Virgilio Caleca

• Professor
• Professor (Associate) at University of Palermo

Wild olive seed weevil, Anchonocranus oleae Marshall, larvae as well as oviposition and feeding damage were recorded in cultivated olives during a recent study on olive seed wasps. Prematurely dropped fruit and fruit picked at harvest in two orchards near Stellenbosch and Agter-Paarl were examined regularly for olive seed wasp infestation over thre...

Anchonocranus oleae Marshall (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a seed-feeding weevil native to southern Africa; its larvae are known to develop in the fruits of the African Wild Olive and, more rarely, cultivated olives. The species has been mainly found in the Western Cape province of South Africa, but it has remained in relative obscurity because it...

The objectives of this study were the specific taxonomic confirmation of the main olive seed wasp (OSW) attacking commercial olives in the Western Cape, to investigate monitoring methods and seasonal occurrence of OSW, to determine the potential economic damage of infestations, and to ascertain the geographic distribution of OSW in the regions wher...

The family Braconidae consists mostly of specialized parasitoids, some of which hold potential in biocontrol of agricultural pests. Psyttalia concolor, Psyttalia humilis and Psyttalia lounsburyi are parasitoids associated with Bactrocera oleae, a major pest of cultivated olives. The native range of Psyttalia concolor is the Mediterranean, and P. hu...

Wild and cultivated olives in the Western Cape of South Africa are direct or indirect hosts to a high diversity of Braconidae and Chalcidoidea wasps. Olive-associated Braconidae are known to parasitise the larvae of Bactrocera oleae (Rossi), and probably also Bactrocera biguttula (Bezzi). The lifestyle of olive-associated Chalcidoidea is not fully...

The hymenopteran family Platygastridae is a large group of parasitic wasps. A survey was carried out on the subfamily Sceliotrachelinae (Hym.: Platygastridae) in East Azerbaijan and Fars provinces of Iran. The genus Fidobia Ashmead and three species, Allotropa conventus Maneval, Fidiobia hofferi Kozlov and Isolia mongolica (Kozlov) are newly record...

The sexual generation of Dryocosmus destefanii Cerasa & Melika, 2018 that emerges from galls on Q. suber L. in Italy is described for the first time, establishing its heterogonic life cycle. We provide observations on its distribution, illustration of adults and galls and information on its biology as supported by morphological and molecular data....

Accurate identification of parasitoids is crucial for biological control of the invasive brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomrpha halys (Stål). A recent work by Talamas et al. (2017) revised the Palearctic fauna of Trissolcus Ashmead, egg-parasitoids of stink bugs, and treated numerous species as junior synonyms of T. semistriatus (Nees von Esenbeck)...

The olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae, is considered the main olive pest worldwide, and has been the target of biological control programmes through the release of the braconid parasitoid Psyttalia concolor. Laboratory tests were performed to evaluate the influence of distance from the host on parasitisation, placing larvae of the substitute host C...

Abstract: Most phytophagous insects on cultivated olives, Olea europaea L. subsp. europaea var. europaea, in South Africa are native and come from the local wild olive tree, Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata. This paper presents the first qualitative and comparative data regarding the phytophagous seed wasps on cultivated and wild olives. From 2009 to...

The wild olive seed weevil, Anchonocranus oleae Marshall, 1912 was not found after its description and the study of its biology by Silvestri in 1915. Recently, A. oleae larvae were found alive inside the kernels of wild olives (O. europaea subsp. cuspidata) collected from trees between 2009 and 2012 in the Western Cape, South Africa. No weevil larv...

Rapisarda C.-Environmental factors impact and incidence of parasitism of Psyllaephagus bliteus Riek (Hymenoptera Encyrtidae) on populations of Glycaspis brimblecombei Moore (Hemiptera Aphalaridae) in Mediterranean climatic areas. The red gum lerp psyllid, Glycaspis brimblecombei Moore (Hemiptera, Aphalaridae), is an Australian native sap-sucking in...

Laboratory trials were performed to evaluate the action of spinosad and mineral oil on eggs of Grapholita funebrana Treitschke, the key pest in plum orchards. Fruits of cultivars Angeleno, President and Stanley were used in the trials. The first set of tests was carried out by introducing two mated females of G. funebrana into a cage together with...

Bactrocera biguttula is an African olive fruit fly that does not attack cultivated olives but rather develops in the fruits of wild species of Olea and Noronhia. The complete mitochondrial genome of an individual specimen was characterized in comparison to other Bactrocera. The phylogenetic relationships of B. biguttula with other Dacini were inves...

Wild and cultivated olives harbor and share a diversity of insects, some of which are considered agricultural pests, such as the olive fruit fly. The assemblage of olive-associated parasitoids and seed wasps is rich and specialized in sub-Saharan Africa, with native species possibly coevolving with their hosts. Although historical entomological sur...

A review is reported in the present paper on invasive alien insects introduced in Sicily on Eucalyptus trees, together with unpublished results from recent surveys. As to the latter ones, observations were conducted especially on Thaumastocoris peregrinus (Carpintero & Dellapé) (Hemiptera, Thaumastocoridae), the most recently introduced species. Ov...

The Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata is a major pest of fruit orchards worldwide. In order to develop control methods based on natural products, particularly required in organic farming, a laboratory study was carried out to evaluate the response of adults to leaf extracts from four plant species: Ruta graveolens, Eriobotrya japonica, Rub...

A new species, Dryocosmus destefanii Cerasa & Melika n. sp. associated with a Cerris section oak, Quercus suber L., is described from Italy. Description, diagnosis, host associations and biology for the new species and an illustrated identification key to the Western Palaearctic Dryocosmus species are given. The description is supported by morpholo...

Endemic parasitoid wasps may contribute to control Bactrocera oleae infestations in cultivated olive orchards. The Western Cape province of South Africa has a particularly rich diversity of these hymenopterans. Despite their potential utility as biocontrol agents in South Africa and other world regions, parasitoid wasps are understudied and lack st...

provinces during the summer of 2011 2013, via Malaise traps. Among the collected specimen from both cities, Marand (45°46'55"E & 38°25'25"N) and Khosroshah (46 02'55"E & 37 58'28"N) several platygastrid wasps were found. It belongs to the genus Aradophagus Ashmead that has not been reported from Iran.

The infestation due to the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi), the key pest in most of world olive groves, has been monitored in six years, from 2004 to 2008 and in 2014, in eight coastal Sicilian olive groves consisting of ‘Cerasuola’ and ‘Nocellara del Belice’ cultivars. Infestation was recorded following the classical sampling method base...

Natural environmental control of Bactrocera oleae (Rossi): climate or parasitoids? A comparison between the Western Cape of South Africa and Sicily. Bactrocera oleae (Rossi), the olive fruit fly is considered not a continuosly serious pest of olive trees in the Western Cape of South Africa, in spite of the climate similar to Mediterranean areas. So...

Glycaspis brimblecombei Moore (Hemiptera: Aphalaridae) is an invasive psyllid introduced into the Mediterranean area, where it affects several species of Eucalyptus. Psyllaephagus bliteus Riek (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is a specialized parasitoid of this psyllid that was accidentally introduced into Italy in 2011. We developed a model of this host–...

A revision of Afrotropical species of Dyscritobaeus Perkins is presented with re-description of the four known species (D. bicolor O’Connor et Ashe, D. comitans Perkins, D. parvipennis (Dodd) and D. sulawensis Mineo, O’Connor et Ashe) and description of six new species (D. antananarivensis Tortorici et Caleca sp. nov., D. flavus Tortorici et Caleca...

Puntuali strategie di controllo, campionamenti personalizzati e maggiore consapevolezza entomologica, insita nell’approccio del coltivatore biologico, consentono ottimi risultati quali-quantitativi ed economici nella difesa fitosanitaria in olivicoltura “organica” e in qualsiasi area olivicola italiana. Le minori spese fitosanitarie rispetto all’ol...

New records of Cynipid gall wasps and inquilines for the Italian peninsula and Sicily and their new host plants for the Palaearctic Region are listed and commented on. Among them we find: Cerroneuroterus cerrifloralis (Müllner 1901) as new for Italy and new for the Palaearctic region as host on Quercus suber; Andricus multiplicatus Giraud 1859 on Q...

OLIVE FRUIT FLY: A threat to the South African olive industry? Christian Giacalone1, Virgilio Caleca1, Elleunorah Allsopp2 1 University of Palermo, Sicily, Italy | 2 ARC Infruitec-Nietvoorbij, Stellenbsoch Olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae) is the most serious pest of cultivated olives in the Mediterranean basin. To date we have not seen the same l...

The pre-release risk assessment, a recommended practice in biological control programmes, was carried out before introducing Closterocerus chamaeleon (Girault), a eulophid parasitoid of the eucalypt gall maker Ophelimus maskelli (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae), in Sicily, Italy. We evaluated its host specificity in laboratory small arena nochoi...

Background: The control of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier), the main palm pest in the Mediterranean Basin, is problematic because of its biology and the current restrictions in many European countries on the use of chemical insecticides in urban areas. Entomopathogenic fungi have been studied as potential biological control agents, but informa...

Keywords cone and seed pest, host range, Mediterranean area, natural enemy, non-target species, Pinus pinea Correspondence P. F. Roversi (corresponding author), Consiglio per la Ricerca e la sperimentazione in Agricoltura, Centro di Ricerca per l'Agrobiologia e la Pedologia, Via di Lanciola 12/a, Abstract Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann (Hetero...

The monoterpenoid citral synergized the electroantennogram (EAG) response of male Grapholita molesta (Busck) antennae to its main pheromone compound Z8-12:OAc. The response to a 10-μg pheromone stimulus increased by 32, 45, 54, 71 and 94% with the addition of 0.1, 1, 10, 100 and 1,000 μg of citral, respectively. There was no detectable response to...

The biological activity of peel essential oils of two Sicilian cultivars of C. limon, ‘Interdonato’ and ‘Lunario’, was investigated by electrophysiological recordings (EAG) and field trials on Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera Tephritidae). The EAG data showed a remarkable dose-response relationship and a low activation threshold dose (10-3M)...

The susceptibility of olive cultivars to the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae), has seldom been studied. This article examines factors associated with olive fruit fly infestation of 16 commonly planted Sicilian olive cultivars. Total infestation data were simultaneously correlated with categorical and quantitative fac...

The control of the olive fruit fly in integrated and organic olive crops. Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) is the key pest of the olive agroecosystem; it is distributed in all Italian olive crops, except in some areas at higher altitude where low temperatures do not allow the development of the fly. The olive fruit fly development is strictly affected by t...

The parasitoid complex of the western conifer seed bug, Leptoglossus occidentalis, was studied in British Columbia and California on Pinus monticola and P. contorta var. latifolia. Three egg-parasitoid species were identified: Gryon pennsylvanicum (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae), Ooencyrtus johnsoni (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) and Anastatus pearsalli (...

Psyllaephagus bliteus Riek (Hymenoptera Encyrtidae), parasitoid of the red gum lerp psyllid Glycaspis brimblecombei Moore (Hemiptera Psyllidae), has been recorded for the first time in Italy in September 2011. The arrival of P. bliteus in Sicily is due to an accidental introduction, probably together with its host, as already happened in New Zealan...

In 2010, inside organic greenhouses of Palermo Province in Sicily, natural enemies of Tuta absoluta were investigated. Sampled plants were: tomato, egg plant and the spontaneous Solanum nigrum. In order to control the moth the grower performed three sprays containing Bacillus thuringiensis in March and April. The mirid Nesidiocoris tenuis has been...

The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera Tephritidae), is the key pest in some organically managed citrus orchards in Sicily. The effectiveness of processed kaolin (Surround WP) for control of C. capitata damage was tested in field trials carried out in 2003-2004 on two early ripening citrus species: satsuma (Citrus unsh...

Leptoglossus occidentalis (Heteroptera, Coreidae), a Nearctic species, was accidentally introduced into Northern Italy in the late 1990s, from where it has spread throughout Europe. The bug causes abortion of immature cones of Pinus pinea L., with economic impact on the pine-nut industry. As part of a pest control research program, the egg parasito...

Spread of the exotic parasitoid Closterocerus chamaeleon (Girault) and its parasitism on the Eucalyptus gall wasp Ophelimus maskelli (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae) were studied in Sicily after C. chamaeleon introduction in May 2006. Parasitoid spread was evaluated by sampling sites at increasing distances from the five release sites. C. chamae...

On the presence in Sicily of Glycaspis brimblecombei Moore (Hemiptera Psyllidae) on Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. Authors record the occurrence in Sicily of the red gum lerp psyllid, Glycaspis brimblecombei Moore (Hemiptera Psyllidae) attacking Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. (Myrtaceae). This species, native to Australia, has been first reported...

Tests on the effect of clays (kaolin and bentonite) and copper products (hydroxide and oxychloride) in the control of olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi), and Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), were carried out from 2003 to 2006 in olive groves and in organic citrus orchards (satsuma, clementine, 'Navelina' orange). Resu...

The endophagous parasitoid Closterocerus chamaeleon, released in Israel, Italy and Corsica, for classical biological control programs, and its host, the gall-maker Ophelimus maskelli, were recorded for the first time in Algeria, in a straight line 450 km far from the Sardinian release site and 700 km far from the closest Sicilian release site. Thei...

The solitary parasitoid Eretmocerus mundus Mercet (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) is one of the key biological control agents of the whitefly Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring, also known as B. tabaci (Gennadius) B-biotype (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae). We present new information on its biology, and particularly about larval elimination during the first...

Repellent and antiovipositional products in the control of Bactrocera oleae (Gmelin) finds a great interest in organic farming, because of the lack of effective products able to kill the olive fly preimmaginal stages. In 2003 in Castelvetrano (Trapani province, Sicily), tests on the effectiveness of Surround WP, a product containing 95% of kaolin,...

In Sicily there are several organic farms producing olive oil and the number of farms has grown in the last years. The control methods of Bactrocera oleae (Gmelin) used by Sicilian organic farms were surveyed in 2004 and 2005. After a bibliographic search, on search engines on internet and by personal contacts, a sample of 30 organic farms in Sicil...

The significance of spontaneous plants for the populations of two exotic parasitoids, Semielacher petiolatus (Girault) and Citrostichus phyllocnistoides (Narayanan), was investigated in five Sicilian citrus groves. Both species were obtained from two herbs typically growing beneath the citrus trees in the period of scarce availability of the target...

Genetic resistance of olive germplasm could be an important tool in the control of Bactrocera oleae (Gmelin), the key pest in the Mediterranean olive growing. Up to now, no study was carried out on olive cultivars stressed a complete resistance to the attack of B. oleae, and few scientific data are available on susceptibility to olive fruit fly of...

Natural pollination in cultivated Annona species or hybrids is provided by insects, and Coleoptera Nitidulidae are considered the most important pollinators. An inadequate pollination is one of the factors limiting the commercial production of cherimoya and atemoya. The possibility ofmanaging nitidulid populations into the Annona spp. orchards, to...

Abstract A new method for rearing the citrus flower moth (Prays citri Mill.) (Lepidoptera, Yponomeutidae) on lemon [Citrus limon (L.) Burm.] callus is reported. In the present research callus (an undifferentiated mass of plant cells that can be grown under sterile conditions on an artificial medium in vitro) was induced from lemon stigma and style...

A new method for rearing the citrus flower moth (Prays citri Mill.) (Lepidoptera, Yponomeutidae) on lemon [Citrus limon (L.) Burm.] callus is reported. In the present research callus (an undifferentiated mass of plant cells that can be grown under sterile conditions on an artificial medium in vitro) was induced from lemon stigma and style explants...

The genus Encyrtoscelio Dodd is revised. E. apterus (Szelényi), E. mirissimus Dodd, E. turneri Waterston are redescribed, and six new species are described: E. cydni Caleca, E. japonicus Caleca, E. mediterraneus Caleca, E. miroides Caleca, E. spuratus Caleca and E. undecim Caleca. A key to separate females is presented, and is based on the number o...

A new scelionid is described from Africa: Aradophagus nicolai sp. n.

A new species of breviscelio Sundholm and the male of B. crenatus are described. Characters to distinguish the only two described species of the genus are provided

EXPERIMENTS ON THE REPRODUCTIVE ISOLATION IN THREE SPECIES OF THE GENUS GRYON HALIDAY (HYM. PROCTOTRUPOIDEA, SCELIONIDAE). The author reports experiments concerning the reproductive isolation between Gryon muscaeformis and G. bosellii, as well as between G. bosellii and G. bolivari. He also reports data on examination of postmarginalis and stigmali...