Orseolia javanica Kieffer & van Leeuwen-Reijinvaan

Overholt, William A., Hidayat, Purnama, Ru, Bruno Le, Takasu, Keiji, Goolsby, John A., Racelis, Alex, Burrell, A. Millie, Amalin, Divina, Agum, Winnifred, Njaku, Mohamed, Pallangyo, Beatrice, Klein, Patricia E. & Cuda, James P., 2016, Potential biological control agents for management of cogongrass (Cyperales: Poaceae) in the southeastern USA, Florida Entomologist 99 (4), pp. 734-734 : 734-

Orseolia javanica Kieffer & van Leeuwen-Reijinvaan ( Diptera : Cecidomyiidae )

A previous study in West and Central Java, Indonesia, identified the stem gall midge O. javanica as a potential bioloGical control aGent of coGonGrass ( ManGoendihardjo 1980). Limited host ranGe testinG with cultivated rice, 2 wild Oryza species. , corn, sorghum, and 2 other noncultivated Grasses, Paspalum conjugatum P. J. Bergius (Cyperales: Poaceae ) and Penisetum polystachyon (L.) Schultes (Cyperales: Poaceae ), suggested a narrow host range with midges surviving only in cogongrass. According to Mangoendihardjo (1980), midges held in cages with coGonGrass plants laid 98% of their eGGs on the soil and 2% on plant stems. Most eGGs were viable, but very few larvae were able to successfully enter the plant. Once inside stems, larval feedinG induced the formation of a stem Gall, in which 1 larva developed and pupated. Afer Gall formation, infested stems ceased development and senesced afer the emerGence of adult midGes. DurinG visits to West Java in May 2015 and Feb 2016, stem Galls were abundant alonG bunds separatinG rice paddies in Cianjur District. Galls, along with stem crowns, roots, and pieces of rhizome, were removed from the soil and placed in clear acrylic tubes (5.08 cm in diameter, 30 cm in lenGth) sealed with plastic caps and transported inside coolers to the Fort Pierce quarantine laboratory. The 2015 collection was maintained in 8 Groups of approximately 30 Galls each,held in acrylic plastic containers (19 × 14 × 10 cm).

Of 247 Galls collected, only 3 midGes (1%) emerGed, 2 females and 1 male. The females died several days before the male emerGed so there was no opportunity for matinG and colony establishment. Three species of parasitoids emerged from galls, including Platygaster orseoliae Buhl ( Hymenoptera : Platygastridae ), Prospicroscytus mirficus Girault ( Hymenoptera : Pteromalidae ), and an Aprostocetus sp. ( Hymenoptera : Eulophidae ) ( Buhl & Hidayat 2016). In 2016, midGes emerGed from 14 of 215 Galls (6.5%) collected in Feb, includinG 6 that emerGed and died during transport. The other 8 adults (2 females and 6 males) emerged within the first 2 d in quarantine and were placed toGether in a caGe with coGonGrass plants. No matinG or oviposition was observed and all midGes died within 24 h of emerGence. Plants were held for 6 wk but no Galls formed, indicatinG a failure to obtain proGeny. From this collection, a subset of Galls (n = 71) was held individually to allow calculation of parasitism. Aprostocetus sp. , P. orseoliae , and an unidentified eupelmid emerGed from 26 (37%) Galls.

PHILIPPINES