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Part 2 Landscape protection and restoration
13. Biological control of cat’s claw creeper (Macfadyena unguis-cati)
Project dates
September 2002 – June 2014
Project leader
Dr K. Dhileepan
Ecosciences Precinct
Tel: (07) 3255 4449
Email: k.dhileepan@deedi.qld.gov.au
Other staff in 2010–11
Di Taylor and Mariano Treviño
Objective
Achieve biological control of cat’s claw
creeper using introduced insect species.
Rationale
Cat’s claw creeper (Macfadyena unguiscati),
an invasive liana native of Central
and South America, is a major weed
in coastal Queensland and New South
Wales, where it poses a significant
threat to biodiversity in riparian and
rainforest communities. The plant is
a structural parasite and produces
stolons and subterranean root tubers.
Biological control appears the most
suitable management option for this
weed. Management objectives focus
on reducing the rate of shoot growth
to limit the weed’s ability to climb and
smother native vegetation, as well as
reducing tuber biomass to minimise the
tuber bank.
Methods
Host-specificity tests
Host-specificity testing is conducted
using potted test plants in a
temperature-controlled (22 °C to 27 °C)
quarantine insectary. We evaluate the
potential host range of the leaf-mining
buprestid beetle (Hylaeogena jureceki)
on the basis of larval survival and
development, adult feeding and survival,
and oviposition preference using choice
and no-choice tests involving 38 plant
species in 12 families.
Field-release and monitoring
We mass-rear and field-release two
biological control agents, the leafsucking
tingid (Carvalhotingis visenda)
and leaf-tying moth (Hypocosmia
pyrochroma), in partnership with
community groups. We use a simple
and cost-effective method to mass-rear
the leaf-tying moth by replacing potted
plants with field-collected cut foliage
to allow greater numbers of insects
to be released in the field. After fieldrelease
we conduct recovery surveys to
determine the field establishment status
of C. visenda and H. pyrochroma. At
all release sites, we spend 20 minutes
visually examining cat’s claw creeper
plants and recording the incidence and
abundance of C. visenda eggs, nymphs
and adults and H. pyrochroma larvae.
Progress in 2010–11
Host-specificity tests
We completed host-specificity tests
of the leaf-mining buprestid beetle
(H. jureceki) in quarantine at the
Ecosciences Precinct in May 2011.
These tests support previous studies
from South Africa indicating that the
beetle is highly host-specific and does
not pose risk to any non-target plants
in Australia. Minor exploratory adult
feeding occurred on eight non-target
species and oviposition on one nontarget
species, but larval development
occurred only on M. unguis-cati.
Observations indicate that this is a
highly damaging insect with two
destructive life stages: larvae mine
within the leaves and adults chew holes
into leaves. Under laboratory conditions,
high populations can completely
defoliate cat’s claw creeper plants.
A short generation time, longliving
adults and predator-evading
characteristics suggest that rapid
population growth is likely in the
field. We have applied to the relevant
regulatory authorities to release this
agent in Australia.
Field-release and monitoring
No further field-releases of the leafsucking
tingid (C. visenda) were made
after June 2010. Field-release of the
leaf-tying moth (H. pyrochroma) was
continued until October 2010. Over three
years, 1272 adult moths, 77 750 mature
larvae and 837 pupae have been released
across 36 sites in Queensland and New
South Wales. Field establishment status
of the moth was not monitored due to
relocation to the Ecosciences Precinct.
Funding in 2010–11
• Land Protection Fund ($148 000)
• Queensland Government (Blueprint
for the Bush)
Collaborators
• Stefan Neser and Anthony King
[Agricultural Research Council—Plant
Protection Research Institute (ARC-
PPRI), South Africa]
• Dr Tanya Scharaschkin (Queensland
University of Technology, Science and
Engineering Faculty)
• Local government and community
groups across south-eastern and
central Queensland
More information
Key publications
Dhileepan, K, Treviño, M, Bayliss, D,
Saunders, M, Shortus, M, McCarthy, J,
Snow, EL et al. 2010, ‘Introduction and
establishment of Carvalhotingis visenda
(Hemiptera: Tingidae) as a biological
control agent for cat’s claw creeper
Macfadyena unguis-cati (Bignoniaceae)
in Australia’, Biological Control
55(1): 58–62.
Dhileepan, K, Bayliss, D & Treviño, M
2010, ‘Thermal tolerance and potential
distribution of Carvalhotingis visenda
(Hemiptera: Tingidae), a biological
control agent for cat’s claw creeper,
Macfadyena unguis-cati (Bignoniaceae)’,
Bulletin of Entomological Research
100(2): 159–66.
Part 2 Landscape protection and restoration 29