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Biology, damage and parasitoids of the Eucalyptus gall wasp, Leptocybe invasa (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), infesting Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Myrtaceae) in Maragamuwa plantation, Sri Lanka

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 August 2014

Udagedara Kanchana Sandya Kumari Udagedara  and
Warusapperuma Arachchilage Inoka Pushpakumari Karunaratne
Udagedara Kanchana Sandya Kumari Udagedara
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Warusapperuma Arachchilage Inoka Pushpakumari Karunaratne*
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
*
*E-mail: inokap@pdn.ac.lk
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Abstract

Leptocybe invasa Fisher & La Salle was first recorded several years ago in Sri Lanka in the Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. plantation in Maragamuwa. Recent observations have revealed a decrease in gall infestation, and the present study was conducted to investigate the biology of L. invasa, its damage to E. camaldulensis and the presence of any natural enemies. Life-cycle duration, developmental stages and activity patterns were investigated. The abundance of gall wasps was monitored using sticky traps. Damage caused to different stages of coppices was also assessed. The damage index was calculated from the percentage of leaves affected in each coppice. Insects were reared from the galled coppices, brought to the laboratory, identified and counted. The life-cycle duration of L. invasa was 132 days on average. The damage index was low throughout the study period. Leptocybe invasa attacked the coppices of E. camaldulensis when they turned green in colour; damage increased as the coppices developed until maturity. Four species of parasitoid wasps were reared from the leaf and shoot galls. Megastigmus sp. was the most abundant parasitoid; the mean percentage of parasitization was 67.00 ± 8.00. Natural enemies of L. invasa might have contributed to the decrease in gall infestation observed recently in the coppices of E. camaldulensis in the study site.

Keywords

biologyparasitoidsLeptocybe invasaMegastigmus sp.Eucalyptus camaldulensisSri Lanka
Type
Research Papers
Information
International Journal of Tropical Insect Science , Volume 34 , Issue 3 , September 2014 , pp. 179 - 189
Copyright
Copyright © ICIPE 2014 

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