Phylogenetic analyses reveal multiple new stem-boring Tetramesa taxa (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae): implications for the biological control of invasive African grasses

Abstract

Many native South African grass species have become invasive elsewhere in the world. The application of biological control to invasive grasses has been approached with trepidation in the past, primarily due to concerns of a perceived lack of host specific herbivores. This has changed in recent times, and grasses are now considered suitable candidates. The Tetramesa Walker genus (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae) has been found to contain species that are largely host specific to a particular grass species, or complex of closely related congeners. Very little taxonomic work exists for Tetramesa in the southern hemisphere, and the lack of morphological variability between many Tetramesa species has made identification difficult. This limits the ability to assess the genus for potential biological control agents. Species delimitation analyses indicated 16 putative novel southern African Tetramesa taxa. Ten of these were putative Tetramesa associated with Eragrostis curvula (Schrad.) Nees and Sporobolus pyramidalis Beauv. and S. natalensis Steud., which are alien invasive weeds in Australia. Of these ten Tetramesa taxa, eight were only found on a single host plant, while two taxa were associated with multiple species in a single grass genus. The Tetramesa spp. on S. pyramidalis and S. africanus were deemed suitably host-specific to be used as biological control agents. Field host range data for the Tetramesa species on E. curvula revealed that the wasp may not be suitably host specific for use as a biological control agent. However, further host specificity testing on non-target native Australian species is required.