to swallow-worts. Survival and egg-production of adult females, which feed on leaves, were generally the same among swallow-wort and various milkweed species. Based on these data we are not considering these three Chrysochus species further as candidate biological control agents for European swallow-worts.

Technical Abstract: The European herbaceous perennials Vincetoxicum rossicum (pale swallow-wort) and V. nigrum (black swallow-wort; Apocynaceae, subfamily Asclepiadoideae) have invaded various natural areas and managed habitats in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada, and a classical biological control effort is underway. Leaf beetles in the genus Chrysochus, whose root-feeding larvae may be quite damaging to the plants in field habitats, were investigated as potential biological control agents. We report here on initial assessments of the host range of three Asian species - C. chinensis, C. globicollis, and C. goniostoma - to determine if they should be subjected to full host range testing or rejected from further consideration. In no-choice larval tests, successful non-target development to the adult stage consistently occurred on Asclepias syriaca and As. tuberosa for all three Chrysochus species, although survival was generally lower than that on Vincetoxicum. Chrysochus chinensis larvae also successfully developed on Cynanchum and Metaplexis spp. Results from no-choice tests with field-collected adult females were in general accord with results of larval tests: fecundity and longevity were generally similar among Vincetoxicum and most Asclepias spp. with the exception of C. globicollis. The fundamental host range, although not fully delimited, encompasses genera from an additional one or two subtribes of non-target plants. Based on these data, we are not considering these three Chrysochus species further as candidate biological control agents of European Vincetoxicum.