Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T09:27:11.909Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Ant-coccid mutualism in citrus canopies and its effect on natural enemies of red scale, Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 April 2013

H.T. Dao ,
A. Meats ,
G.A.C. Beattie  and
R. Spooner-Hart
H.T. Dao
Affiliation:
School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith South, NSW 2751
A. Meats*
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW 2006
G.A.C. Beattie
Affiliation:
School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith South, NSW 2751
R. Spooner-Hart
Affiliation:
School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith South, NSW 2751
*
*Author for correspondence Phone: +61 4570 1287 Fax: +61 4570 1314 E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Mutualistic relationships between honeydew-producing insects and ants have been widely recognized for several decades. Iridomyrmex rufoniger (Lowne) is the commonest ant species associated with black scale, Saissetia oleae (Olivier), in the citrus orchards of the mid latitudes of coastal New South Wales. Citrus trees with high densities of both red and black scale and high ant activity were identified and the results of excluding ants from half of those trees (using a polybutene band on each trunk) were compared with the results of not excluding ants from the other half. Trees with a low incidence of black scale and ants were also studied. Exclusion of ants from trees was soon followed by collapse of black scale populations because most individuals were asphyxiated by their own honeydew. Also, parasitism of the red scale by Encarsia perniciosi (Tower) and Encarsia citrina Craw was significantly higher than in the control trees over the following year, as was the predation rate on red scale due to three coccinellid predators, Halmus chalybeus (Boisduval), Rhyzobius hirtellus Crotch and Rhyzobius lophanthae (Blaisdell). In contrast, another coccinellid, Orcus australasiae (Boisduval), and a noctuid moth larva, Mataeomera dubia Butler, were seen in low numbers on banded (ant exclusion) trees, probably because of the low availability of their black scale prey, but were significantly higher on control trees apparently because of their invulnerability to ants.

Keywords

honeydewred scaleblack scale
Type
Research Paper
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 104 , Issue 2 , April 2014 , pp. 137 - 142
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agarwala, B.K. & Bardhanroy, P. (1999) Numerical response of ladybird beetles (Col., Coccinellidae) to aphid prey (Hom., Aphididae) in a field bean in north-east India. Journal of Applied Entomology 123, 401–405.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bach, C.E. (1991) Direct and indirect interactions between ants (Pheidole megacephala), scale (Coccus viridis) and plants (Pluchea indica). Oecologia 87, 233–239.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bartlett, B.R. (1961) The influence of ants upon parasites, predators, and scale insects. Annals of the Entomological Society America 54, 543–551.Google Scholar
Barzman, M.S. & Daane, K.M. (2001) Host-handling behaviours in parasitoids of the black scale: a case for ant-mediated evolution. Journal of Animal Ecology 70, 237–247.Google Scholar
Briese, D.T. & Macauley, B.J. (1980) Temporal structure of an ant community in semi-arid Australia. Australian Journal of Ecology 5, 121–134.Google Scholar
Chong, C.S., D'Alberto, C.F., Thomson, L.J. & Hoffmann, A.A. (2010) Influence of native ants on arthropod communities in a vineyard. Agricultural and Forest Entomology 12, 223–232.Google Scholar
DeBach, P., Sundby, A. (1963) Competitive displacement between ecological homologues. Hilgardia 34, 105–166.Google Scholar
DeBach, P., Dietrick, E.J. & Fleschner, C.A. (1951) Ants vs. biological control of citrus pests. California Citrograph 36, 312, 347, 348.Google Scholar
Evans, E.W. & Toler, T.R. (2007) Aggregation of polyphagous predators in response to multiple prey: ladybirds (Coleoptera : Coccinellidae) foraging in alfalfa. Population Ecology 49, 29–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flanders, S.E. (1942) Propagation of black scale on potato sprouts. Journal of Economic Entomology 35, 687–689.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flanders, S.E. (1945) Coincident infestations of Aonidiella citrina and Coccus hesperidum, a result of ant activity. Journal of Economic Entomology 38, 711–712.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forster, L.D., Luck, R.F. & Grafton-Cardwell, E.E. (1995) Life Stages of California Red Scale and its Parasitoids. Publication 21529, Oakland, California, USA, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California.Google Scholar
Gullan, P.J. (1997) Relationships with ants. pp. 351–373 in Ben-Dov, Y. & Hodgson, C.J. (Eds) Soft Scale Insects-Their Biology, Natural Enemies and Control. Part A. New York, USA, Elsevier.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gullan, P.J. & Kosztarab, M. (1997) Adaptations in scale insects. Annual Review of Entomology 42, 23–50.Google Scholar
James, D.G., Stevens, M.M. & O'Malley, K.J. (1997) The impact of foraging ants on populations of Coccus hesperidum Linnaeus (Hemiptera: Coccidae) and Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) in an Australian citrus grove. Journal of Applied Entomology 121, 257–259.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
James, D.G., Stevens, M.M., O'Malley, K.J. & Faulder, R.J. (1999) Ant foraging reduces the abundance of beneficial and incidental arthropods in citrus canopies. Biological Control 14, 121–126.Google Scholar
Kaneko, S. (2007) Predator and parasitoid attacking ant-attended aphids: effects of predator presence and attending ant species on emerging parasitoid numbers. Ecological Research 22, 451–458.Google Scholar
Liere, H. & Perfect, I. (2008) Cheating on a mutualism: Indirect benefits of ant attendance to a coccidophagous coccinellid. Environmental Entomology 37, 143–149.Google Scholar
Martinez-Ferrer, M.T., Grafton-Cardwell, E.E. & Shorey, H.H. (2002) Disruption of parasitism of the California red scale (Homoptera: Diaspididae) by three ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Biological Control 26, 279–286.Google Scholar
Pekas, A., Tena, A., Aguilar, A. & Garcia-Marí, F. (2010) Effect of Mediterranean ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on California red scale (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) populations in citrus orchards. Environmental Entomology 30, 827–834.Google Scholar
Richardson, N.L. (1978) Biological aspects of co-existence between Comperiella bifasciata Howard (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidae: Encyrtidae) and Aphytis spp. Howard (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidae: Aphelinidae). pp. 150–153 in Cary, P.R. (Ed.) Proceedings of the International Society of Citriculture, Griffith, NSW, Australia, International Society of Citriculture.Google Scholar
Rosen, D. & DeBach, P. (1978) Diaspididae. pp. 78–128 in Clausen, C.P. (Ed.) Introduced Parasites and Predators of Arthropods Pests and Weeds: A World Review. Agriculture Handbook 480. Washington, DC, United States Department of Agriculture.Google Scholar
Samways, M.J., Nel, M. & Prins, A.J. (1982) Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) foraging in citrus trees and attending honeydew-producing Homoptera. Phytophylacica 14, 155–157.Google Scholar
Sanders, C.J. (1972) Seasonal and daily activity patterns of carpenter ants (Camponotus spp.) in northwestern Ontario (Hymenoptera-Formicidae). Canadian Entomologist 104, 1681–1687.Google Scholar
Schmidt, S. & Polaszek, A. (2007) Encarsia or Encarsiella? – redefining generic limits based on morphological and molecular evidence (Hymenoptera, Aphelinidae). Systematic Entomology 32, 81–94.Google Scholar
Ślipiński, A. (2007) Australian Ladybird Beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Canberra, Australia, CSIRO Entomology.Google Scholar
Smith, D., Beattie, G.A.C. & Broadley, R. (1997) Citrus Pests and Their Natural Enemies: Integrated Pest Management in Australia. Brisbane, Australia, Queensland Department of Primary Industries.Google Scholar
Stevens, M.M., James, D.G., O'Malley, K.J. & Coombes, N.E. (1998) Seasonal variations in foraging by ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in two New South Wales citrus orchards. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 38, 889–896.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turchin, P. (1987) The role of aggregation in the response of Mexican bean beetles to host-plant density. Oecologia 71, 577–582.Google Scholar
Turchin, P. & Kareiva, P. (1989) Aggregation in Aphis varians: an effective strategy for reducing predation risk. Ecology 70, 1008–1016.Google Scholar
Völkl, W. (1995) Behavioral and morphological adaptations of the coccinellid, Platynaspis luteorubra for exploiting ant-attended resources (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Journal of Insect Behavior 8, 653–670.Google Scholar
Way, M.J. (1954) Studies on the association of the ant Oecophylla longinoda (Lath.) (Formicidae) with the scale insect Saissetia zanzibarensis Williams (Coccidae). Bulletin of Entomological Research 45, 113–134.Google Scholar
Way, M.J. (1963) Mutualism between ants and honeydew-producing Homoptera. Annual Review of Entomology 8, 307–344.Google Scholar