Objective:
Among essential oils, Eucalyptus oil, is one of the most useful as it is easily extractable commercially (industrial value) and possesses a wide range of desirable properties worth exploiting for pest management. Eucalyptus oils are mainly extracted from leaves which can be attacked by gall wasps as Ophelimus maskelli. Induced galls can affect the essential oil production.
This work aims to determine the role of the parasitoid Closterocerus chamaeleon in the biological control of its host O. maskelli.
Context:
The gall wasp O. maskelli (Fig 1.A), invaded several regions outside its native range in Australia. It was mainly recorded in the Mediterranean basin. Record in Tunisia was in 2006. It induces circular, swollen galls which are very noticeable on eucalyptus leaves. In 2007, the Australian parasitoid C. chamaeleon (Fig 1.B) was detected in Tunisia and its parasitism rate was low (5%). In this work we evaluated the indirect effect of this parasitoid on the host range of O. maskelli in four arboreta, Choucha, Zerniza, Korbous and Jbel Abderrahmane.
Contacts:
Samir Dhahri, dhahrisamir@yahoo.fr,http://www.inrgref.agrinet.tn/fr/
Olfa Ezzine, ezzine.olfa@gmail,com, http://www.inrgref.agrinet.tn/fr/
Hatem Trabelsi, haminetrabelsi@yahoo.fr, http://www.agriculture.tn (DGF: Direction Générale des Forêts)
Mohamd Lahbib Ben Jamaa, benjamaaml@gmail.com, http://www.agriculture.tn (DGPCQPA: Direction Générale de la Protection et du Contrôle de la Qualité des Produits Agricoles)
Further information:
Branco, M., Franco, J.C., Valente, C., and Mendel, Z. 2006. Survey of Eucalyptus gall wasps (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) in Portugal. Boletín de Sanidad Vegetal, Plagas 32: 199-202.
Dhahri, S., Ben Jamaa, M.L., Lo Verde, G., 2010. First record of Leptocybe invasa and Ophelimus maskelli eucalyptus gall wasps in Tunisia. Tunisian J. Plant Prot. 5, 229–234.
Doganlar, O. and Mendel, Z. 2007. First record of the Eucalyptus gall wasp Ophelimus maskelli and its parasitoid, Closterocerus chamaeleon, in Turkey. Phytoparasitica 35: 333-335.
Protasov, A., Blumberg, D., Brand, D., La Salle, J., and Mendel, Z. 2007a. Biological control of the gall wasp Ophelimus maskelli (Ashmead): Taxonomy and biology of the parasitoid species Closterocerus chamaeleon (Girault), with information on its establishment in Israel. Biological Control 42: 196-206.
European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization. 2006. First report of two new eucalyptus pests in the south of France: Ophelimus maskelli and Leptocybe invasa. EPPO Reporting Service 9: 9.
Lo Verde, G., Dhahri, S., and Ben Jamâa, M.L. 2010. First record in Tunisia of Closterocerus chamaeleon (Girault) parasitoid of the Eucalyptus Gall Wasp Ophelimus maskelli (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera Eulophidae). Naturalista sicil., S. IV 34: 207-210.