Distribution and biotypic composition of the Argentine stem weevil parasitoid in Hawkes Bay

Abstract

The Argentine stem weevil parasitoid Microctonus hyperodae Loan (Hymenoptera Braconidae) was first released in Hawkes Bay at two locations in 1995 In 2000 eight Hawkes Bay sites situated up to ca 55 km from the original release sites were surveyed to determine the presence of M hyperodae The parasitoid was recovered from all eight sites with the proportion of weevils parasitised at each site ranging from 1 to 44 Although parasitoids originating from east and west of the South American Andes mountains had been introduced to both Hawkes Bay release locations in 1995 genetic markers based on variation in malate dehydrogenase allozymes showed that eastern parasitoids predominated at all of the sites sampled in 2000 with western parasitoids occurring in low numbers at only three sites These results are compared with previous results from other New Zealand locations and their implications discussed