Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T02:55:48.987Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Population ecology of Heteronyx piceus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in a peanut/maize cropping system

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

A.L. Ward  and
D.J. Rogers
A.L. Ward
Affiliation:
Farming Systems Institute, Queensland Department of Primary Industries, PO Box 23, Kingaroy, Queensland 4610, Australia
D.J. Rogers*
Affiliation:
Farming Systems Institute, Department of Primary Industries, 80 Meiers Rd, Indooroopilly, Queensland 4067, Australia
*
*BeckerUnderwood Australia, RMB 1084, Pacific Highway, Somersby, New South Wales 2250, Australia Fax: +61 2 4340 2243 E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Large larval populations of the scarabaeid beetle Heteronyx piceus Blanchard that occur under peanuts, but not maize, in the South Burnett region of Australia are the result of a high rate and prolonged period of egg production by females feeding on peanut foliage. Heteronyx piceus is a relatively sedentary species and movement of females between adjacent fields is low. Populations of H. piceus varied markedly with landscape position. High larval populations are more likely (1 in 4 chance) to be encountered on the ‘scrub’ soils in the upper parts of the landscape than in the ‘forest’ soils in the lower half (1 in 20 chance), indicating that soil type/landscape position is a key risk factor in assessing the need for management intervention. The studies indicate that, because of the species' sedentary nature, the most meaningful population entity for management of H. piceus is the individual field, rather than the whole-farm or the region. The implications of this population ecology for management of the pest are discussed in relation to control strategies.

Keywords

Heteronyx piceuspeanutsoil typelandscape positionAustraliapest management
Type
Review Article
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 96 , Issue 2 , April 2006 , pp. 129 - 136
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

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

Britton, E.B. (2000) A review of Heteronyx Guerin-Meneville (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae). Invertebrate Taxonomy 14, 465–589CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cherry, R.H. & Allsopp, P.G.A. (1991) Soil texture and distribution of Antitrogus parvulus Britton, Lepidiota crinita Brenski and L. negatoria Blackburn (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in south Queensland cane fields. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 30, 889–892Google Scholar
Crosthwaite, I. (1994) Peanut growing in Australia. 93 pp. Queensland Department of Primary Industries Information Series Q194019. QDPI, Brisbane.Google Scholar
Farrell, J.A.K. (1973) Effects of initial body weight and feeding on fecundity and longevity of adult Costelytra zealandica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). New Zealand Journal of Science 16, 53–57Google Scholar
French, C. (1915) An insect pest of lucerne: cockchafer grubs (Heteronyx piceus Blanch.). Journal of Department of Agriculture, Victoria 13, 567–569Google Scholar
Gough, N. & Brown, J.D. (1988) Insecticidal control of white grubs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) on the Atherton Tableland, with observations on crop losses. Queensland Journal of Agricultural and Animal Sciences 45, 9–17Google Scholar
Gough, N. & Brown, J.D. (1991) Development of larvae of the whitefringed weevil, Graphognathus leucoloma (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in northern Queensland. Bulletin of Entomological Research 81, 385–393CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harari, A.R., Ben, Yakir, D., Chen, M., Rosen D. (1997) Population dynamics of Maladera matrida (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in peanut fields in Israel. Environmental Entomology 26, 1040–1048Google Scholar
Litsinger, J.A., Libetario, E.M. & Barrion, A.T. (2002) Population dynamics of white grubs in the upland rice and maize environment of Northern Mindanao, Philippines. International Journal of Pest Management 48, 239–260Google Scholar
Logan, D.P. (1997) Distribution of eggs and larvae of Childers canegrub, Antitrogus parvulus Britton (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), in relation to patches of canegrub-damaged sugarcane. pp. 52–55Allsopp, P.G., Rogers, D.J., Robertson, L.N., (Eds) Soil invertebrates in 1997. Brisbane, BSESGoogle Scholar
Milne, A., Laughlin, R. (1956) Biology and ecology of the garden chafer, Phyllopertha horticola (L.). I. The adult and egg production. Bulletin of Entomological Research 47, 7–22CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morgan, F.D., Bungey, R.S. & Crosby, T.K. (1978) Population dynamics of Heteronyx obesus in South Australia, 62–66Pottinger, R.P. (Ed.) Proceedings of the 2nd Australasian Grasslands Invertebrate Ecology ConferencePalmerston North, New Zealand.Google Scholar
Popay, A.J. (1992) Population regulation of Costelytra zealandica by pathogens in the North Island of New Zealand pp. 141–151Jackson, T.A. & Glare, T.R. (Eds) Use of pathogens in scarab pest management. Andover, Intercept.Google Scholar
Robertson, L.N. & Kettle, B.A. (1994) Biology of Pseudoheteronyx sp. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) on the Central Highlands of Queensland. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 33, 181–184CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robertson, L., Allsopp, P.G. & Rogers, D.J. (1997a) Management of soil insects after 40 years in the Wilderness: high technology or working with nature? pp. 1–7 in Allsopp, P.G., Rogers, D.J. & Robertson, L.N. (Eds) Soil invertebrates in 1997. Brisbane, BSES.Google Scholar
Robertson, L., Dall, D.J., Lai-Fook, J. & Kettle, C.G. (1997b) Population dynamics of greyback canegrub (Dermolepida albohirtum) in North Queensland sugarcane (Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae). pp. 140–144Allsopp, P.G., Rogers, D.J. & Robertson, L.N. (Eds) Soil invertebrates in 1997. Brisbane, BSESGoogle Scholar
Robertson, L., Willoughby, B., Ward, A. & Allsopp, P. (1999) Comparative review of population dynamics of scarab pests. pp. 10–20 in Matthiessen, J.N. (Ed) Proceedings of the 7th Australasian Grasslands Invertebrate Ecology Conference CSIRO Entomology, Perth, Australia.Google Scholar
Rogers, D.J. (1989) Biology and abundance of white grubs on peanuts in south Queensland. 63–66Robertson, L.N. & Allsopp, P.G. (Ed.) Proceedings of Soil Invertebrates Workshop, Brisbane BrisbaneAustralia QDPI Conference and Workshop Series QC89004, Brisbane, Australia.Google Scholar
Rogers, D.J. & Brier, H.B. (1992) Application methods for granular insecticides to control Heteronyx piceus Blanchard (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) larvae in peanuts in Queensland. Plant Protection Quarterly 7, 48–50Google Scholar
Rogers, D.J., Brier, H.B. & Houston, K.J. (1992) Scarabaeidae (Coleoptera) associated with peanuts in southern Queensland. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 31, 177–181Google Scholar
Rogers, D.J., Ward, A.L., Wightman, J. (in press) Damage potential of two scarab species on groundnut. International Journal of Pest ManagementGoogle Scholar
Sorby, P. & Reid, R.E. (2001) Soils and agricultural suitability of the South Burnett agricultural lands, Queensland BrisbaneGoogle Scholar
Vandersee, B.E. & Kent, D.J. (1983) Land resources for the Burnett region Part 1: South Burnett. Queensland Department of Primary Industries Land Resources Bulletin QV 83001.Google Scholar
Vittum, P.J. & Murzuch, B.J. (1990) Effect of soil pH on Japanese beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) oviposition in potted turfgrass. Journal of Economic Entomology 83, 2036–2039CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vittum, P.J., Tashiro, H. (1980) Effect of soil pH on survival of Japanese beetle and European cockchafer larvae. Journal of Economic Entomology 73, 577–579CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wensler, R.J. (1971) Biology and rearing of the scarabaeid Sericesthis geminata (Coleoptera). Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 10, 285–289CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wightman, J.A., Ranga, Rao G.V. (1994) Groundnut pests. pp. 395–469 in Smartt, J. (Ed.) The groundnut crop: a scientific basis for improvement London, Chapman and Hall.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilkening, A.J., Foltz, J.L., Atkinson, T.H. & Connor, M.D. (1981) An omnidirectional flight trap for ascending and descending insects. Canadian Entomologist 113, 453–455CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yadava, C.P.S. & Sharma, G.K. (1995) Indian whitegrubs and their management. 26 pp. Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi.Google Scholar