Biological control agents for the guava moth, Coscinoptycha ...

It is possible that the presence of these weevil larvae in fruit could deter guava moth fromovipositing on fruit and/or guava moth larvae successfully developing within fruit. There was norelationship between the number of Sigastus spp. weevils and the number of guava moths emergingfrom fruit samples in this study (R 2 =0.062, t=1.25, 23 df). At least 95% of fruit from S. paniculatumcollected in Kerikeri in May 2012 and from Awanui in June 2011 were infested by an unnamedweevil larva. Attempts to rear this weevil for identification have so far proven unsuccessful.However, in New Zealand, this weevil could be excluding guava moth from the fruit as no guavamoth larvae have been found either infesting S. paniculatum fruit or co-habiting with these weevillarvae inside the fruit.Other moths (Tortricidae)Eight leafroller moths (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in total were reared from seven sites. They are alsopotential non-target hosts of the Ichneumonoidea wasps found in this study.Fruit fly (Tephritidae)A total of 36 adult Tephritidae fruit flies (Bactrocera sp., probably jarvisi) were reared from fruitcollected at nine of the lilly pilly collection sites. The presence of Tephritid larvae in fruit samplesmay deter guava moth oviposition or have a detrimental effect on guava moth larval survival withinfruit, but again there was no relationship between the number of Tephritid flies and the number ofguava moths emerging from fruit samples (R 2 = 0.097, t=1.6, 23 df). No wasp specimens of the genusDiachasmimorpha (which parasitise Tephritidae in Australia), were reared from any of the samples.DNA analysis of guava moth populationsEcogene sequenced 658 base pairs of the Cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene from 10 larval specimensof guava moth from Doubtless Bay, New Zealand, and 10 moth specimens from Sydney, Australia.Unfortunately, there was insufficient DNA material obtained from New Caledonian guava mothmaterial (only a leg) to sequence DNA to determine the taxonomic status of New Caledonia guavamoth species.Of the ten New Zealand specimens:• nine were identical, with the same three base pairs different from the Sydney specimens• one New Zealand specimen clustered with two Sydney specimens.Therefore, from the guava moth samples analysed, there are two haplotypes present in NewZealand, with one haplotype appearing unique with respect to Sydney specimens.