Heteroperreyia hubrichi explained

Heteroperreyia hubrichi is a South American sawfly that feeds on plants of the genus Schinus.^[1]

Role in biological control

Brazilian pepper trees (Schinus) are trees native to South America, whose ornamental introduction lead to a process of biological invasion in more than 20 countries.^[2] In US states of Florida and Hawaii, the introduction of the sawfly H. hubrichi was proposed as a controlling mechanism against the Brazilian pepper tree's dispersion, due to the high host specificity it shows.^{[3] [4]} In Florida, host-specificity tests with commercially valuable and native/endangered tree species were conducted and were positive, so a request to the technical advisory group on the Introduction of Biological Control Agents of Weeds about the introduction was approved, however, as H. hubrichi is known to produce cytotoxic peptides as do other pergid sawflies,^{[5] [6] [7]} concern about cattle intoxication probably stopped it.^{[8] [9]} Results in Hawaii showed potential risk to endangered Rhus sandwicensis.

Notes and References

1. Book: Flores C, Ugalde J, Hanson P, Gauld I . The biology of perreyiine sawflies (Hymenoptera: Pergidae) of the Perreyia genus-group. . Austin D, Dowton M . Hymenoptera: evolution, biodiversity and biological control. Fourth International Hymenoptera Conference, held in Canberra, Australia, in January 1999. . 2000 . 258–266 . Collingwood, Australia . CSIRO Publishing .
2. Ghiotto TC, do Nascimento Prado MC, Giuliani GK, de Souza Tavares W, Masson MV, Guerreiro JC, Prado EP, Carvalho AG, Wilcken CF, Zanuncio JC, Ferreira-Filho PJ . Megastigmus seed wasp damage on native Schinus terebinthifolia drupes in ecological restoration area in Brazil . Scientific Reports . 9 . 1 . 2438 . February 2019 . 30792467 . 10.1038/s41598-019-39129-x . 6384921 . 2019NatSR...9.2438G .
3. Hight SD, Horiuchi I, Vitorino MD, Wikler C, Pedrosa-Macedo JH . 2003-08-01. Biology, host specificity tests, and risk assessment of the sawfly Heteroperreyia hubrichi, a potential biological control agent of Schinus terebinthifolius in Hawaii . BioControl. en. 48. 4. 461–476. 10.1023/A:1024734508842. 24854097. 1573-8248.
4. Medal JC, Vitorino MD, Habeck DH, Gillmore JL, Pedrosa JH, De Sousa LP . January 1999 . Host Specificity ofHeteroperreyia hubrichiMalaise (Hymenoptera: Pergidae), a Potential Biological Control Agent of Brazilian Peppertree (Schinus terebinthifoliusRaddi) . Biological Control. en. 14. 1. 60–65. 10.1006/bcon.1998.0670.
5. 1983. The structure of a toxic octapeptide from the larvae of sawfly . Journal of the Chemical Society, Perkin Transactions 1 . 1869. 10.1039/p19830001869 . Williams. Dudley H.. Santikarn. Sitthivet. De Angelis. Francesco. Smith. Richard J.. Reid. David G.. Oelrichs. Peter B.. MacLeod. John K..
6. Oelrichs PB, MacLeod JK, Seawright AA, Moore MR, Ng JC, Dutra F, Riet-Corŕea F, Mendez MC . March 1999 . Unique toxic peptides isolated from sawfly larvae in three continents . Toxicon. en. 37. 3. 537–544. 10.1016/S0041-0101(98)00192-5. 10080356 .
7. Boevé JL, Rozenberg R, Shinohara A, Schmidt S . Toxic peptides occur frequently in pergid and argid sawfly larvae . PLOS ONE . 9 . 8 . e105301 . 2014-08-14 . 25121515 . 4133368 . 10.1371/journal.pone.0105301 . 2014PLoSO...9j5301B . free .
8. Wheeler GS, Mc Kay F, Vitorino MD, Manrique V, Diaz R, Overholt WA . December 2016 . Biological Control of the Invasive Weed Schinus terebinthifolia (Brazilian Peppertree): A Review of the Project with an Update on the Proposed Agents . Southeastern Naturalist. en. 15. sp8. 15–34. 10.1656/058.015.sp802 . 89285904 .
9. Dittrich RL, Macedo JH, Cuda J, Biondo AW . Brazilian peppertree sawfly larvae toxicity in bovines. . Veterinary Clinical Pathology . November 2004 . 33 . 191 .