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Note: First record of the eucalyptus gall wasp Ophelimus maskelli and its parasitoid, Closterocerus chamaeleon , in Turkey

August 2007
Phytoparasitica 35(4):333-335

DOI:10.1007/BF02980695

Authors:

Mikdat DOĞANLAR

Mustafa Kemal University

Zvi Mendel

Agricultural Research Organization ARO

The Eucalyptus gall waspOphelimus maskelli (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eulophidae: Ophelimini) and its introduced parasitoidClosterocerus chamaeleon (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eulophidae: Entedoninae) are recorded for the first time in the Mediterranean and Aegean Regions of Turkey. Some morphological characters of adult and larva ofO. maskelli and larva ofC. chamaeleon are described and illustrated. Distributions of the two wasps collected in Turkey are given. Results indicate that the biological control agent,C. chamaeleon, has spread over 1,300 km in the 16 months since its initial release.

Ophelimus maskelli female collected in Hatay, Turkey: female (A), fore wing (B), antenna, cephalic substructure and spiracles of the larvae (C); and cephalic substructure and spiracles of the larvae of Closterocerus chamaeleon (D).

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ENTOMOLOGY M. Doˇganlar and Z. Mendel (2007) Phytoparasitica 35(4):333-335

NOTE:First Record of the Eucalyptus Gall Wasp Ophelimus

maskelli and Its Parasitoid, Closterocerus chamaeleon, in

Turkey

M. Doˇganlar1and Z. Mendel∗,2

The Eucalyptus gall wasp Ophelimus maskelli (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eu-

lophidae: Ophelimini) and its introduced parasitoid Closterocerus chamaeleon (Hymenoptera:

Chalcidoidea: Eulophidae: Entedoninae) are recorded for the ﬁrst time in the Mediterranean

and Aegean Regions of Turkey. Some morphological characters of adult and larva of O.

maskelli and larva of C. chamaeleon are described and illustrated. Distributions of the two

wasps collected in Turkey are given. Results indicate that the biological control agent, C.

chamaeleon, has spread over 1,300 km in the 16 months since its initial release.

KEY WORDS: Biological control; Closterocerus chamaeleon; eucalyptus; Ophelimus maskelli.

The gall wasp Ophelimus maskelli (Ash-

mead) is a pest of eucalypts which has recently

invaded the Mediterranean Basin, where it was

originally reported under the name O. euca-

lypti (Gahan) by several groups of researchers

(1,3,5,8-10). However, at the present stage of

the research, it was shown by Protasov, Blum-

berg, Brand, La Salle and Mendel (submitted for

publication) that the correct name forthis species

in Israel is O. maskelli (Ashmead), based on

the taxonomic history, diagnostic characteristics,

biology and impact on host plants.

An integrated control program on gall-

inducing pests was initiated by M. Doˇganlar

and colleagues in 2005, after the discovery of

Leptocybe invasa Fisher and LaSalle (6) in Hatay

province, Turkey, by Doˇganlar (4), and in other

parts of the Mediterranean region by Aytar (2).

Projects were undertaken to discover natural en-

emies of L. invasa through collecting and cul-

turing samples under laboratory conditions, and

to determine resistant/tolerant varieties of Eu-

calyptus camaldulensis and E. grandis through

collecting seedlings from nature and testing their

tolerance to attack by L. invasa. Up to now

no natural enemies have been found, but some

resistant and tolerant Eucalyptus varieties have

been found. These studies are being continued.

In the second half of December 2006

and in January 2007 many specimens of E.

camaldulensis and E. nigra leaves galled by

O. maskelli were collected from the towns

of Kırıkhan, Kumlu, Antakya and Iskenderun

(Hatay province), Adana city center, the villages

of G¨unyurdu Arıklı and Yenice-Tarsus, the city

center of Tarsus (Mersin province); in Alanya-

Antalya and Muˇgla in July – August 2006; and

from Urla, Gaziemir, C¸ iˇgli, and Izmir city center

in February 2007. Pre-hatched adults of O.

maskelli were removed from the galls, and iden-

tiﬁed using the diagnostic characters provided by

Protasov et al. (7). In particular, the forewing

has only a single submarginal seta, the prestig-

mal, marginal and stigmal veins are distinctly

broadened and darkened, and the postmarginal

vein is longer than the marginal vein (Fig. 1A);

there are two funicular segments, both having

distinct linear sensila; the ﬁrst one being about

Received Feb. 28, 2007; accepted May 8, 2007; http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting July 29, 2007.

1Dept. of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Mustafa Kemal University, 31034 Antakya, Hatay, Turkey

[doganlar@mku.edu.tr].

2Dept. of Entomology, ARO, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel. *Corresponding author [e-mail:

zmendel@volcani.agri.gov.il].

Phytoparasitica 35:4, 2007 333

half the length of the second, but clearly larger

than the three anellar segments (Fig. 1B). Other

characteristics are as described by Protasov et al.

(7). Many of the galls harbor overwintering lar-

vae of O. maskelli which have plant material in

their mid-guts. They are very different from

the parasitoid larvae in having very long coni-

cal papillae and a wide opening of the stigma

(Fig. 1C), whereas the larvae of Closterocerus

chamaeleon have much smaller papillae and a

narrower opening of the stigma (Fig. 1D).

Several hundred females of C. chamaeleon

were reared from the galls of O. maskelli col-

lected from Kırıkhan and from Tarsus city cen-

ter since mid-December 2006; no males were

found. Dissection of the galls revealed that

the parasitoids overwinter as last-instar larvae

or pupae. However, they were able to develop

into adults when they were kept under laboratory

conditions at 20–25◦C and 70–80% r.h. The

population of C. chamaeleon in Hatay province

originated from individuals that were released in

several locations in Israel from September 2005

to March 2006 and dispersed northward. The

parasitoids released in Israel were collected from

E. camaldulensis trees growing on the banks

of the Murrumbidgee River in Wagga Wagga,

NSW, Australia, in 2005. In January 2007,

C. chamaeleon was found in galled E. camal-

dulensis leaves collected in the city of Izmir,

approximately 1,300 km from the release sites in

the central coastal plain of Israel (at Bet Dagan).

This provides evidence that the parasitoid has

already spread some 1,300 km from the release

sites in Israel in only 16 months. Such an

impressive spread for an introduced parasitoid

indicates that it may be capable of providing

substantial biological control in the region.

The work on life history and relationships of

the galler and the parasitoid, and the survey of

their distributions in Turkey, are continuing.

Fig. 1. Ophelimus maskelli female collected in Hatay, Turkey: female (A), fore wing (B), antenna,

cephalic substructure and spiracles of the larvae (C); and cephalic substructure and spiracles of the

larvae of Closterocerus chamaeleon (D).

334 M. Doˇganlar and Z. Mendel

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank the staff of the Forestry Department of Hatay for their help in collecting the specimens in their

Eucalyptus-growing areas; and Dr. John La Salle for his help in identifying the species of Closterocerus

chamaeleon, and for his valuable comments on the manuscript.

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Phytoparasitica 35:4, 2007 335

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Feb 2007

Ophelimus maskelli (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), an invasive species in the Mediterranean area that occurs naturally onEucalyptus camaldulensis at Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, was studied in Israel on the same host plant. The most distinctive characteristic ofO. maskelli as compared with other congeners is the presence of only a single seta on the submarginal vein.O. maskelli shows a clear tendency to oviposit in developed, immature leaves, and it prefers to oviposit on an area of the leaf blade near the petiole. The female lays an average of 109 eggs when maintained on water alone. The egglaying distribution tended towards aggregation, and the same tendency has also been observed within and among trees. The wasp prefers to attack the lower canopy. The gall diameter ranged from 1.2 to 0.9 mm, and gall density from 11.5 to 36.0 galls cm−2, respectively. The typical color of the gall appeared as soon as third instar larva developed. Galls on shaded leaves remained green or greenish-yellow, whereas those that were exposed to the sun were reddish.O. maskelli produces three generations per year in Israel. High flight occurs among the spring generations, starting in early March. The wasps were attracted to green sticky plates much more than to the other tested colors. Heavy galling byO. maskelli results in premature shedding of the leaves, soon after the emergence of the wasps. Among the 84 eucalyptus species tested, the following 14 species were found to be suitable hosts:E. botryoides, E. bridgesiana, E. camaldulensis, E. cinerea, E. globulus, E. gunii, E. nicholii, E. pulverulenta, E. robusta, E. rudis, E. saligna, E. tereticornis andE. viminalis. This study focused on morphological and development characters that can clearly distinguishO. maskelli fromOphelimus eucalypti Gahan, and on examining the effect of crossing between eucalyptus species on the development possibilities of the wasps. Also considered were the effect of the food on adult survival, the competition between the eulophid gall makerLeptocybe invasa Fisher & LaSalle andO. maskelli, the heavy damage inflicted on eucalyptus, and the health problems and nuisance to people caused by the wasp near heavily infested trees during the mass emergence of adults.

Eulofide galligeno dell'Eucalipto in Italia

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