Host-plant preference of Brachypterolus pulicarius, an inadvertently introduced biological control insect of toadflaxes

• Published in: Entomologia experimentalis et applicata 2005-09, Vol.116 (3), p.183-189
• Main Authors: MacKinnon, D.K, Hufbauer, R.A, Norton, A.P
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: aggregation behavior; biocontrol; Biological and medical sciences; biological control agents; Biological control and other methods; Brachypterolus pulicarius; Coleoptera; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; herbivores; host preferences; introduced species; invasive species; Kateridae; Linaria dalmatica; Linaria genistifolia; Linaria spp; Linaria vulgaris; local adaptation; Parasitic plants. Weeds; Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection; phytophagous insects; Scrophulariaceae; seed feeders; toadflax; weed control; Weeds
• ISSN: 0013-8703; 1570-7458; 1570-8703
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1570-7458.2005.00323.x

Brachypterolus pulicarius (L.) (Coleoptera: Kateridae) is an inadvertently introduced biological control agent that can reduce seed set in two North American invasive species, yellow (Linaria vulgaris P. Mill.) (Scrophulariaceae) and Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria genistifolia (L.) P. Mill. ssp. dalmatica). The beetles are more common on yellow toadflax than on Dalmatian toadflax. To understand their distribution on the two host plants, we investigated whether they prefer one host to the other and whether individuals aggregate toward conspecifics. In field and laboratory experiments where beetles were presented with a choice of both toadflax species, B. pulicarius sampled from both host plants preferred yellow toadflax. However, in the laboratory experiment, beetles collected from Dalmatian toadflax showed a weaker preference for yellow toadflax than beetles collected from yellow toadflax. In the field experiment, all beetle populations sampled showed similar preferences. When given a choice between yellow toadflax plants with and without trapped adult B. pulicarius, beetles preferred plants with conspecifics, suggesting aggregation toward beetle pheromones or host-plant volatiles induced by beetle activity. These results do not support the current practice of redistributing North American B. pulicarius onto Dalmatian toadflax because of their preference for yellow toadflax.