Urophora affinis

Last updated

Urophora affinis
Urophora affinis01.jpg
Urophora affinis
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Tephritidae
Subfamily: Tephritinae
Tribe: Myopitini
Genus: Urophora
Species:
U. affinis
Binomial name
Urophora affinis
(Frauenfeld, 1857) [1]
Synonyms

Urophora affinis is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the genus Urophora of the family Tephritidae. [2] It has been released in the United States and Canada as a biocontrol agent to control spotted knapweed. U. affinis became established in Montana in 1973. [3]

Contents

Life history

U. affinis is multivoltine and overwinters as a larva in knapweed flower heads. In June, adults oviposit on seed heads. Each female can produce about 120 eggs. [4] It has been shown to reduce seed production in knapweed (spotted and diffuse) by up to 95% [5] but that is insufficient for effective management of either species. [5] [6] Overwintering Urophora larvae are heavily preyed upon by deer mice Peromyscus maniculatus . [7] The inability of Urophora species to control knapweed led to the introduction of other biocontrol agents, including the weevils Larinus minutus and Bangasternus fausti , which also attack seed heads of knanpweed. In cage experiments, larvae of Larinus minutus and Bangasternus fausti have been shown to consume the developing U. affinis. [8] Reproduction of U. affinis was reduced by L. minutus. [8]

Distribution

France & Germany East to Ukraine & southwest Russia, Italy, Balkans, Turkey & Iran; introduced to North America

Related Research Articles

<i>Centaurea</i> Genus of flowering plants belonging to the daisy and sunflower family

Centaurea is a genus of over 700 species of herbaceous thistle-like flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Members of the genus are found only north of the equator, mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere; the Middle East and surrounding regions are particularly species-rich. In the western United States, yellow starthistles are an invasive species. Around the year 1850, seeds from the plant had arrived to the state of California. It is believed that those seeds came from South America.

<i>Centaurea diffusa</i> Species of flowering plant

Centaurea diffusa, also known as diffuse knapweed, white knapweed or tumble knapweed, is a member of the genus Centaurea in the family Asteraceae. This species is common throughout western North America but is not actually native to the North American continent, but to the eastern Mediterranean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tephritidae</span> Family of fruit flies

The Tephritidae are one of two fly families referred to as fruit flies, the other family being the Drosophilidae. The family Tephritidae does not include the biological model organisms of the genus Drosophila, which is often called the "common fruit fly". Nearly 5,000 described species of tephritid fruit fly are categorized in almost 500 genera of the Tephritidae. Description, recategorization, and genetic analyses are constantly changing the taxonomy of this family. To distinguish them from the Drosophilidae, the Tephritidae are sometimes called peacock flies, in reference to their elaborate and colorful markings. The name comes from the Greek τεφρος, tephros, meaning "ash grey". They are found in all the biogeographic realms.

<i>Centaurea solstitialis</i> Species of flowering plant

Centaurea solstitialis, the yellow star-thistle, is a species of thorny plant in the genus Centaurea, which is part of the family Asteraceae. A winter annual, it is native to the Mediterranean Basin region and invasive in many other places. It is also known as golden starthistle, yellow cockspur and St. Barnaby's thistle.

<i>Agapeta zoegana</i> Species of moth

Agapeta zoegana is a species of moth known as the sulphur knapweed moth and the yellow-winged knapweed root moth. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against noxious knapweeds, particularly spotted knapweed and diffuse knapweed.

<i>Bangasternus fausti</i> Species of beetle

Bangasternus fausti is a species of true weevil known as the broad-nosed seed head weevil. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against noxious knapweeds, particularly spotted knapweed, squarrose knapweed, and diffuse knapweed.

Chaetorellia acrolophi is a species of tephritid fruit fly known as the knapweed peacock fly. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against noxious knapweeds, especially spotted knapweed.

<i>Cyphocleonus achates</i> Species of beetle

Cyphocleonus achates is a species of true weevil known as the knapweed root weevil. It is native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean and is used as an agent of biological pest control against noxious knapweeds, especially spotted knapweed. It has recently been spotted in India.

Larinus minutus is a species of true weevil known as the lesser knapweed flower weevil. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against noxious knapweeds, especially diffuse knapweed and spotted knapweed.

<i>Larinus obtusus</i> Species of beetle

Larinus obtusus is a species of true weevil known as the blunt knapweed flower weevil. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against noxious knapweeds, especially spotted knapweed.

<i>Larinus</i> Genus of beetles

Larinus is a genus of true weevils, comprising about 180 species, mostly in the Palaearctic region. Turkey appears to have a significant diversity of the group, with more than 50 species recorded in the Eastern part of the country.

<i>Metzneria paucipunctella</i> Species of moth

Metzneria paucipunctella is a species of moth known as the spotted knapweed seed head moth. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against noxious knapweeds, particularly spotted knapweed.

<i>Larinus curtus</i> Species of beetle

Larinus curtus is a species of true weevil known as the yellow starthistle flower weevil. It is native to Southern Italy, Southern Europe, the Middle East and the Caucasuses. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against the noxious weed yellow starthistle in the United States.

Centaurea virgata is a species of Centaurea. It is native to Western Asia. The subspecies C. virgata subsp. squarrosa is known as squarrose knapweed.

<i>Urophora</i> Genus of flies

Urophora is a genus of tephritid or fruit flies in the family Tephritidae.

<i>Urophora jaceana</i> Species of fly

Urophora jaceana is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the genus Urophora of the family Tephritidae. The host plant for the larvae is usually black knapweed or Centaurea debeauxii.

<i>Urophora quadrifasciata</i> Species of fly

Urophora quadrifasciata is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the genus Urophora of the family Tephritidae. The host plant for the larvae is usually a knapweed, and because of this, it is used to control Centaurea stoebe.

<i>Centaurea stoebe</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae

Centaurea stoebe, the spotted knapweed or panicled knapweed, is a species of Centaurea native to eastern Europe, although it has spread to North America, where it is considered an invasive species. It forms a tumbleweed, helping to increase the species' reach, and the seeds are also enabled by a feathery pappus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meadow knapweed</span> Species of flowering plant

Meadow knapweed is a fertile hybrid between black knapweed and brown knapweed. It is also known by the common names of hybrid knapweed or protean knapweed. The taxonomic status of the species is uncertain, and meadow knapweed has been variously described as different species. The Flora of North America refers to meadow knapweed as the nothospecies Centaurea × moncktonii.

References

  1. 1 2 Frauenfeld, G.R. von (1857). "Beiträge zur Naturgeschichte der Trypeten nebst Beschreibung einiger neuer Arten". Sitzungsberichte der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien. 22: 523–557, 1 pl. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  2. Norrbom, A.L.; Carroll, L.E.; Thompson, F.C.; White, I.M; Freidberg, A. (1999). "Systematic Database of Names. Pp. 65-252. In Thompson, F. C. (ed.), Fruit Fly Expert Identification System and Systematic Information Database". Myia. 9: vii + 524.
  3. Story JM. 1995a. Spotted knapweed. In: Nechols JR, Andres LA, Beardsley JW, Goeden RD, Jackson CG, editors. Biological Control in the Western United States: Accomplishments and benefits of Regional Research Project W-84, 1964-1989 University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Oakland. Publication 3361. pp 258-263
  4. Zwolfer H. 1970. Investigations on the host-specificity of Urophora affinis Frfld. (Diptera, Trypetidae). Progress Report, Commonwealth Institute of Biological Control. No. 25.
  5. 1 2 Harris P. 1980. Effects of Urophora affinis Frfld, and U. quadrifasciata (Meig.) (Diptera: Tephritidae) on Centaurea diffusa Lam. and C. maculosa Lam. (Compositae). Zeitschrift fur Angewandte Entomologie 90:190-201.
  6. Powell RD. (1990) The functional forms of density-dependent birth and death rates in diffuse knapweed (Centaurea diffusa) explain why it has not been controlled by Urophora affinis, U. quadrifasciata and Sphenoptera jugoslavica. In: Delfosse ES, editor. Proceedings VII International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds 6–11 March 1988, Rome, Italy. Instituto Sperimentale per la Patologia Vegetale (MAF). pp 195-202.
  7. Dean E. Pearson; Kevin S. McKelvey; Leonard F. Ruggiero (2000). "Non-target effects of an introduced biological control agent on deer mouse ecology" (PDF). Oecologia 122:121–128.
  8. 1 2 L. Smith & M. Mayer (August 2005). "Field cage assessment of interference among insects attacking seed heads of spotted and diffuse knapweed" (PDF). Biocontrol Science and Technology. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2010-01-08.