Detection of a Tasmanian strain of the biological control agent Enoggera nassaui Girault (Hymenoptera Pteromalidae) using mitochondrial COI

Abstract

Paropsis charybdis (Coleoptera Chrysomelidae) an Australian pest of Eucalyptus in New Zealand is subject to biological control by Enoggera nassaui (Hymenoptera Pteromalidae) a solitary egg parasitoid sourced from Western Australia ( Perth Strain) in 1987 Erratic control in inland regions of New Zealand led to the introduction and release in 2000 of two Tasmanian E nassaui strains to attempt expansion of the climatic range of biocontrol Samples recovered a year later were analysed using partial sequences of the Cytochrome oxidase I (COI) mitochondrial gene to test for establishment This method detected a haplotype corresponding with a Tasmanian (Florentine Valley) strain However as sequences could not be obtained from original Perth strain stocks some doubt remains as to the genetic source of the other current E nassaui populations in New Zealand COI proved adept at distinguishing between different parasitoid populations and shows promise for similar studies