G.V.P. Reddy

R. Muniappan

Western Pacific Tropical Research Center

University of Guam

•Coccinia grandis (Family: Cucurbitaceae)

•Common Names: Ivy gourd, scarlet gourd

•Origin: East Africa

•Vine

•Perennial

•Dioecious – Male and Female plants are separate

Female and Male Flowers

Flower and Fruits of C. grandis

Widely used as vegetable in Asia and by Asian communities in USA, New Zealand and Australia

Hawaii - first record in 1968

C. grandis became a problem only in Hawaiian Islands, Saipan and Guam

It became invasive in 1980’s in Marianas

C. grandis is a host for most of the

pests of cucurbitaceous crops such as

water melon, cucumber etc.

Melon fly

Pumpkin beetle

Melon worm

Melon aphid

Seeds spread by birds

Roots readily at the nodes

Smothers native vegetation in the

forests and roadsides

Affects plantation crops

Resistant to herbicides such “Round up”

Ivy Gourd on Coconut Tree

Ivy Gourd on Power Pole

Mechanical, cultural and chemical

control methods are not practical

BIOLOGICAL CONTROL – only option

THREE NATURAL ENEMIES WERE

IDENTIFIED IN EAST AFRICA

Acythopeus cocciniae (Curculionidae)

Acythopeus burkhartorum

(Curculionidae)

Melittia oedipus (Sesiidae)

Acythopeus cocciniae (Curculionidae)

Adult Feeding Damage

Larval Mines of A. cocciniae

Release of Acythopeus cocciniae for the control of Coccinia

grandis in Guam

Release of Acythopeus cocciniae for the control of Coccinia

grandis in Saipan

Ivy Gourd Infestation Before To Release of

A. cocciniae

Effect of A. cocciniae 9 Months After Release

Change in the Number of Adult C. cocciniae Weevils from June 2003-May

2004 at Initial Release at Yigo

Bamba et al. 2009. Micronesica 41: 71-82

Acythopeus burkhartorum (Curculionidae)

Larval Gall on Tendril

Pupal Formation

Release of Acythopeus burkhartorum for the control of

Coccinia grandis in Guam

Release of Acythopeus burkhartorum for the control of

Coccinia grandis in Saipan

African Vine Borer, Melittia oedipus (Sesiidae)

Larval Damage to the Stem

Release of Melittia oedipus for the control of Coccinia grandis

in Guam

Release of Melittia oedipus for the control of

Coccinia grandis in Saipan

Release of Melittia oedipus for the control of

Coccinia grandis in Rota

Total Releases of Biocontrol Agents

Reddy, G.V.P., Z.T. Cruz, and R. Muniappan. 2009. Life-history, host preference and establishment

status of Melittia oedipus (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae), a biological control agent for Coccinia grandis

(Cucurbitaceae) in the Mariana Islands. Plant Protection Quarterly 24: 27-31.

Oviposition rate of M. oedipus

Duration of life stages of M. oedipus

Reddy, G.V.P., Z.T. Cruz, N. Braganza, and R. Muniappan. 2009. The response of Melittia oedipus (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae)

to visual cues is increased by the presence of food source. Journal of Economic Entomology 102: 127-132.

Attraction of M. oedipus different colors under free-choice test

Attraction of M. oedipus different colors under no-choice test

Reddy, G.V.P., Z.T. Cruz, and R. Muniappan. 2009. Life-history, host preference and establishment status of Melittia

oedipus (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae), a biological control agent for Coccinia grandis (Cucurbitaceae) in the Mariana Islands.

Plant Protection Quarterly 24: 27-31.

All the three agents were introduced to

Hawaii in 1990s

Thirty species of plants from nine

families were host specificity tested in

Hawaii

Zehnaria guamensis (Cucurbitaceae) is an endemic melon plant in Guam. It was host specificity tested in Guam for these agents.

A. cocciniae

A. burkhartorum

M. oedipus

A. cocciniae – Field released in Guam &

Saipan on May 2003

A. burkhartorum – field released in Guam

on Oct. 2004 & Saipan on Feb. 2005

M. oedipus – field released in Guam and

Saipan beginning July and August 2007

Ivy Gourd on Erythrina Trees at Waimanalo

(Hawaii) in Sept.1996

Courtesy: K. Teramoto

Erythrina Trees at Waimanalo in March, 2002

( Six Years After Release)

Courtesy: K. Teramoto

Investigations on the field establishment and its efficacy are being carried out in the Marianas.

Melittia oedipus and Acythopiuscocciniae established in the field.

Acythopius burkhartorum has not established.

A. cocciniae larvae attacked by a hymenopterous parasitoid in Guam and Saipan

CONCLUSION

We expect to achieve similar results in Guam

and Saipan as in Hawaii by introducing these

three natural enemies.

1. Muniappan, R., G.V.P. Reddy, and A. Raman. 2009. Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt (Cucurbitaceae). In:

Biological Control of Tropical Weeds Using Arthropods (Editors: R. Muniappan, G. V. P., Reddy and A.

Raman). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp. 175–182.

2. Reddy, G.V.P., Z.T. Cruz, N. Braganza, and R. Muniappan. 2009. The response of Melittia oedipus

(Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) to visual cues is increased by the presence of food source. Journal of Economic

Entomology 102: 127-132.

3. Reddy, G.V.P., Z.T. Cruz, and R. Muniappan. 2009. Life-history, host preference and establishment

status of Melittia oedipus (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae), a biological control agent for Coccinia grandis

(Cucurbitaceae) in the Mariana Islands. Plant Protection Quarterly 24: 27-31.

4. Bamba, J.P., R.H. Miller, G.V.P. Reddy, and R. Muniappan. 2009. Studies on the biology, host

specificity, and feeding behavior of Acythopeius cocciniae O’Brien and Pakaluk (Coleoptera:

curculionidae) on Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt (Cucurbitaceae) and Zehneria guamensis (Merrill) Fosberg

(Cucurbitaceae). Micronesica 41: 70-82.

5. Raman, A., Z.T. Cruz, R. Muniappan, and G.V.P. Reddy. 2007. Biology, host-specificity of gall-

inducing Acythopeus burkhartorum (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), a biological-control agent for the

invasive weed Coccinia grandis (Cucurbitaceae) in Guam and Saipan. Tijdschrift voor Entomologie 150:

181–191.

Publications

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This research was supported by Grant#98-

34135-6786 from the Tropical and

Subtropical Agricultural Research (TSTAR),

Special Grants, CSREES, USDA.

AND

Grant 07- DG-11052021-219 Invasive Plants

from the USDA Forest Service.

Pacific Biocontrol Strategy Workshop.