Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Leptocybe

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Suborder
  
Apocrita

Family
  
Eulophidae

Phylum
  
Arthropoda

Order
  
Hymenopterans

Class
  
Insecta

Superfamily
  
Chalcidoidea

Species
  
L. invasa

Rank
  
Genus

Leptocybe wwwnzffaorgnzassets601FHNews217Leptocybega

Similar
  
Hymenopterans, Ophelimus maskelli, Tetrastichinae, Eulophidae, Thaumastocoris peregrinus

Sag y el control de la avispa leptocybe invasa


Leptocybe is a monotypic genus of insects in the superfamily Chalcidoidea, the chalcid wasps. It contains the single species Leptocybe invasa, which is known by the common name blue gum chalcid.

Leptocybe Leptocybeinvasa

This chalcid was discovered in 2000 when river red gums (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) in the Middle East and Mediterranean began developing disfiguring galls. The damage became severe enough to cause crop losses in tree plantations. Galls were collected and a previously undescribed species of chalcid wasp emerged. In 2004 it was described to science as Leptocybe invasa.

Leptocybe Leptocybe invasa

This tiny wasp is just over one millimeter in length. Its body is brown with a slight blue to green iridescence. Parts of the legs are yellowish in color.

Leptocybe NZ Farm Forestry LEPTOCYBE INVASA

The adult female injects a neat line of minute eggs in the epidermis of new leaf buds on eucalyptus trees. The leaf tissue may exude a whitish sap, which covers the oviposition site. Heavy wasp infestations can kill new buds on the trees. If the bud survives it develops a layer of corky tissue within one to two weeks of oviposition. This corky scar widens and becomes glossy in texture. It turns from green to pinkish to dark pink or red in color. It loses its glossy texture and turns dull brown or reddish. The chalcid wasp larva develops inside the gall and when it emerges as an adult insect the gall is spherical and up to 2.7 millimeters wide. During an infestation there are usually 3 to 6 galls per leaf, but up to 65 have been observed on a single leaf.

Leptocybe Leptocybeinvasa

Several eucalyptus species are susceptible to the wasp. Host species include bangalay (Eucalyptus botryoides), apple box (E. bridgesiana), Tasmanian blue gum (E. globulus), cider gum (E. gunnii), flooded gum (E. grandis), swamp mahogany (E. robusta), Sydney blue gum (E. saligna), forest red gum (E. tereticornis), and manna gum (E. viminalis).

Possible biological agents for L. invasa are actively searched for.

References

Leptocybe Wikipedia


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