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AUSTRALIAN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY | AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY Australian Entomological Society 43RD AGM & SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE and Australasian Arachnological Society 2012 CONFERENCE SUNDAY 25 – WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 THE OLD WOOLSTORE, HOBART Conference Handbook | 1 SPONSORS GOLD SPONSORS SPONSOR Floor layouts CONFERENCE VENUE ROSE GARDEN THEATRETTE COURTYARD GUEST GuesT COrridOr eXiT MEETING ROOM TOILETS DROVERS ROOM Wheelchair accessible facilities MALE SHEARERS ROOM MERINO ROOM FEMALE liFT inTeriOr sTAirWell THE BAAA BAR/ GUEST LOUNGE liFT CORPORATE OFFICE STOCKMANS RESTAURANT THE LION’S DEN FOYer reCepTiOn GROUND FLOOR mAin enTrAnCe (Private dining room) mACQuArie sTreeT (One WAY) mAin AuTO enTrAnCe hoba Australian Entomological Society 43RD AGM & SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE and Australasian Arachnological Society Australian 2 0 1 Entomological 2 C O N F E R E N C ESociety 43rd AGM & Scientific Meeting Australasian Arachnological Society It is our pleasure and great privilege to invite you to Hobart from the 25th to 28th November in 2012 for the 43rd AGM and Scientific Congress of the Australian Entomological Society and the 2012 Conference of the Australasian Arachnological Society. Joint Meeting HOBART 2012 We invite you to Hobart to not only take advantage of the scientific program and conference’s networking opportunities, but to indulge in what Tasmania does best: the fine foods, exciting wines, cultural experiences and, of course, our natural environment. On behalf of the Organising Committee, we look forward to welcoming you to Hobart in 2012. Geoff Allen & Catherine Byrne Conference Co-Convenors Conference Committee • Geoff Allen, University of Tasmania • Catherine Byrne, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery • Jamie Davies, Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, Tasmania • David de Little, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery • Jane Elek, University of Tasmania • Lynette Forster, University of Tasmania • Peter McQuillan, University of Tasmania • Karen Richards, Forest Practices Authority, Tasmania • Paul Walker, University of Tasmania | 1 Excellence in agricultural research, development, extension, education and training UTAS School of Agricultural Science The outputs of our research, development and extension are integrated into the undergraduate teaching program. Research higher degrees are integrated with TIA’s 5 sector-based centres. In partnership with the UTAS Faculty of Business, we also offer an MBA in Agricultural Innovation. Bachelor of Agriculture: This 3-year, full-time course gives students an opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills suited to the needs of a professional agriculturalist or horticulturalist, with emphasis on the application of science to the management of agricultural and horticultural enterprises. Bachelor of Agricultural Science: A 4-year, full-time course that provides a sound basis in physical and biological sciences in the first two years, followed by two years of specialisation and advanced study in the major discipline areas of agricultural science. Master of Business Administration (Professional) – Agricultural Innovation: This MBA provides knowledge and skills in both management and agribusiness and is designed in response to the Tasmanian Government’s vision of Tasmania as a premium food producer. It is a joint initiative of the Tasmanian Government, the UTAS Faculty of Business and TIA. Postgraduates: We have over 80 Masters and PhD candidates.in diverse areas of disciplinary research, including, molecular and cell biology, microbiology, entomology, plant pathology, soil science, animal science, agronomy and horticulture and multidisciplinary research including sustainable resource management and ecosystems. One of our strengths with TIA is a well balanced portfolio of both fundamental and applied research. biotechnology, food quality and safety. Its research program impacts all food sectors and assists regulatory bodies to develop science-based food-safety policy. The Centre also maintains a comprehensive food safety portal (www.foodsafetycentre.com.au). Perennial Horticulture Centre TIA’s Perennial Horticulture Centre works conducts research, development and extension (RD&E) on tree fruit, vine and wine production and management, crop and post-harvest physiology, spray application technology and natural plant extracts. Vegetable Centre Dairy Centre The TIA Dairy Centre is supported by Dairy Australia and Dairy Tasmania. It focuses on: Feed production, factors affecting milk production, managing the dairy environment and climate risk management. Extensive Agriculture Centre The Centre aims to provide practical solutions for the wool, red meat, cereals and grain legumes industries through plant breeding and pasture improvement, and investigation of improved farm management systems. Food Safety Centre The Food Safety Centre delivers research and training to drive innovation in food The Vegetable Centre focuses its RD&E on the vegetable and allied industries, including poppies, pyrethrum and herbs. The major vegetable crops in our portfolio are potatoes, onions, carrots, brassicas, beans and peas. Entomology research In entomology we offer well developed local, national and international collaborations with other agricultural disciplines as well as with zoology, plant science and chemistry. We currently undertake research in forestry, horticultural and vegetable crops, public health, natural resource management and the biological control of weeds. Much of our research focuses on insect behaviour including insect developmental and reproductive strategies in relation to fitness, bio-control and the use of pheromones and kairomones for insect management. Contact TIA Phone (03) 6226 6368, or email [email protected], or visit our website www.tia.tas.edu.au CRICOS Provider No: 00586B TIA is a joint venture between the University of Tasmania and the Tasmanian Government. AUSTRALIAN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY | AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY Invited Speakers PROFESSOR ARY PROFESSOR STEPHEN HOFFMAN SIMPSON Professor Stephen Simpson is an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow in the School of Biological Sciences and Academic Director of the Charles Perkins Centre for the study of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease at the University of Sydney. Stephen returned to Australia in 2005 as an ARC Federation Fellow after 22 years at Oxford where he was Professor of Entomology and Curator of the University Museum of Natural History. Before that he had undertaken his PhD at the University of London, and his undergraduate degree and Honours at the University of Queensland. Professor Ary Hoffmann is an ARC Australian Laureate Fellow working in the areas of climate change adaptation and pest control. His group undertakes research on adaptation of organisms (particularly invertebrates) to environmental stresses including climate change and chemical pollutants, using field sites in the Victorian Alps, in tropical rainforests and in wetlands around Melbourne. His group also develops integrated pest control options for the grains and grape/wine industries, investigates how landscape changes can be harnessed to provide pest control services, contributes to novel approaches for suppressing dengue mosquito vectors, and examines new ways to predict species distribution shifts under climate change. He has a strong interest in using genetics, genomics and invertebrate biodiversity for monitoring environmental health and developing resilience indicators for biodiversity and sustainable agricultural production. Professor Hoffmann is a member of the Australian Academy of Science, current President of the Australian Entomological Society, and past President of the Australasian Genetics Society. He heads a research team of more than 40 scientists and postgraduate students located at the Bio21 Institute at the University of Melbourne. Together with colleague David Raubenheimer, Stephen developed an integrative modelling framework for nutrition (the Geometric Framework), which was devised and tested using insects but has since been applied to a wide range of organisms, from slime moulds to humans, and problems, from aquaculture and conservation biology to the dietary causes of human obesity and ageing. A synthesis of this body of work can be found in The Nature of Nutrition: a Unifying Framework from Animal Adaptation to Human Obesity, published in May 2012 by Princeton University Press. In addition to nutritional biology, Stephen’s research on locusts has led to an understanding of locust swarming that links chemical events in the brains of individual insects to landscape-scale mass migration. Professor Hoffmann’s funding is provided by the Australian Research Council, NHMRC, Grains and Grape/Wine Research and Development Corporations, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Victorian Government and industry bodies. He has co-authored two volumes on evolution under environmental stress, co-edited one volume on Wolbachia endosymbionts of insects, and contributed more than 370 papers in scientific journals. Stephen has been Visiting Professor at Oxford, a Fellow of the Institute for Advanced Study (Wissenschaftskolleg) in Berlin, Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the University of Arizona, and Guest Professor at the University of Basel. In 2007 he was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, in 2008 he was awarded the Eureka Prize for Scientific Research, in 2009 he was named NSW Scientist of the Year, and in 2010 he was named as the Wigglesworth Medallist by the Royal Entomological Society of London. He was also the presenter of a four-part documentary for ABC TV, ‘Great Southern Land’, aired in May/June 2012. He has recently been/is a member of several editorial boards including Science, Genetics, Journal of Evolutionary Biology, Journal of Experimental Zoology, Molecular Ecology and American Naturalist. He contributes to government committees on climate change adaptation and environmental issues, and regularly presents pure and applied research outcomes to scientific meetings and community forums. | 3 AUSTRALIAN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY | AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY DR NICK PORCH Nick Porch is Lecturer in Environmental Earth Science in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at Deakin University (Burwood). He received his PhD from Monash University in 2007 for doctoral research that focussed on developing methods for the reconstruction of past climates using subfossil beetles. He subsequently worked as a Research Associate in Archaeology and Natural History at the Australian National University before moving to Deakin in mid-2010. Nick’s research is currently focussed on the use of subfossil insects to explore the development and collapse of Indo-Pacific island insect faunas, especially prehistoric transport of invasive species like ants, the nature of the prehuman lowland biota, and long-term perspectives into the biodiversity trajectories of island systems. Internet Access Internet Access can be arranged via the hotel’s front desk for $5 per day. General Information BABY SITTING INSURANCE Please contact your hotel to arrange a baby-sitting service. The registration fees do not include insurance of any kind. Participants are advised to take out personal insurance, including cover for travel, accommodation and personal possessions. Neither the AES nor Conference Design Pty Ltd covers individuals against the cancellations of bookings for any reason including cancellation or postponement of the conference or for theft or damage to belongings. CONTACT PHONE NUMBERS Police – Emergency Police – General Assistance 000 131 444 Royal Hobart Hospital 48 Liverpool Street (03) 6222 8308 Hobart Private Hospital Cnr Collins & Argyle Streets, Hobart (03) 6214 3000 Taxi Hobart Taxi - Taxi Combined Services Hobart Water Taxi Maxi Taxi Airporter Bus (City Hotels Shuttle) Qantas Virgin Blue Jetstar ACCOMMODATION ACCOUNTS You will need to settle your hotel account, including any incidental expenses, when checking out. Any prepayments we receive prior to the conference will have been forwarded to your hotel. 131 008 132 227 0407 036 268 131 008 or 6274 3140 1300 38 55 11 PRIVACY 131 313 136 789 131 538 Conference Design Pty Ltd will gather and record personal information necessary for your attendance at the Conference. Personal information will be gathered, stored and disseminated in accordance with the National Privacy Principles DISCLAIMER Whilst we have endeavoured to ensure all information is accurate, all details provided are subject to change without notice SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS Please note any special requirements, for example dietary or mobility, when registering for the conference. All special requirements will be forwarded to the venue. For prearranged special dietary requirements please make yourself known to the waiting staff at all functions. | 4 AUSTRALIAN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY | AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY SUNDAY 25 NOVEMBER 2012 1400 - 1600 AES Council Meeting Drovers Room, The Woolstore Hotel 1600 Registration at MONA 1600 - 1745 Welcome Drinks at MONA MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2012 0800 Registration Opening Session Chair: A/Prof. Geoff Allen 0900 - 0915 Official Opening His Excellency The Honourable Peter Underwood AC, Governor of Tasmania 0915 - 1000 Presidential Address Professor Ary Hoffman 1000 - 1015 Mackerras Medal Presentation 1015 - 1045 Morning Tea 1045 Symposium Signalling in insects and spiders: Conflict and cooperation Chair: Dr Andrew Barron, Prof. Mark Elgar Merino Room Symposium Bush Blitz Synergies: Surveys supporting management of the National Reserve System Theatrette Room 1045 - 1100 Pheromonal control Andrew Barron, Marianne Peso, Mark Elgar Bush Blitz Setting the Scene Jo Harding, Michael Preece 1100 - 1115 The evolution of novel animal signals: Silk decorations as a model system Andre Walter; Mark Elgar Using Bush Blitz data to evaluate and enhance the performance of mapped biodiversity surrogates Simon Ferrier 1115 - 1130 Signalling on the web: The function and evolution of courtship ‘shudders’ in male web-building spiders Anne Wignall, Marie Herberstein Butterfly biodiversity in the Australian Monsoon Tropics: A preliminary study Dr Michael Braby 1130 - 1145 Seasonal changes in predator community switch the direction of selection for anti-predatory defences Joanna Mappes, H. Kokko, K. Ojala, L. Linstrom Five Bush Blitzes, TMAG and Lepidoptera Dr Catherine Byrne 1145 - 1200 Visual signals and the colour phases of colour changing insects and spiders Kate Umbers Bush Blitz & flies: a non-target taxon Dr Christine Lambkin 1200 - 1215 The evolution of multi-component sex pheromones in moths Matthew Symonds New species of Australian horse flies (Diptera: Tabanidae): museum collections as a resource for species discovery Bryan Lessard, David Yeates Understanding the molecular phylogeny of weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) Dr Nicole Gunter, Stephen Cameron, Rolf Oberprieler 1215 - 1230 1230 - 1315 Merino Room Lunch | 5 AUSTRALIAN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY | AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY 1315 Papers Pest Management Chair: A/Prof. Nigel Andrew Merino Room Symposium Bush Blitz Synergies: Surveys supporting management of the National Reserve System Theatrette Room 1315 - 1330 Landscape assessment of transgenic (Bt) cotton refuges, as a requirement for resistance management Colin Tann, Dr Geoff Baker Diversity of Australian truffle beetles Dr Ainsley Seago 1330 - 1345 Are refuges for cotton crops doing their Job? Dr Mary Whitehouse, David Harris, Dr Sarah Mansfield Systematics of Australian chelonine wasps facilitated through support from Bush Blitz Rebecca Kittel, Dr John Jennings, Prof. Andrew Austin 1345 - 1400 Woody vegetation influences the size and diversity of native bees in carrot crops Dr Katja Hogendoorn, Lea Hannah, Assoc. Prof. Michael Keller Native Bees and Bush Blitz Surveys – How will we get a handle on the other 50% Dr Remko Leijs 1400 - 1415 Maximising moth production Dominic Cross, Dr Sarah Mansfield, Dr Mary Whitehouse, Dr Sharon Downes ABRS and the diversity of Australian thrips. Dr Laurence Mound 1415 - 1430 Testing the concept of attract-and-kill traps for managing leaf beetles in eucalypt plantations Jane Elek, Vinu Patel, Geoff Allen, Tim Wardlaw Bush Blitz, bush tucker and biosecurity Dr Gary Taylor, Dr Deborah Kent, Dr Alan Yen 1430 - 1445 Flight activity, dispersal, and use of non-grain hosts by the lesser grain borer Rhyzopertha dominica in southern New South Wales Dr Mark Stevens, Glen Warren, Dr Jianhua Mo Bush Blitz, the National Reserve System and the Australian Union-Jack Wolf Spiders Dr Barbara Baehr, Dr Volker Framenau 1445 - 1515 Afternoon Tea 1515 Papers Pest Management Chair: A/Prof. Geoff Gurr Merino Room Symposium Progress in Australasian arachnid and myriapod systematics in the 21st century Chair: Dr Michael Rix Theatrette Room 1515 - 1530 Reflectance based prediction of crop attractiveness to arthropod pests A/Prof. Christian Nansen Why I don’t like window seats: Limited progress in Australian arachnology Dr Robert Raven 1530 - 1545 Predicting the effects of climate change on mealybugs and their natural enemies in grapevines in Australia Dr Linda Thomson, Prof. Ary Hoffmann Mygalomorph spiders and short-range endemism in the Pilbara Dr Mark Castalanelli, Roy Teale, Dr Terrie Finston, Dr Micheal Rix, Dr Volker Framenau, Dr Mark Harvey 1545 - 1600 First detection of cyromazine resistance in a field population of the Australian sheep blowfly Dr Garry Levot The most basal pseudoscorpions: A phylogenetic analysis of Chthonioidea based on morphology Prof. Mark Harvey 1600 - 1615 Ground spider diversity and phenology in a cotton agroecosystem under two different tillage management systems Dalila Rendon, Dr Mary Whitehouse, Dr Phil Taylor Phylogeography of pseudoscorpions: Exploring new species diversity in the calcrete aquifers of the Yilgarn and Pilbara regions, Western Australia Sophie Harrison, Dr Michelle Guzik, Prof. Andrew Austin 1615 - 1630 Plant-pollinator and plant-aphid-parasitoidhyperparasitoid interactions within an agroecosystem in NSW Michelle Yates, Dr Nigel Andrew, Prof. Jane Memmott, Dr Robin Gunning Documenting the Australian millipede fauna: Progress and prospects Dr Robert Mesibov, Dr Catherine Car, Megan Short, Cuong Huynh | 6 AUSTRALIAN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY | AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY 1630 - 1645 The cocoa pod borer, Conopomorpha cramerella in Papua New Guinea: Orientation and oviposition responses to different host plants. Paul Gende, Sarah Mansfield, David Guest Millipedes in the wild west: Distributional patterns of the keeled millipede genus Antichiropus Attems, 1911 (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae) in Western Australia Dr Cathy Car, Dr Mark Castalanelli, Dr Mark Harvey 1645 - 1700 Plant vigour, amino acid content and host utilisation by free-living eucalypt psyllids Dr Martin Steinbauer The evolution of parasitoid wasp - spider host associations: Feeding on the fearsome! Prof. Andy Austin 1745 Coaches depart the Old Woolstore for the Government House Reception 1800 - 1900 Government House Reception 1900 Coaches depart Government House for the Conference Dinner 1930 - 2330 Conference Dinner Hobart Function and Conference Centre, Elizabeth Pier TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 0800 Registration 0830 - 0920 Plenary Address Dr Nick Porch Chair: Dr Cathy Byrne 0920 Merino Room Move to sessions Papers Systematics Chair: Dr Peter McQuillan Merino Room Symposium Fruit fly management and threats Chair: Dr Olivia Reynolds Theatrette Room 0930 - 0945 Australian Zopheridae: A piece of biodiversity being unveiled Dr Federica Turco, Dr Christine L. Lambkin, Dr Adam Slipinski A conceptual model to explain polyphagy and extreme polyphagy in Bactrocera and other tephritid fruit flies A/Prof. Anthony Clarke 0945 - 1000 Molecular identification and phylogenetic relationship of Australian Silphidae (carrion beetles) and observations about their feeding habits Jocelyn King, Dr Markus Riegler, Dr Richard Thomas, Assoc. Prof. Robert Spooner-Hart How Queensland fruit flies escape in time A/Prof. Phillip Taylor, Sarsha Yap, Dr Ben Fanson 1000 - 1015 Understanding the molecular phylogeny of weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) Dr Nicole Gunter, Dr Stephen Cameron, Dr Rolf Oberprieler Abundance, longevity and persistence of sexually mature sterile flies: a role for yeast hydrolysate supplementation in sterile insect technique programs for the Queensland fruit fly? Dr Olivia Reynolds, Beverly Orchard, Dr Samuel Collins, Dr Phillip Taylor 1015 - 1030 Host specificity and evolution of Melanterius, the Acacia seed-feeding weevils Dr Sara Pinzon-Navarro Combined effects of methoprene and access to dietary protein on the maturation and mating behaviour of Queensland fruit Fly, Bactrocera tryoni Dr Samuel Collins, Dr Phillip Taylor, Dr Olivia Reynolds 1030 - 1100 Morning Tea 1100 - 1115 Papers Ecology Chair: Dr Karen Richards Merino Room Symposium Fruit fly management and threats Chair: Dr Mark Schutze Theatrette Room Do mature-forest beetles really care about their landscapes? Some findings from the southern forests of Tasmania Dr Simon Grove, Dr Tim Wardlaw, Lynette Forster Developing a systems approach for the control of Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera tryoni) in strawberries for interstate trade Brendan Missenden, Dr Hainan Gu, Ed Hamacek | 7 AUSTRALIAN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY | AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY 1115 - 1130 Subterranean termites eavesdrop on predatory ants and other termite species to attain a nearby feed on the soil surface Glen Bann Insecticides for control of Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni, in tomatoes and peppers Dr Lara Senior 1130 - 1145 Agonistic relationships can predict occurrence patterns of New Zealand ant community Rafael Barbieri, Evan Brenton-Rule, Dr Julien Grangier, Dr Philip Lester Effects of trap hosts on male Queensland fruit fly catches a case study of trapping data from the Risk Reduction Zone in NSW during 2000-2008 Dr Jianhua Mo, Dr Olivia Reynolds, Bernie Dominiak, Dr Mark Stevens 1145 - 1200 Can temperate insects take the heat? The risks of high temperature exposure to meat ants caused by climate change A/Prof. Nigel Andrew, Rob Hart, Dr Myung-Pyo Jung, Dr John Terblanche. Mitochondrial DNA sequence variation in endemic and outbreak populations of Queensland Fruit Fly (Bactrocera tryoni, Diptera: Tephritidae) at the south-eastern Australian species border Mark Blacket, Mali Malipatil, Linda Semeraro, Bernie Dominak 1200 - 1215 Growing up hot: Effects of retreat-site traits on development of flat rock spiders, Morebilus plagusius Francesca Van Den Berg, Prof. Michael Thompson, A/Prof. Dieter Hochuli The endosymbiont Wolbachia in Australian tephritid fruit fly species Dr Markus Riegler, Jennifer Morrow, Dr Deborah Shearman, Dr Marianne Frommer 1215 - 1230 Occurrence of Eucalyptus longicorn borer (Phoracantha semipunctata) in the northern jarrah forest following severe drought Stephen Seaton, George Matusick, Giles Hardy Island fly (Dirioxa pornia) and their bacterial symbiotic relationships Dr Peter Crisp, Kala Bhandari, Nilesh Chand, Ahmed Al-Hashimi, Greg Baker 1230 Move to Phil Carne Prize Presentation session 1235 - 1300 The Phil Carne Prize Presentation 1300 - 1400 Lunch Meeting: Editorial Board of the Australian Journal of Entomology Drovers Room Papers Behavourial Ecology Chair: A/Prof. Geoff Allen Merino Room Symposium Fruit fly management and threats Chair: Dr Olivia Reynolds Theatrette Room 1400 - 1415 Monandry or polyandry: Which one do you think requires an explanation? Prof. Hanna Kokko, Prof. Johanna Mappes Does wind really disperse papaya fruit flies from Papua New Guinea into the Torres Strait? Dr Kylie Anderson, Dr Anna Koetz, Judy Grimshaw, Dr Brad Congdon 1415 - 1430 Insects eating eucalypts: A highly volatile situation? Petah Low, Associate Professor Clare McArthur, Dr Keith Fisher, Associate Professor Dieter Hochuli The Northern Australian Quarantine Strategy (NAQS): Fruit fly monitoring and incursion management in Far North Queensland Dr Anthony Rice, James Walker, Dan Papacek 1430 - 1445 The significance of leadership behaviour in Perga sawfly larvae Lisa Hodgkin, Dr Matthew Symonds, Prof. Mark Elgar In vitro testing methodology to compare cold tolerance of Australian fruit fly species (Diptera: Tephritidae) Elizabeth Hall, Dr Sybilla Oczkowicz, Peter Leach 1445 - 1500 First evidence for floral mimicry by a predatory insect James C. O’Hanlon, Dr Gregory I. Holwell, A/Prof. Marie E. Herberstein Fruit flies in mangoes: Encouraging prospects for a systems approach to replace postharvest disinfestation for interstate market access Austin McLennan, Mike Kahl, Stuart Smith, Dr Brian Thistleton 1500 - 1515 Optimal signals in chrysomelid larvae Eunice Tan, Dr Chris Reid, Prof. Mark Elgar Review of quarantine distance of Queensland fruit fly for trade - a balance between science and risk Bernard Dominiak | 8 Merino Room AUSTRALIAN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY | AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY 1515 - 1530 Population density and antennal development in the gum-leaf skeletoniser moth, Uraba lugens Tamara Johnson, Prof. Mark Elgar, Dr Matthew Symonds 1530 - 1600 Afternoon Tea Papers Behavourial Ecology Chair: Dr Kate Umbers Merino Room Population structuring and biogeography of Bactrocera dorsalis sensu lato in south-east Asia Dr Mark Schutze, Dr Matthew Krosch, Associate Prof. Anthony Clarke AES Future Directions Dr Peter Cranston, Dr David Yeates and Dr Jane Wright will discuss the future of the Australian Entomology Society. All delegates welcome to join the discussion. Theatrette Room 1600 - 1615 Mating inhibition in Servaea vestita jumping spiders: Expression and mechanisms Vivian Mendez, Dr Phillip Taylor 1615 - 1630 Profitability of a lizard versus invertebrates as prey for redback spiders Dr Shawn Wilder, Prof. Stephen Simpson 1630 - 1645 Biogenic amines as mediators of spider behaviour Rowan McGinley, A/Prof. Eileen Hebets, A/Prof. Phillip Taylor, Eirik Sovik, Dr Andrew Barron 1645 Move to Rapid Poster Presentation Session 1650 - 1730 Rapid Poster Presentation Session Chair: Prof. Andy Austin 1730 - 1830 Poster Viewing & Refreshments 1830 AES AGM Merino Room WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 0800 Registration 0830 - 0920 Plenary Presentation Professor Stephen Simpson Chair: A/Prof. Geoff Allen 0920 Merino Room Move to sessions Papers Invasive Species and Biocontrol Chair: A/Prof. Christian Nansen Merino Room Papers Systematics Chair: Dr Catherine Byrne Theatrette Room 0930 - 0945 Sub-species mapping of the invasive earwig, Forficula auricularia in Australian ecosystems Stephen Quarrell, Professor Thierry Wirth, Juliette Arabi, Assoc. Prof. Geoff Allen Phylogenomics to study diversification in the evolutionary history of true flies Dr Brian Wiegmann 0945 - 1000 Preparing Australia for the likely invasion of glassywinged sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis) and the bacterial plant pathogen Xylella fastidiosa Anna Rathe, Prof. Geoff Gurr, Dr Leigh Pilkington Integrative taxonomy of Australasian biting midges (Culicoides, Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) with focus on economically important pests species Dr David Gopurenko, Glenn Bellis, Dr Andrew Mitchell 1000 - 1015 Genetic characterisation of a recent Varroa mite host-switch to European honeybee Dr John Roberts, Dr Denis Anderson Co-speciation or niche differentiation? Phylogeny and host relationships of the dart-tailed parasitoid Cameronella (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) at three trophic levels: wasp, scale insect host and Eucalyptus Andy Xiaobei Wang, Dr Lyn Cook 1015 - 1030 They’re dunging it again: Importation of additional dung beetle species to Australia Dr Jane Wright, Dr Keith Wardhaugh, Dr Penny Edwards Austral biogeography: Goodbye Gondwana and the Moa buoyancy hypothesis Dr David Yeates, Bryan Lessard 1030 - 1100 Morning Tea | 9 AUSTRALIAN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY | AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY Papers Invasive Species and Biocontrol Chair: A/Prof. Christian Nansen Merino Room Papers Systematics Chair: Dr David de Little Theatrette Room 1100 - 1115 The bark beetle, Ips grandicollis in Australia: implications for management of the wood wasp Sirex noctilio Dr Catherine Gitau, Prof. Geoff Gurr, Dr Angus Carnegie, Dr Robin Bedding, Richard Bashford, Fazila Yousuf, Craig Poynter Taxonomy and systematics of Calocidae (Trichoptera) Michael Shackleton, Dr Phil Suter, Dr Susan Lawler, Dr Jeff Webb 1115 - 1130 Effect of fungi vectored by the bark beetle Ips grandicollis (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) on the biological control of introduced woodwasp Sirex noctilio (Hymenoptera: Siricidae) on Pinus radiata Fazila Yousuf, Professor Geoff M. Gurr, Dr Angus J. Carnegie, Dr Robin A. Bedding, Richard Bashford, Dr Catherine W. Gitau The Gripopterygidae (Plecoptera) - who they are and what we know Julia Mynott 1130 - 1145 Symposium Urban ecology Chair: Prof. Phillip Weinstein and Dr Cassie Jansen Unravelling the evolution of the Psocodea (lice, bark-lice) from genome rearrangements Dr Stephen Cameron, Dr Kazunori Yoshizawa, Dr Kevin Johnson Introduction Prof. Philip Weinstein, Dr Cassie Jansen 1145 - 1200 Insects, health, and the conservation of biodiversity Prof. Philip Weinstein Male wing dimorphism in Australian Amphientomidae (Psocodea) Dr Christopher Taylor 1200 - 1215 Elevated levels of insect herbivory on an urban-rural gradient reveal species-specific signals of landscape degradation A/Prof. Dieter Hochuli New Australian records of Deltocephalinae (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) Dr Murray J. Fletcher, Dr James N. Zahniser, Dr Christopher H. Dietrich 1215 - 1230 Little biters in Brisbane - urban opportunists Mr Mike Muller The phylogenetics of gall-inducing scale insects feeding on Leptospermeae Edward White, Dr Lyn Cook 1230 - 1245 Urban invasions: Arbovirus vectors and people and the threat from climate change Prof. Pat Dale, Dr Jon Knight Cryptic diversity in the parthenogenetic pest coccid species, Parasaissetia nigra (Nietner, 1861) (Hemiptera: Coccidae) Yen-Po Lin, Dr Takumasa Kondo, Dr Lyn Cook 1245 - 1300 Linking mosquito behaviour to management actions: Urban vectors at various spatial scales Dr Cassie Jansen, Dr Nancy Schellhorn Rapid chromosomal evolution in a gall-inducing scale insect Penelope Mills, Dr Lyn Cook 1300 - 1400 Lunch Symposium Urban ecology Chair: Prof. Phillip Weinstein and Dr Cassie Jansen Merino Room Symposium Digitisation and biodiversity informatics initiatives in invertebrate collection Chair: Dr Beth Mantle Theatrette Room 1400 - 1415 Endangered ecological communities as surrogates Digitisation of invertebrate collections: An Australian for insect assemblages in urban landscapes perspective James Schlunke, Associate Professor Dieter Hochuli Dr Beth Mantle 1415 - 1430 The habitat of the saltwater mosquito Aedes vigilax in mangrove basin ecosystems Dr Jon Knight | 10 BowerBird – Australia’s new Citizen Science web portal Ken Walker AUSTRALIAN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY | AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY 1430 - 1445 Ecological interactions and the Ross river virus vector, Aedes camptorhynchus (Diptera: Culicidae), in Tasmania Raylea Rowbottom, Assoc. Prof. Geoff Allen, Dr Scott Carver, Assoc. Prof. Leon Barmuta, Dr Philip Weinstein Pinning a story to a specimen: Digitisation is more than an audit Robert Blackburn 1445 - 1500 Variation in body condition of Nephila plumipes along an urbanisation gradient Lizzy Lowe, Dr Shawn Wilder, A/Prof. Dieter Hochuli SA Museum volunteer digitisation Alexis Tindall 1500 - 1515 Mosquitoes in urban Australia: A tale of three cities Dr Craig Williams Harnessing volunteers and crowdsourcing for digitising entomology collections Paul Flemons, Rhiannon Stephens, David Baird, Leone Prater 1515 - 1545 Afternoon Tea Symposium Urban ecology Chair: Prof. Phillip Weinstein and Dr Cassie Jansen Merino Room 1545 - 1600 Taking an ecological approach to wetland rehabilitation and urban development to reduce the risks of mosquito-borne disease in Australia Dr Cameron Webb, Prof. Richard Russell 1600 - 1615 Living with the tiger: The repercussions of the potential range expansion of Aedes albopictus to mainland Australia urban regions Dr Nigel Beebe 1615 - 1630 Virus, vector and vertebrate host interactions in the urban environment Dr Andrew Van Der Hurk, Cassie Jansen, Scott Ritchie 1630 Prize and Award Presentations 1700 Conference Close | 11 Council of Heads of Australian Entomological Collections (CHAEC) Drovers Room AUSTRALIAN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY | AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY Rapid Fire Poster Session 13. Rapid measures of ecological integrity in urban remnants A Prof. Dieter Hochuli, Robert Blackburn 1. Actin cytoskeleton and the secretory pathways in insect glands Associate Professor David Merritt, Dr Bronwen Cribb, Homayoun Kheyri 14. Response of white-fringed weevil (Naupactus leucoloma) larvae to host plant roots and tubers Dr Paul Walker, Dr Geoff Allen 2. Augmentative biological control: Is it fulfilling its potential in the Australian citrus industry? Mahmuda Begum, Peter Ampt, Dr Sarah Mansfield 15. Shock avoiding learning in the jumping spider Servaea Vestita Christina Peckmezian, Phillip Taylor 3. Australian Meloidae: A new bauplan of male genitalia challenges the current definition of subfamilies Prof. Marco A. Bologna, Dr Federica Turco, Prof. John D. Pinto 16. Sulfoxaflor: A new broad-spectrum insecticide for control of sap-feeding insects in horticulture and broad-acre crops in Australia Dr Robert Annetts, Paul Downard 4. Bronze bug goes walkabout - update from New Zealand Stephanie Sopow, Helen Sharpe 17. Understanding the biology and ecology of an exotic mosquito to assess public health risks in urban areas of Australia Nur Faeza A Kassim, Dr Cameron Webb, Prof. Richard Russell 5. Characterisation of microbial symbionts of two thrips species and their importance for reproduction Thi Duong Nguyen 6. Evaluation of entomopathogenic nematodes against Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae) Eliza Langford, Dr Uffe Nielsen, Dr Scott Johnson, Dr Markus Riegler 18. Influence of habitat management on spider population in Spanish olive groves Daniel Paredes, Luis Cayela, Geoff Gurr, Mercedes Campos 19. Sexual mimicry and paragenital divergence between sympatric species of traumatically inseminating plant bug Dr Nikolai Tatarnic 7. Insect responses to climate change: What are we testing for? A/Prof. Nigel Andrew, Dr Sarah Hill, Matt Binns, Dr M.D. Bahar, Dr Emma Ridley, Dr Myung-Pyo Jung, Chris Fyfe, Michelle Yates, Dr Mohammad Khusro 20. Explaining phenotypic and behavioural variability in Ochrogaster lunifer (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae) from an evolutionary ecology perspective Dr Martin Steinbauer, Dr Andrew Mitchell 8. Monitoring for incursions of the tomato potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli) in Australian potato fields Dr Paul Walker, Leonie White, Dr Robert Tegg, Dr Geoff Allen, Dr Calum Wilson 9. New insights into the biology of citrus gall wasp Dr Jianhua Mo, Andrew Creek, Dr Mark Stevens, Scott Munro 21. Psyllids see red: First evidence for colour vision in Hemiptera Kevin Farnier, A/Prof. Adrian Dyer, Prof. Eric Warrant, Dr Martin Steinbauer 10. Nutrient regulation in the web building spider, Argiope keyserlingi Jesse Hawley, Prof. Stephen Simpson, Dr Shawn Wilder 22. Thrips species composition and abundance in French bean, lettuce, tomato and zucchini crops Madaline Healey, John Duff, Dr Lara Senior, Prof. Phil Brown D 23. o temporal fluctuations in the cuticular hydrocarbons Profiles of Forficula auricularia mediate interactions between conspecifics? Stephen Quarrell, Assoc. Prof. Noel Davies, Dr Paul Walker, Assoc. Prof. Geoff Allen 11. Phenology and life history of a jumping spider, Servaea vestita (Araneae: Salticidae) Vivian Mendez, Rowan McGinley, Dr Phillip Taylor 12. Population genetic structure of Malaysian Culex quinquefasciatus Say (Diptera: Culicidae) using mitochondrial COI gene V L Low, Dr P.E. Lim, C.D. Chen, Associate Prof. Y.A.L. Lim, Dr H.L. Lee, T.K. Tan, Prof. Dr M. Sofian-Azirun, 24. C ryptotermes brevis (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae): dealings with an illegal immigrant in New Zealand Diane C Jones, Shaun Bennett, Travis Ashcroft, Bruce Phillip | 12 AUSTRALIAN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY | AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY Static Posters 25. Insecticide resistance in Helicoverpa – implication for management Dr Lisa Bird 34. T axonomic favouritism: the spineless minority bugging Tasmanians Dr Simon Grove, Dr Cathy Byrne 26. Does restoration burning of fragmented plant communities lead to restoration of arachnid communities? Jessica Marsh, Assoc. Prof. Duncan Mackay, Dr Molly Whalen, Dr Richard Glatz 35. T emporal change in the distribution and resistance of Anopheles sinensis Wiedemann obtained from Selangor, Malaysia C.S. Leong, C.D. Chen, Dr H.L. Lee, H.M. Karen-Chia, A.A. Izzul, T.G. Goh, Prof. D.M. Sofian-Azirun, 27. Ecology of lycosid and mygalomorph spiders in Burra, South Australia, and the implications for the conservation of pygmy bluetongue lizards (Tiliqua adelaidensis) Jessica Clayton, Prof. C. Michael Bill 36. T he role of chemical and visual signals on the aggregation behaviour of the common spotted ladybird, Harmonia conformis (Boisduval) and the Tasmanian ladybird, Cleobora mellyi (Mulsant) Gemma Sherwin, Stephen Quarrell, Dr Geoff Allen, Dr Noel Davies 28.Evaluation of chitin synthesis inhibitors against field collected Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) and Aedes albopictus Skuse from Malaysia C.D. Chen, K.W. Lau, Dr H.L. Lee, Prof. Dr M. Sofian-Azirun 37. T he use of log discs for epigeic fauna surveys in boxgum grassy woodlands of SE NSW Glen Bann 38.Feeding behavior and sublethal effects of imidacloprid and flonicamid on cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii (Homoptera: Aphididae) under laboratory conditions Joeng-Jin An, Seon-Woo Lee, Hyun-Na Koo, 29.Importing dead invertebrate specimens for research and collections Jacqui Otley Gil-Hah Kim 30. Longicorn beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) intercepted by DAFF Biosecurity between 2006 and 2012 Ben Boyd 39. C omparative fumigants toxicity to reticulitermes speratus and correlation between toxicity and penetrations into timber blocks Kwang-Soon Choi, Gil-Hah Kim, Min-Goo Park, YongLin Ren, Bong-Soo Kim, Byung-Ho Lee 31. Megaloastia mainae, a most extraordinary jumping spider Dr Samuel Collins, Dr Phillip Taylor, Rowan McGinley 40. E ffects of electron beam on life stages and DNA damage of Spodoptera litura Seung-Hwan Yun, Hyun-Na Koo, Gil-Hah Kim 32. Molecular characterisation and detection of Rickettsia (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) endobacteria in stored grain pest beetles Cryptolestes spp. (Coleoptera: Laemophloeidae) Dr Wee Tek Tay 33. Molecular phylogenetics of chelonine wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae): Parasitoids of lepidopteran larvae Rebecca Kittel, Dr John Jennings, Prof. Andrew Austin | 13 AUSTRALIAN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY | AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY Invited Symposia Bush Blitz Synergies: Surveys supporting management of the National Reserve System Blitzing the other 99% Dr David Yeates, Dr Catherine Byrne Bush Blitz is Australia’s largest nature discovery project - a three-year multimillion dollar partnership to document the plants and animals in hundreds of properties across Australia’s National Reserve System (NRS). www.environment.gov.au/parks/nrs/index.html Since the program began in 2010 Bush Blitz has discovered about 600 new and undescribed species and has added thousands of species to what is already known - providing baseline scientific data that will help us protect our biodiversity for generations to come. This symposium will address the benefits to taxonomic and phylogenetic research on insects and spiders that the Bush Blitz program has delivered. As a broader outcome, the symposium will also address how the Bush Blitz program can increase our understanding of biodiversity contained within the NRS. Signalling in insects and spiders: Conflict and cooperation Prof. Mark Elgar and Dr Andrew Barron Signals are cues that have been acted on by natural selection to communicate information between two entities, and arthropods exploit a stunning array of stimuli across diverse sensory modalities as signals. Many of these signals occur in modalities inaccessible to human senses. Investigations of arthropod signalling and communication have typically fallen into two distinct silos. Proximate analyses of how signals function have revealed a great deal about species’ perception, ecology and cognition. Meanwhile a framework for considering signal evolution, inspired to a large degree by honest signalling theory, has developed largely in parallel to these mechanistic studies. This has emphasised that most signals operate in a situation of evolutionary tension resulting from divergent fitness outcomes for signaller and receiver. For example, for a signal operating in a predator prey interaction the evolutionary forces acting on a signal are completely different for the predator as for the prey. Even for a signal acting in sexual or social interactions it is unlikely the fitness outcomes for signaller and receiver are completely aligned. However, fully understanding signal evolution demands a synthesis of both these perspectives. The nature of the signal, how it is produced and how it is perceived can constrain the evolution of the communication system, whereas the ultimate evolutionary function of a signal for signaller and receiver can constrain how the signal operates. Our aim in this symposium is to use the rich diversity of arthropod signalling systems to explore a synthesis of proximate and ultimate investigations of signal function. | 14 AUSTRALIAN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY | AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY Progress in Australasian arachnid and myriapod systematics in the 21st century Dr Michael Rix Recent developments in evolutionary biology, molecular phylogenetics, digital microscopy, imaging and GIS technologies have had a profound influence on systematic biology. Approaches to taxonomy, phylogenetics and biogeography are all evolving rapidly, as methods of analysis are developed or refined to keep pace with rapidly changing methods of data generation. Recent research into the Australasian arachnid and myriapod faunas highlights many of these developments. The process of species discovery and description continues unabated, and phylogenetic studies are providing fascinating insights into the evolutionary and biogeographic history of the region. In at least some parts of Australia, whole new arachnid faunas are being discovered and gradually described, while a growing population, economy and burgeoning resources sector provide a suite of new challenges to the protection and documentation of biodiversity. This symposium – to be held over 30 years since the Australasian Arachnological Society was founded (see http://www. australasian-arachnology.org/) – aims to highlight recent systematic research into Australasian arachnids and myriapods, covering both research progress and prospects. Papers will broadly cover aspects of taxonomy, phylogenetics, genetics and biogeography, across a range of arachnid and myriapod taxa from Australasia. Fruit fly management and threats Dr Olivia Reynolds Fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) are probably Australia’s most significant horticultural pests, causing barriers to trade both domestically and internationally. The adults oviposit into mature ripe fruit and the developing larvae feed on the flesh of the fruit rendering it unmarketable. There are several species of major biosecurity concern, both present in Australia, in neighbouring countries or in those countries with which we conduct trade. These include perhaps our most significant horticultural pest, the Queensland fruit fly,Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) present in south-eastern parts of Australia and the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) which is only present in the west. This symposium will explore the science and research behind the management of these pests. Topics will explore the physiology, behaviour and ecology of flies, population structuring and dynamics, biogeography, bacterial symbionts and other supplements to increase the performance of flies in culture and as part of the sterile insect technique, effects of host plants on trap catches, novel post-harvest disinfestation technologies and alternatives, nutritional quality of treated fruit and quarantine distances for market access. | 15 AUSTRALIAN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY | AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY Digitisation and biodiversity informatics initiatives in invertebrate collection Dr Beth Mantle Natural history collections are important libraries of data for the presence and distribution of both historical and present-day flora and fauna. Of the potential three billion specimens available in collections worldwide, only a small fraction have been digitised; approximately 50 million specimen records according to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (of which Australia is a contributing member). Entomology collections are particularly challenging: insects are generally mounted on pins with very small labels attached beneath the specimen. To access the data, the specimens must be handled, the label removed from the pin and the associated data decoded and entered into a database, which places the specimen at risk of damage through handling. Furthermore, entomology collections are large and contain significantly greater numbers of individual specimens than other zoological collections, of which up to 70% may be unknown to science. This symposia will explore emerging technologies being used to improve digitisation of entomology collections. Presentations will include imaging of specimens and collection drawers, methods for capture and delivery of biodiversity informatics data, use cases of invertebrate primary biodiversity data in research, the unique challenges facing invertebrate collections regarding digitising collections, and showcases from the Atlas of Living Australia. Urban ecology (including mosquitoes) Phil Weinstein and Dr Cassie Jansen In 2007, the global proportion of urban population passed 50%, up from about 10% one hundred years ago. Urban ecology has therefore emerged as a major new discipline, loosely definable as the interaction between organisms (including people) in urban environments. The discipline is arguably of greatest importance in the most urbanised nations – of which Australia is one of the world leaders at 89%. Such a high concentration of humans, and the resources that they consume, has dramatic implications for biodiversity conservation and the ecosystem services upon which human health is dependant. In particular, the emergence of urban pests, including mosquitoes, creates unwelcome disease risks and nuisances. Urban communities can support a rich and diverse fauna, but not all arthropods are welcome, particularly mosquitoes. An ecological approach is necessary when attempting to understand the factors that make some species successful in urban environments while other perish. As urbanisation increases, so too does the demand for measures to preserve urban biodiversity and decrease risk posed by urban pests. This symposium highlights the value of an ecological approach to understanding insects in urban environments, both from a conservation perspective and from a public health perspective – and we have deliberately mixed these themes to emphasise their links: the Symposium unites diverse entomological subjects in a shared urban ecology framework. Presentations will showcase the breadth of interactions occurring in human modified urban environments, and includes discussion of invasive urban mosquitoes, biodiversity consequences of urban habitats, and insect adaptations to urban stressors. Of particular interest is the unique interface between urban and non-urban sites as urbanisation encroaches on natural systems. We are privileged to introduce Urban Ecology as theme to the Australian Entomological Society Scientific Conference, and anticipate that it will spawn many new research ideas and collaborations. | 16 ABSTRACTS MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: SIGNALLING IN INSECTS AND SPIDERS 1045–1230 Pheromonal control Andrew B. Barron, Marianne Peso, Mark A. Elgar Macquarie University Pheromones can have profound effects on the behaviour and/or physiology of the receiver, and it is still common to hear pheromones described as controlling of the behaviour of the receiver, but can a chemical signal really control the behaviour of the receiver? The concept of a controlling pheromone is at odds with contemporary signal evolution theory, which predicts a manipulative pheromonal signal should not be stable over evolutionary time. Here we discuss the meaning of pheromonal control, and the ecological circumstances by which it might be supported. We argue that in discussing pheromonal control it is important to differentiate between control applied to the effects of a pheromone on a receiver’s physiology, and control applied to the effects of a pheromone on a receiver’s fitness. In cases where pheromonal signalling does lead to a reduction in the fitness of the receiver, the signalling system would be stable if the pheromone were an honest signal of a social environment that disadvantages the receiver, and the physiological and behavioural changes observed in the receiver were an adaptive response to the new social circumstances communicated by the pheromone. The evolution of novel animal signals: Silk decorations as a model system Andre Walter, Mark A. Elgar University of Melbourne Contemporary animal signals may derive from an elaboration of existing forms or novel non-signalling traits. Unravelling the evolution of the latter is challenging because experiments investigating the maintenance of the signal may provide little insight into its early evolution. The web decorations or stabilimenta of some orb web spiders represent an intriguing model system to investigate novel animal signals. For over 100 years, biologists have struggled to explain why spiders decorate their webs with additional threads of silk, producing a conspicuous signal on a construction whose function is to entangle unsuspecting prey. The numerous explanations for the maintenance of this behaviour starkly contrast with the absence of a plausible explanation for its evolutionary origin. Using spider silk decorations as a model we highlight difficulties in distinguishing between evolution and maintenance of animal signalling. Moreover, we illustrate how inferring a causative arrow from experimental studies may be misleading if being based on individual case-studies or inadequate methodologies. In particular, conclusions on the web decoration function may differ if decorations are treated either as the dependent or the independent variable. Finally, drawing on recent research that focuses on physiological processes, we provide a model of the evolutionary progression of web-decorating behaviour. | 18 Anne Wignall Macquarie University Male web-building spiders are in extreme danger when entering a female’s web to commence courtship. Females are highly aggressive, with poor vision, but excellent sensitivity to vibrations in the web. As a result, females may mistake males for prey struggling in the web. While a male cannot identify himself visually to the female, he may generate a vibration that signals his identity, or, inhibits female aggression toward vibrations in the web. The evolution of such a vibratory signal would similarly benefit the female by ensuring she does not consume every potential mate entering her web. Using playback experiments, we demonstrate that shuddering by male web-building spiders delays the aggressive response of females to prey in their webs. Adult females were presented with live prey (a cricket) and their attack behaviour compared during simultaneous playback of male shudder vibrations and a silent control. Females were much slower to respond to prey during playback of male shudder vibrations compared to the silent control. Shuddering by males is a common behaviour that can be observed in many species of web-building spiders. Additional playback experiments have demonstrated that shudders from males of a closely related species will similarly delay female aggressive responses to prey. This suggests the evolution of a highly conserved vibratory signal that ameliorates the risk that males encounter during the initial stages of courtship. Seasonal changes in predator community switch the direction of selection for anti-predatory defences Joanna Mappes, H. Kokko, K. Ojala, Lanu Lindström Explaining the evolutionary origin of warning signals is considered enigmatic, while their maintenance has been considered less problematic. We show, in a season-wide field experiment, that the apparent altruism of prey having to educate naïve predators arises anew in every generation. The benefit of warning signals varies over the season, with the direction of selection switching twice. These switches correspond to seasonal rapid changes in the age structure of the predator community. Conspicuous warning signals protect against attacks by adult birds but are detrimental when young birds fledge. Poor survival of conspicuous prey in the presence of naïve birds helps explain two community-wide patterns: fewer than 5% of Lepidopteran species exhibit conspicuous warning signals in their caterpillars, and warning signals occurs disproportionately more often in seasons when adult birds dominate the predator community. Thus, predictable changes in the predator community can explain local diversity of protective coloration strategies. | 19 MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: SIGNALLING IN INSECTS AND SPIDERS 1045–1230 Signalling on the web: The function and evolution of courtship ‘shudders’ in male web-building spiders MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: SIGNALLING IN INSECTS AND SPIDERS 1045–1230 Visual signals and the colour phases of colour changing insects and spiders Kate D. L. Umbers 1,2 1 2 Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200 Dept Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109 Rapid, reversible colour change is found across insect and arachnid taxa. By definition colour change contains multiple phases of different colours (or shades) and each phase may have different, multiple or overlapping functions. Visual signaling is commonly invoked to explain the evolution of colour phases whether they be intended for an intra- or interspecific receiver. For example, some Coleoptera use hydrochromic colour change as an interspecific defensive display by switching from gold to red when squeezed (e.g. Charidotella egregia). In this talk I discuss how colour phases are used in visual signaling in the context of signals that can be switched on and off compared to those that are ‘always on’. I also highlight that testing hypotheses regarding potential signaling functions of all phases of colour change is a necessary step in understanding why some animals use colour change in visual signaling and why others do not. The evolution of multi-component sex pheromones in moths Matthew R. E. Symonds Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC 3125. A substantial amount of pheromone research has focussed on the long-distance volatile sex pheromones produced by female moths. The chemical compositions of these pheromones have now been identified for several hundred species, providing us with a wealth of data that can be used to ask evolutionary questions in a comparative context. In approx. 30% species these pheromones consist of a single chemical component, but in all others the pheromone has been identified as a blend of several components (mean = 2.16 components, n = 570 species). Why do some species utilise single chemical compounds, whilst others have more complex formulations? I use a phylogenetic comparative approach to investigate the evolutionary history of multi-component sex pheromones. I examine whether greater ‘complexity’ (i.e. number of components) is associated with more species-rich clades in the phylogeny. Using an ancestral reconstruction approach I will determine whether single-component pheromones is the likely ancestral state and whether there have been identifiable trends towards greater numbers of components over evolutionary time. The results will be discussed in terms of theories of character displacement and reinforcement used to account for species differences in pheromone composition. | 20 Jo Harding1, Michael Preece2 1 2 ABRS, PO Box 787, Canberra, ACT, 2601, [email protected] ABRS, PO Box 787, Canberra, ACT, 2601, [email protected] Bush Blitz is an innovative, continent-wide biodiversity discovery partnership between the Australian Government - through the Australian Biological Resources Study - BHP Billiton and Earthwatch Australia. Since it commenced in late 2009, the Bush Blitz program has successfully completed 17 ‘snapshot’ species discovery surveys on over 65 National Reserve System properties, totalling over 2.5 million hectares. These surveys have involved more than 140 scientists from 20 of Australia’s leading scientific institutions and organisations.To date, more than 600 native species new to science have been discovered through the Bush Blitz project. The vast majority of these have been invertebrates across a wide range of taxa. Bush Blitz also records known species and is particularly interested in the occurrence of rare and threatened species, and range extensions. Of the more than 3,500 new occurrence records that have been added, over 1,500 are for invertebrate species. Bush Blitz is making a significant contribution to the taxonomic knowledge of many invertebrate taxa. It is also helping to build Australia’s taxonomic capacity by supporting a new cadre of Australian entomology taxonomists. The information gathered by Bush Blitz is providing important baseline information that will assist with reserve management and national scale conservation planning and reporting. Using Bush Blitz data to evaluate, and enhance, the performance of mapped biodiversity surrogates Simon Ferrier and Kristen Williams CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, GPO Box 1700, Canberra ACT 2601 Email: [email protected] National-scale conservation assessment and planning in Australia relies heavily on the use of mapped land classifications, including bioregions / subregions and broad vegetation types, based on the assumption that these serve effectively as surrogates for spatial patterns in the distribution of biodiversity as a whole. The validity of this assumption has rarely been tested, especially for lesser-known, yet highly-diverse, taxa including most invertebrates. In a recently commenced study we are using data for all eight target taxa from 13 completed Bush Blitz surveys to evaluate the performance of mapped surrogates commonly employed in National-scale conservation assessments. We are then evaluating the extent to which this performance that can be enhanced by using the Bush Blitz data to refine existing models of spatial turnover in biodiversity composition across the Australian continent. | 21 MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: SIGNALLING IN INSECTS AND SPIDERS 1045–1230 Bush Blitz – setting the scene MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: BUSH BLITZ SYNERGIES 1045–1445 Butterfly biodiversity in the Australian Monsoon Tropics: A preliminary study Michael F. Braby Biodiversity Conservation Division, Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport, PO Box 496, Palmerston, NT 0831, Australia, and Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200 The Australian Monsoon Tropics biome comprises a vast wilderness region across northern Australia with relatively intact savannah landscapes, and includes the Kimberley and Top End as major subregions in the north-west. It is a frontier for biological research and species discovery. The diurnal Lepidoptera (butterflies and day-flying moths) have been selected as one of several surrogate groups to estimate patterns of invertebrate biodiversity within the region. This study seeks to understand the species richness (a-diversity), composition and spatial turnover (b-diversity), spatial distribution and extent of endemism, and threatening processes within the Kimberley Top End western Gulf Country. The aim is to use this information to identify sites of conservation significance, and assess the conservation status of each species, with the long-term goal of determining the extent to which invertebrate biodiversity is represented and protected under the current National Reserve System, and to provide recommendations for future reserve design/conservation management at different spatial scales. Recent surveys in the region have revealed a number of remarkable taxonomic discoveries that suggest that the level of endemism is higher than previously realised. Surveys sponsored by the Bush Blitz programme have filled substantial gaps in known geographical ranges, and have detected extant breeding populations of several poorly known species that were not previously represented in the NRS. Five Bush Blitzes, TMAG and Lepidoptera Catherine Byrne Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, GPO Box 1164, Hobart, Tasmania, 7001, [email protected] My involvement with the National Bush Blitz surveys has assisted and expanded my knowledge of my research area (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), facilitated the collection of hundreds of specimens, all new records, catalysed new taxonomic projects and benefitted the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) not least by increasing its research and public profile. So far I have participated in three WA and two Tasmanian surveys: 2009 – Kadji Kadji, Lochada, Karara and Charles Darwin Reserves (WA); 2010 – Tasmanian Bush Blitz of seven areas from around the state; 2011 – Cane River Reserve and Credo Reserve, WA; 2012 – Skullbone Plains, Tasmania. All of these were led and organised by the Bush Blitz team apart from the 2010 survey, which was organised by TMAG with me as team leader. Outputs from these surveys have been enormous including thousands of new records, hundreds of new species and taxonomic projects for both me and TMAG staff. In this seminar I will discuss my Bush Blitz experience and will present the benefits that have flowed to TMAG, important finds and collections in the Lepidoptera, and taxonomic research outputs. | 22 Christine Lambkin Queensland Museum, PO Box 3300 South Brisbane, QLD, 4101, [email protected] In 2009 I unsuccessfully proposed Diptera as a target taxon in Outback Blitz (Bush Blitz) for a world FLYTAX team to complete identification and taxonomy for over 10 fly families collected in surveys. I participated in a Bush-Blitz survey at Charles Darwin Reserve, Karara, Lochada and Kadji Kadji Pastoral Leases WA (Charles Darwin II Outback Blitz 2009), and ran Queensland Museum (QM) based surveys of Culgoa Floodplains NP QLD, Culgoa NP and Ledknapper NR NSW (Culgoa Bush-Blitz 2009-2010) and central QLD including NP (Nairana, Cudmore, Albinia Downs, Humboldt, Lonesome Holding) and Bush Heritage properties (Edgbaston Station, Goonderoo, Carnarvon Holding) (Carnarvon preliminary Bush-Blitz 2010). During all surveys I joined a team setting long-term Malaise and pitfall traps, hand netting, and running light sheets targeting butterflies, dragonflies, and damselflies and other QM priorities. I targeted flies, organized rangers taking trap samples monthly, QM volunteers and staff sorting material, and disseminated specimens to specialists. I received CHAFC funds to curate Culgoa Bush-Blitz specimens; tactical taxonomy grants to describe new Bush Blitz species: Beeflies (Diptera: Bombyliidae) in 2010, and Cleridae (Coleoptera) (funding Bartlett) in 2011; and a National Taxonomy Research Grant to incorporate Bush-Blitz material into systematic studies of stiletto flies (Therevidae) using cybertaxonomic methods in 2011. In 2011 a paper was published: Lambkin & Bartlett, Bush Blitz aids description of three new species and a new genus of Australian beeflies (Diptera, Bombyliidae, Exoprosopini). In: Smith V, Penev L (Eds) e-Infrastructures for data publishing in biodiversity science. ZooKeys 150: 231-280. I discuss my Bush Blitz experience. New species of Australian horse flies (Diptera: Tabanidae): Museum collections as a resource for species discovery Bryan D. Lessard1,2, David K. Yeates1 ustralian National Insect Collection, CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Black Mountain Laboratories, PO Box 1700, A Canberra, ACT, Australia. [email protected] 2 Reseacrch School of Biology, Australian National University, Daley Road, Canberra, 0200, ACT, Australia 1 The description of new species is a fundamental way of increasing our knowledge of biodiversity. This is a main objective of the Australian Biological Resources Study and BushBlitz, providing financial support for taxonomic research including PhD Supplement Grants for early career students. Such opportunities have aided the recent surge in taxonomic research being conducted on the Tabanidae, a family that has received little attention in the last 50 years. BushBlitz has funded visits to the major Australian Museums known to accumulate fresh material over the years, becoming an invaluable resource for species discovery. This has included a large number of previously undescribed horse fly species, many indirectly collected by researchers working on other groups and stored as accessions in the Museums. Moreover, BushBlitz has facilitated multiple field expeditions overseeing the collection of fresh material used for species descriptions and molecular phylogenetic research. The final product of the BushBlitz PhD Supplement Grant on the Australian Tabanidae comprises several publications describing twenty new species, one novel genus, phylogenetic analysis and systematic revision of the tribe Scionini, updates to the taxonomic keys on genera and species, as well as an international media campaign highlighting the importance of taxonomy and biodiversity. | 23 MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: BUSH BLITZ SYNERGIES 1045–1445 Bush Blitz & flies: A non-target taxon MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: BUSH BLITZ SYNERGIES 1045–1445 Understanding the molecular phylogeny of weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) Nicole Gunter, Stephen Cameron, Rolf Oberprieler Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Black Mountain laboratories, Canberra, ACT 2601. Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD Weevils are the most species rich group of animals on the planet with over 50,000 described species. However, the numbers and concepts of weevil subfamilies and tribes remain unclear due to poor definitions and amalgamation of distantly related taxa. Adding to this problem, their extraordinary diversity makes unravelling the true relationships to develop a more natural classification system a difficult task. In recent years, three substantial have been made to address the phylogenetic relationships of weevils but results of each were not congruent, providing multiple conflicting hypotheses of relationships. Here we provide a multi-gene phylogeny of Australian weevils to examine the relationships between families and subfamilies. Our data set includes 3.5 Kb of genetic data from 2 mitochondrial (16s &COI) and a nuclear gene (28s) for 144 curculionoid taxa from 122 genera representing 6 families, 19 subfamilies and 56 tribes. Phylogenetic relationships were tested by both Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood methods. Our results are compared to the past phylogenies to address general consensus of relationships. Diversity of Australian truffle beetles Dr Ainsley Seago Members of the leiodid tribe Sogdini feed and breed in truffles and other subterranean fungi, and the closely related genus Leiodes is a well-known pest of truffles, capable of inflicting substantial damage. Australia’s burgeoning truffle industry may be affected by sogdine leiodids; however, ecological and taxonomic data for Australian Sogdini is non-existent. Collection holdings indicate that at least four putative genera comprising at least ten species are native to Australia; it is not yet clear whether any European species have been introduced. There is currently no available means for Australian truffle producers and land managers to identify potential beetle pests. Here, I present an assessment of Australian truffle beetle diversity and their potential for agricultural impacts, made possible by the support of an ABRS Bush Blitz research grant. | 24 Rebecca Kittel, John T. Jennings, Andrew D. Austin Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity; School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia Participation in the 2010 Bush Blitz surveys in two arid zone reserves, Bon Bon and Witchelina (South Australia), have provided invaluable material for phylogenetic and taxonomic studies on the Cheloninae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). This group of braconid wasps are endoparasitoids of lepidopteran larvae, ovipositing in the egg stage, and emerging from midto late-stage larvae. The Bon Bon and Witchelina material has been particularly useful for our study, given that chelonine specimens from central Australia are generally underrepresented in collections. A range of collecting techniques were employed during these surveys, with Malaise and yellow pantraps, and light trapping at night being most productive for chelonines. Approximately 160 specimens were collecting during the 3 weeks of the surveys. Specimens were sorted to morphospecies in ethanol, a leg removed for DNA sequencing, and the specimens mounted for morphological study. Our results indicate at least 20 species from three genera, Chelonus, Ascogaster and Phanerotoma. Current work using these preliminary results and material from another Bush Blitz survey conducted in Western Australia are being included into a comprehensive multi-gene phylogeny of the Australian fauna, and taxonomic revisions of at least two genera. Imaging, examination of the type specimens (most of which are in European collections), and publication of our results is being supported by two ABRS taxonomic grant to facilitate outcomes from the Bush Blitz program. Native bees and Bush Blitz surveys – how will we get a handle on the other 50%? Remko Leijs1, Katja Hogendoorn2 1 2 South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000, [email protected] The University of Adelaide, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Adelaide SA 5005, [email protected] Over the past years, the Bush Blitz initiatives of the ABRS have allowed invertebrate taxonomists to obtain snap-shots of the presence of their favorite animals in remote natural environments. This has lead to the capture of numerous of undescribed invertebrate species. Furthermore, the fresh specimens caught during the Bush blitzes allow the use of molecular techniques to recognize new species. It has been suggested that only 50% of the Australian native bee species have been described (currently there are 1650 known species). The fact that eye-catching and widespread new species of bees can be found with relatively little sampling effort indicates that a wealth of smaller, less conspicuous bee species is waiting to be discovered. Native bees are among the most important pollinators of native plants, and the survival of several plant species crucially depends on the presence of one or a few pollinating bee species. To protect these native pollinators and the plants that rely on them, we need to be able to identify the species and their role in the ecosystem. While Bush Blitzes greatly contribute to the discovery of new species and the acquisition of fresh material, the process of the identification is slow. For bees, this is hampered by factors, such as a lack of a general taxonomic overview (eg. identification keys), making comparisons with museum specimens the only reliable way. To speed up the species discovery process we advocate that all named bee species in museum collections should be included in a bar-coding of life project. | 25 MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: BUSH BLITZ SYNERGIES 1045–1445 Systematics of Australian chelonine wasps facilitated through support from Bush Blitz MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: BUSH BLITZ SYNERGIES 1045–1445 ABRS and the diversity of Australian thrips Laurence Mound The number of Thysanoptera species recorded from Australia has risen dramatically during the past 100 years, from less than 20 in 1915, to about 200 by 1950, 400 in 1995, and 830 in 2012. More important than the simple increase in number of described species is the great expansion in knowledge of host plants and distributions, because prior to 1960 almost nothing was known about the biology of thrips in Australia. Much of this increase in our understanding of the biodiversity of Australian thrips has been associated with ABRS in various ways. Bush Blitz, bush tucker and biosecurity Gary Taylor1, Deborah Kent2, Alan Yen3 Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology & Biodiversity, and School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide, South Australia 5005 2 Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109 3 Department of Primary Industries, Knoxfield, Victoria 3180 1 Bush Blitz surveys in inland semi-arid southern Australia (Witchelina, Bon Bon and Credo Stations) yielded previously undiscovered radiations of psyllids (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) on novel hosts (including Amyema mistletoe, Dodonaea hop bush and Eremophila emu-bush), together with many new species of Acizzia from Acacia, Hakea and Solanum. The discovery of a new species of Acizzia from native Solanum lasiophyllum (flannel bush) from Credo WA, supports the hypothesis that the solanaceous-feeding Acizzia originated in Australia. Previously only described from introduced Solanaceae (wild tobacco and eggplant) it was postulated that these psyllids may have been accidental introductions from an unknown source, or of Australian origin that had switched hosts from native solanaceous hosts. One of these species, A. solanicola, was recorded for the first time in New Zealand in early 2012. Its ability to transmit Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum, (recorded in New Zealand, but not Australia) in other solanaceous crops (cape gooseberry, capsicum, chilli, tamarillo, potato and tomato) has yet to be assessed. The biosecurity risk and environmental implication of its potential role in the transmission of Candidatus, or other plant pathogens, in native Australian Solanaceae (in the newly developing ‘bush tomato’ industry, for example) remains unknown. | 26 Barbara Baehr1,2, Volker Framenau3,4,5 ueensland Museum, PO Box 3300, South Brisbane, Queensland 4101, Australia. Q E-mail: [email protected] 2 Centre for Sustainable Ecosystem Restoration, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales 2308, Australia 3 Phoenix Environmental Sciences, 1/511 Wanneroo Road, Balcatta, Western Australia 6021, Australia. E-mail: [email protected] 4 Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool DC,Western Australia6986, Australia. 5 School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia 1 Bush Blitz is Australia’s largest nature discovery project, documenting plants and animals of Australia’s National Reserve System. This system is a nation-wide network of reserves, which are especially set up to protect Australia’s unique natural environment. Bush Blitz 2011 surveyed Ned’s Corner Station on Victoria’s far north-west desert fringe yielding 14 undescribed spider species from 5 target families: Corinnidae, Lycosidae, Miturgidae, Nemesidae, and Zoridae. One of these undescribed species found at Ned’s Corner is a Union-Jack Wolf Spider, Tasmanicosa sp. nov., but the genus is not revised yet. At night Ned’s Corners open chenopod scrublands sparkle with the blue eye shine of hundreds of Union-Jack Wolf Spiders (Tasmanicosa Roewer, 1959), seen only in the light of a torch. Lycosa godeffroyi (L. Koch, 1865), Lycosa leuckartii (Thorell, 1870), Lycosa stirlingae Hogg, 1905 and Tasmanicosa sp. nov. inhabit there permanent burrows that are used as base residence for hunting and brood care, leaving their burrow only at nighttime for hunting or, males in search for a female. Union-Jack Wolf Spiders are recognised by radial carapace markings, which resemble the Union Jack. Currently Tasmanicosa includes only one single species, T. tasmanica (Hogg, 1905), but comparison of type material revealed, that T. tasmanica is a junior synonym of Lycosa godeffroyi (L. Koch, 1865), the omnipresent Australian Garden Wolf Spider. The Bush Blitz Strategic Taxonomy Grants Scheme provided funds to describe this undescribed species as well as illustrate and redescribe ten Tasmanicosa species to be transferred from other genera as part of the genus revision. | 27 MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: BUSH BLITZ SYNERGIES 1045–1445 Bush Blitz, the National Reserve System and the Australian Union-Jack Wolf Spiders MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: PEST MANAGEMENT 1315–1515 Landscape assessment of transgenic (Bt) cotton refuges, as a requirement for resistance management Colin R. Tann1, Geoff H. Baker2 1 2 CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Locked Bag 59, Narrabri, NSW 2390. Australia CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, P.O. Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia Transgenic (Bt) cotton dominates Australian cotton production systems (currently > 90% of the crop). Based on the expression of genes for the Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab toxins, it is grown to reduce damage caused by two major lepidopteran pests, Helicoverpa armigera and H. punctigera. It has provided major benefits such as reduced pesticide use and Helicoverpa damage, and a reported increase in abundance of beneficial species (predators, parasitoids). The long-term success of Bt cotton relies heavily on effective and cost-efficient strategies to counter the development of resistance in Helicoverpa spp. This includes the deployment of refuge crops, to generate Bt susceptible moths, thereby diluting resistance alleles in the population. This paper reports our current research highlighting the importance of gaining a more rigorous understanding of the contribution of both structured and unstructured refuges and the incidence of Bt susceptible Helicoverpa moths on cotton production landscapes. We found that refuge crop performance within landscapes is highly variable and therefore regional coverage by dedicated refuges is likely to be patchy. Mandatory refuge crops are C3 plants, and yet in one study area up to 38% of captured moths were from C4 plant origins, suggesting a significant contribution from unstructured refuges. This may well have an influence on future decisions when assessing refuge requirements with future Bt-crop technologies. Are refuges for cotton crops doing their Job? Mary Whitehouse1, D. Harris2, S. Mansfield3 CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, ACRI, Locked bag 59, Narrabri, NSW 2390; [email protected] Cotton CRC and the Faculty of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources, University of Sydney, Australian Technology Park, Everleigh, NSW 2015, [email protected] 3 The Faculty of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources, University of Sydney, Australian Technology Park, Everleigh, NSW 2015; [email protected] 1 2 The use of refuges to counter the development of resistance by Helicoverpa moths to Bt toxins is based on simulation modelling showing that if 10% of the pest population develops on non-Bt refuge hosts, then resistance can be delayed by 40 generations. Thus refuges need to attract 10% of the eggs laid in Bt crops, and be productive so that Helicoverpa survives as well in refuges as it would in Bt crops (if the Bt crops contained no Bt toxin). To be effective, refuges must be attractive and productive throughout the season. Currently non-Bt cotton and pigeon pea are used as refuge crops in cotton. Because pigeon pea is considered twice as effective as cotton, these refuges need be only half the size of cotton refuges. However, there is concern about the degree to which these refuges, particularly pigeon pea refuges, are performing their job, and whether other crops could be more effective. This study compared the attractiveness and productivity of different refuge crops on irrigated fields across locations and seasons. Variability in attractiveness and productivity of all refuges was high, but this was particularly in the case for pigeon pea, which indicated that the efficacy of this refuge was often compromised. These results suggest that the management of refuges in general, and pigeon pea refuges in particular, needs to be improved in order to enhance the ability of refuges to support resistance management. | 28 Katja Hogendoorn, Lea Hannah, Michael A. Keller The University of Adelaide, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Adelaide SA 5005, Rijk Zwaan Australia, PO box 284 Daylesford VIC 3460 Areas of natural vegetation in agricultural landscapes may serve as refuge for native insects, as they can offer protection from detrimental agricultural practices, food and shelter. However, studies that investigate the importance of natural woody vegetation for the occurrence of native bees in agricultural landscapes have had variable outcomes. This seems to be partly caused by the fact that not all bees have the same reliance on woody vegetation. We investigated whether the proximity of woody vegetation correlated with the diversity, size and numbers of native bees that (a) took up artificial nesting substrate, and (b) foraged on flowering carrot crops. Proximity of woody vegetation correlated with the number of small-sized trapnesting bees and with the diversity (but not the number) of ground-nesting bees that foraged on the crop, and nested in the cropping area. Thus, the interrelation between woody vegetation and native bees depends on their nesting habits and size. This insight contributes to the understanding of the distribution of native bees in agro-ecosystems, and is important in the context of the development of tailored methods to enhance crop pollination by native bees. Maximising moth production Dominic Cross1, Sarah Mansfield2, Mary Whitehouse3, Sharon Downes4 Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Sydney, Locked Bag 59, Narrabri, NSW 2390, Australia, [email protected] 2 Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Sydney, Suite 401 Biomedical Building, 1 Central Avenue, Australian Technology Park Eveleigh, NSW 2015, [email protected] 3 CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Locked Bag 59, Narrabri, NSW 2390, Australia, [email protected] 4 CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Locked Bag 59, Narrabri, NSW 2390, Australia, [email protected] 1 Refuges are a key tactic in averting the development of resistance, particularly for genetically modified crops expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Refuges work in Bt crops by producing large numbers of susceptible pests which dilute any resistant pests emerging from the Bt crop. To function well, refuges should be both attractive to pests to encourage oviposition and productive by providing a habitat conducive to the pest’s survival with sufficient nutrients for development. Using Bt cotton as a model, the current refuge choices of pigeon pea or unsprayed non-Bt cotton were investigated for their proficiency in producing Helicoverpa armigera and H. punctigera moths, key pests of cotton in Australia. Field experiments where crops were stocked with varying densities of H. armigera revealed several differences between pigeon pea and nonBt cotton. Survival of Helicoverpa eggs was higher in cotton, while survival of larvae and production of moths was higher in pigeon pea. Glasshouse studies into crop agronomy have found that non-Bt cotton and pigeon pea plants grown with limited access to water were poor hosts for H. armigera larvae, and adding nitrogen under these conditions did not improve survival. Moderate watering resulted in higher survival than did watering to saturation. In cotton plants where water was not limiting, adding nitrogen improved survival rates, although excessive nitrogen levels did not increase survival any further. Production of moths from Bt cotton refuges is likely currently limited by poor management. Improving fertiliser application, watering regimen, and monitoring of invertebrates will increase moth production. Testing the concept of attract-and-kill traps for managing leaf beetles in | 29 MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: PEST MANAGEMENT 1315–1515 Woody vegetation influences the size and diversity of native bees in carrot crops MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: PEST MANAGEMENT 1315–1515 eucalypt plantations Jane Elek1, Vinu Patel1, Geoff Allen1, Tim Wardlaw2 T asmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 98, Hobart, 7001 and CRC for Forestry, Hobart, Tasmania. [email protected] 2 Forestry Tasmania, GPO Box 207, Hobart, 7001 and CRC for Forestry, Hobart, Tasmania. [email protected] 1 Attract-and-kill traps could be the most effective and environmentally friendly methods for preventing damaging leaf beetle defoliation in blue gum plantations. This approach was tested using preferred trap species of eucalypts injected with lethal levels of a systemic insecticide for managing the major Tasmanian leaf beetle pest, Paropsisterna bimaculata (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Blocks of 200 Eucalyptus regnans or E. delegatensis trap trees were planted in the centres of sixteen E. nitens plantations around Tasmania. When the plantations were 4 or 5 years old, we assessed the effectiveness of treated trap trees at protecting the plantation trees from defoliation. The E. nitens plots with treated trap trees attracted significantly more of the target P. bimaculata than the control plots with no trap trees, and the treated trap trees were effective at killing P. bimaculata adults for five months after treatment. There was no difference in numbers of non-target insects killed under treated or untreated trap trees. The treated trap trees reduced defoliation levels of the E. nitens within a 50 m radius of the trap trees, but beyond 50 m defoliation was higher than in the control plot. These results suggest that the treated trap trees attracted and killed enough chrysomelids to provide some protection of the plantation trees within 50 m of the block, but beyond that the trap trees acted as attractants only. This trial has shown the feasibility of the attractand-kill approach for protecting plantation trees throughout the leaf beetle season. However, implementation requires development of an artificial attractant infochemical and refinement of the most effective deployment strategy for the traps. Flight activity, dispersal, and use of non-grain hosts by the lesser grain borer Rhyzopertha dominica in southern New South Wales Mark M. Stevens, Glen N. Warren, Jianhua Mo NSW Department of Primary Industries, Yanco Agricultural Institute, PMB, Yanco NSW 2703 [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Increasing resistance to phosphine in stored grain insects threatens Australia’s capacity to access export grain markets, since all grain shipments must be free of both live insects and chemical residues. Ecologically-based approaches to managing stored grain insects could help reduce the incidence of infestations, and thus the need to fumigate. This approach relies heavily on understanding the ecological factors regulating pest movement and survival in the field. Pheromone trapping in the Riverina of NSW has shown that lesser grain borer (LGB) is more commonly caught in remnant native vegetation (46.4% of total captures) than in cereal fields (24.4%) or adjacent to grain silos (29.2%). This suggests that LGB may be using nongrain food plants outside the storage environment. We attempted to rear LGB from egg to adult on a range of different hosts, and found that this species is capable of development on a range of different plant materials, however development on native plants has generally been poor compared to that on introduced weeds and ornamental species. Materials with high oil content do not readily support LGB development. Although we have not yet isolated LGB from field collected plant material, another important stored grain beetle, Cryptolestes sp., has been isolated from fruit of the Canary Island date palm, Phoenix canariensis. Mark / release / recapture studies have shown LGB to have a strong capacity for dispersal by flight, with 1.4% of released beetles recovered in pheromone traps 1 km from the release point. | 30 Christian Nansen University of Western Australia Reflectance based prediction of crop attractiveness to arthropod pestsMost reflectance-based studies on pests in field crops focus on detection of already established pest populations, but it is equally important to develop detection tools to predict the potential risk of field pest infestations before they occur. In this study, hyperspectral imaging data (405-907 nm) were used to study attractiveness of maize leaves to spider mites. Five maize hybrids were grown under three irrigation regimes during two growing seasons (2009 and 2010). We collected leaf pieces in weekly intervals in each growing season for three-choice bioassays and hyperspectral imaging. In 2009, we obtained nutritional composition data from maize plants. In both growing seasons, spider mites showed highest bio-response to leaf pieces from low and medium irrigation, and it varied significantly during weeks within each growing season. Across all three irrigation regimes, there was a negative spider mite bio-response to potassium content in maize plants. Spider mite bio-response could be accurately predicted based on a combination of nine spectral bands, and the output from the reflectance model was negatively correlated with potassium content in maize plants. The results presented provided encouraging support for risk assessment of spider mite infestations through reflectance-based monitoring of potassium content in maize plants Predicting the effects of climate change on mealybugs and their natural enemies in grapevines in Australia Linda J. Thomson, Ary A. Hoffmann Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Bio 21 30 Flemington Rd Parkville 3010, Australia; [email protected] Pest damage will depend on individual pest effects, changes in pest complexes and relevant natural enemies. We looked at potential for change in the relative importance of mealybug species in Australian vineyards. Distributions of two common native species longtailed mealybug Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni Tozzetti), and citrophilus mealybug Pseudococcus calceolariae (Maskell) were mapped from pest records and potential responses under climate change modelled using MAXENT. Lethal temperatures were determined in our laboratory by subjecting individuals to temperature treatments for 2 h and compared to available data for a potentially invasive, vine mealybug Planococcus ficus (Signoret) taken from published limits. Vine mealybug, while currently not present in Australia, has shown itself to be an efficient invader, now a key pest in Europe, Africa, South Africa, Argentina, the Middle East, California and Mexico, and currently regarded as a potential threat to the Australian industry. Vine mealybug has a number of traits that may make it particularly damaging and difficult to control, including a potential for faster population growth resulting from more generations per year and ecological changes. It may also be a more efficient transmitter of grapevine leafroll viruses, a cause of increasing concern in grape growing regions globally. Of the many natural enemies of mealybugs, we looked at thermal responses of a predator, ladybird beetle Cryptoleamus montrouzieri Mulsant and a parasitoid Leptomastix dactylopii Howard. Responses of the pest and natural enemies were compared to investigate potential changes in the control efficacy of the natural enemies through changes in their distribution and abundance | 31 MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: PEST MANAGEMENT 1515 –1645 Reflectance based prediction of crop attractiveness to arthropod pests MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: PEST MANAGEMENT 1515 –1645 First detection of cyromazine resistance in a field population of the Australian Sheep Blowfly Garry Levot Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Private Bag 4008 Narellan, NSW 2570 In early 2011 Cyromazine resistance was detected in a population of L. cuprina from Nimmitabel (NSW) that had developed on sheep treated only four weeks earlier with a cyromazine. Low level cross resistance to dicyclanil was also confirmed in laboratory bioassays. Based on the ability of larvae to complete development on liver homogenate containing the susceptible discriminating concentration (1 mg kg-1) of cyromazine, it was estimated that the Nimmitabel population contained about 4% resistant individuals. In the laboratory the Nimmitabel strain responded to sequential exposure of larvae to food containing cyromazine by becoming more resistant. Cyromazine susceptibility of hybrid larvae from crosses between the Nimmitabel strain and the ‘Reference Susceptible’ strain was intermediate between the parental strains. A limited survey in late 2011/ early 2012 showed that the resistant phenotype had survived the winter and was present on several properties in the district. Ground spider diversity and phenology in a cotton agroecosystem under two different tillage management systems Dalila Rendon Macquarie University / CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences. Minimum tillage and crop rotations have become a feature of many farming systems, including cotton. Among its many agronomic benefits, it is also a strategy to implement conservation biological control of insect pests, which relies on the enhancement of the agricultural landscape to promote diverse and abundant populations of beneficial arthropod predators and parasitoids. Of particular importance is the presence and diversity of ground spiders, an abundant guild of terrestrial predatory arthropods in agroecosystems. In this study, two cotton fields with different tillage and crop rotation strategies where sampled throughout the 2011/2012 growing season to analyze the abundance, diversity and phenology of ground spiders, particularly of wolf spiders (Lycosidae). Preliminary results show that a more complex and less disrupted field does not have a significant tendency to have higher biodiversity (as indicated by different ecological indices), has a higher abundance and density of total ground spiders, but have a lower family richness. Spider phenology is similar in both fields, with some spider families being more dominant at the beginning of the season, and others appearing later in the summer. Wolf spiders were the most abundant family, comprising 75% of the total ground spider fauna with at least 11 different species. Wolf spider juveniles are well established before cotton planting, adults begin to colonize the fields at sowing, and females with eggsacs are found in early summer. These results illustrate the colonizing capacity and population resilience and persistence of ground spiders; the high density of spiders due to early establishment and successful reproduction has the potential to contribute to natural pest control in agroecosystems with varying management regimes. | 32 Michelle Yates We used the network approach to quantify plant-pollinator and plant-aphid-parasitoid interactions. Networks (or food webs) provide a means to statistically analyze the strength and robustness of insect-plant interactions, and these interactions are easily overlooked due to their complexity. Our aim was to primarily see if the ecosystem services of pollination and parasitism were shared between different habitats in an agro-ecosystem. We chose plant-pollinator and plant-aphid-parasitoid interactions as these ecosystem services (pollination and aphid pest control) are both occurring within the same habitats, often relying on the same resources, and both being important for agricultural production. For these reasons, both ecosystem services are important within agro-ecosystems. We collected insect-pollinators from May-Nov 2011 and aphid mummies (parasitized) via hand collections. We did this in four different habitat types (barley, faba beans, remnants, pastures) across a 40, 000 acre farm in north west NSW. Pollinators were then swabbed for pollen, and pollen was later identified and counted under the microscope. Parasitoids were reared from aphid mummies in the lab and identified. There was little evidence to show that these ecosystem services were shared between the habitats we studied. In the large spatial scale we studied, pollination and parasitism seems to function independently within habitats, but due to the temporal availability of crop food resources, these services would most likely be shared over a larger temporal scale. The cocoa pod borer, Conopomorpha cramerella in Papua New Guinea: Orientation and oviposition responses to different host plants Paul Gende1,2, Sarah Mansfield2, David Guest2 1 Papua New Guinea Cocoa Coconut Institute, P.O. Box 1846, Rabaul, East New Britain, PNG. Email: umbai@hotmail. com 2 Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, University of Sydney, NSW 2015 email: [email protected] The cocoa pod borer, Conopomorpha cramerella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) is a severe pest of cocoa, the crop from which chocolate is derived. It is common in cocoa growing regions of Southeast Asia. Crop losses can exceed more than 50% if management inputs are relaxed. Rambutan, Nephelium lappaceum, and toan, Pometia pinnata, are believed to be the original, co-evolved host plants for cocoa pod borer, however since the introduction of cocoa, Theobroma cacao, to Southeast Asia, it has become a major host for cocoa pod borer.This pest was first reported in Papua New Guinea in March 2006 where its ecology, including host range and preference, is yet to be fully understood. Here we present some results from a project initiated to understand the ecology of cocoa pod borer in its new area of invasion. A simple improvised olfactometer was used to evaluate the orientation response of female cocoa pod borer to odours from cocoa, rambutan and toan fruit under choice and no-choice conditions. Oviposition on cocoa, rambutan and toan fruit was measured under choice conditions. Female moths generally preferred cocoa over rambutan with toan the least preferred host for oviposition but we were not able to test subsequent larval survival on the different host plants in this study. The implications of this work are critical to cocoa farming and agronomic practices prevalent in a smallholder setting as the known host plants of cocoa pod borer are often cultivated together as sources of income. | 33 MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: PEST MANAGEMENT 1515 –1645 Plant-pollinator and plant-aphid-parasitoid-hyperparasitoid interactions within an agro-ecosystem in NSW MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: PEST MANAGEMENT 1515 –1645 Plant vigour, amino acid content and host utilisation by free-living Eucalypt Psyllids Martin J. Steinbauer Insect-Plant Interactions Lab, Department of Zoology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Vic. 3086, [email protected] Psyllids exhibit either lerp-forming or free-living nymphal biologies. The nymphs of lerp-forming species are restricted in the tissues they can access to those immediately below their lerps. Consequently, the amino acid requirements of different species can either be met by females laying on expanding tissue (young leaves) or by nymphs altering already expanded leaves through the salivary enzymes they secrete into plant tissues (e.g. when on old leaves). Free-living psyllids appear to have circumvented such restrictions by laying into rapidly growing shoots which are presumably supplied with photosynthate already high in amino acids. Free-living psyllids may therefore provide models for lerp-forming species that prefer to oviposit on young foliage. The assumption that free-living psyllids exhibit a preference for high vigour plant parts because they are higher quality resources has not been examined (at least not for Australian taxa). I will present the findings of a study that compared two species of Ctenarytaina host specific for two species of eucalypt that differ in plant vigour and consider how they answer this assumption. | 34 Robert J. Raven Queensland Museum, PO Box 3300, South Brisbane, Queensland 4101, Australia. Email: [email protected] Despite furious activity in Australian spider taxonomy in the past 25 years, we seem to be only slowly approaching the 10,000 species mark predicted by Raven (1986). Analysis of data from Platnick’s catalog of spiders of the world has significance for both Australia and world. Faced with the potential for the loss of species before they are known, more Australian museums need to accept responsibility for demands from their state to manage the growing concerns about these venomous but remarkable animals. Already it is clear that although some tourists are coming despite media beatups about spiders, that fragile industry needs less not more to slow its growth. While the ALA etc is increasing access to knowledge it is also diluted by the unvetted records of well meaning citizens. The reassurance of real local expertise at least in the larger states is urgently needed. Mygalomorph spiders and short-range endemism in the Pilbara Dr Mark Castalanelli The Pilbara bioregion of Western Australia is an area that contains vast mineral deposits and unique habitats in a geologically very old landscape. To ensure that resource exploration has minimal impact on natural ecosystems, environmental impact assessments (EIA) include fauna and flora surveys within development footprints and reference sites outside. In Western Australia, EIA fauna assessments include short-range endemic (SRE) invertebrate surveys target species which nominally inhabit areas <10,000 km2.Understanding what species are SREs and determining their distribution will help to ensure that their habitats are adequately protected from mining operations and a high level of biodiversity is maintained in the Pilbara. Trap-door spiders (infraorder Mygalomorphae) are frequently collected in the Pilbara and based on their biology may occur in restricted ranges. Mygalomorph spider identifications are traditionally performed via morphological techniques; however, only the males (representing the minority of specimens collected in Pilbara EIA surveys) can often be reliably identified at the species level. To determine the extent of mygalomorph diversity and the distribution of species, a molecular study was undertaken examining >1000 specimens. Results of this study suggest that only a fraction of the described taxa have been accounted for and that short ranged endemism may occur more frequently than first realised. | 35 MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM : PROGRESS IN AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNID AND MYRIAPOD SYSTEMATICS IN THE 21ST CENTURY 1515–1700 Why i don’t like window seats: Limited progress in Australian arachnology MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM : PROGRESS IN AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNID AND MYRIAPOD SYSTEMATICS IN THE 21ST CENTURY 1515–1700 The most basal pseudoscorpions: A phylogenetic analysis of Chthonioidea based on morphology Mark S. Harvey Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool DC, W.A. 6986, [email protected] The pseudoscorpion superfamily Chthonioidea is well defined and seemingly monophyletic based on previously published morphological and molecular datasets using multiple markers. However, the higher classification is not settled with several alterations over the past two decades. To assist resolve these issues, a phylogenetic analysis was performed using 150 chthonioid species placed in 38 of the 48 recognised genera. Parsimony analyses under equal weights provided little phylogenetic resolution. Implied weights analyses drastically improved the resolution of the trees and, in all analyses, Pseudotyrannochthoniidae were sister to the remaining chthonioids. In both equal and implied weights analyses, the taxa currently included in the families Tridenchthoniidae and Lechytiidae grouped strongly with the chthoniid genera Sathrochthonius and Sathrochthoniella. Of the remaining taxa, low concavity functions distinguished three other clades, Chthoniini, Tyrannochthoniini and the “apochthoniines” (Apochthonius + Kleptochthonius). Higher concavity functions retained Tyrannochthoniini and the “apochthoniines”, but divided Chthoniini into multiple clades. Proposed changes to the classification of the Chthonioidea are discussed. Phylogeography of pseudoscorpions: Exploring new species diversity in the calcrete aquifers of the Yilgarn and Pilbara regions, Western Australia Sophie E. Harrison, Michelle Guzik, Andy D. Austin Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology & Biodiversity, The University of Adelaide, SA, 5005 Australia The groundwater aquifers of the Yilgarn and Pilbara regions of Western Australia are biodiversity hotspots, providing important habitats for a variety of stygobitic (aquatic subterranean) and troglobitic (terrestrial subterranean) invertebrate species, with much of this fauna being found in unusual habitats such as fractured rock, pisolites and sandstone. Stygobitic invertebrates from the Yilgarn, such as the crangonyctoid and hyalid amphipods species, have already been reasonably well studied. It has been found that each species is typically constrained to individual, isolated aquifers, lending support to a hypothesis which describes the aquifers as ‘subterranean islands’. However, very few studies have been conducted on troglofauna from the same sites. It is possible that they follow a similar pattern of very restricted distributions to stygofauna, due to their similar subterranean requirements. Two troglobitic pseudoscorpion genera, Tyrannochthionius and Lagynochthonius, were chosen to test this hypothesis. Phylogenetic analyses of sequence data from the mtDNA COI gene, and the nuclear 18S and 28S rRNA genes were undertaken for a large sample of troglobitic and surface species from the Yilgarn and Pilbara regions. Our results show the existence of divergent lineages that, indeed, appear to be restricted to single aquifers or locations, which support the ‘subterranean island’ hypothesis. These results provide strong evidence that the troglofauna associated with individual aquifers represent isolated communities of mostly undescribed shortrange endemic taxa, and thus reflect the findings of previous stygofaunal studies. They also emphasise the conservation importance of these unique habitats and their endemic fauna. | 36 Robert Mesibov1, Catherine A. Car2, Megan Short3, Cuong Huynh3 Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, PO Box 403, Launceston, Tasmania 7250, [email protected] Western Australian Museum, 49 Kew Street, Welshpool, Western Australia, 6106 3 Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria, 3125 1 2 About 400 native Australian millipede species are adequately described, out of a native fauna of at least 1500 species. Near-complete documentation of the fauna is a long way off. The authors are the only active specialists; two of us are retired, one is in short-term contract employment, and the fourth does research out of working hours. Between us we cover only two of the eight native millipede Orders (Polydesmida and Polyxenida). While systematists working with betterknown arthropod taxa can use molecular methods to improve understanding of relationships between species within genera, and genera within families, we are still discovering genus-level groupings by morphology among the hundreds of new species known to us. Most of these are represented only by museum specimens from which DNA extraction is problematic. Geography is another handicap. The most diverse millipede faunas are in Queensland and New South Wales, while the authors are based in Tasmania, Western Australia and Victoria. To deal with the undescribed ca 75% of Australian millipedes, we encourage colleagues and other field workers to collect for us. This strategy has been very successful in Tasmania, which has an illustrated online guide to millipede identification. We also document undescribed species of the largest taxon (Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae) by code, so that all specimens of ‘Genus NC27, species NC27-1’, for example, are deposited with that code in Australian repositories, together with easily distributable digital records, such as images, locality records and notes on diagnostic features. Millipedes in the wild west: Distributional patterns of the keeled millipede genus Antichiropus Attems, 1911 (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae) in Western Australia. Cathy Car1, Mark Castalanelli2, Mark Harvey3 esearch Officer, Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool D.C., WA 6986, R [email protected] 2 SRE Curator, Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool D.C., WA 6986, [email protected] 3 Senior Curator, Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool D.C., WA 6986, [email protected] 1 The Australian endemic millipede genus Antichiropus is by far the most speciose and widespread genus in the family Paradoxosomatidae in Western Australia, with 9 named and some 130 unnamed species recognized to date. All species, except two, have very limited ranges because they have a low tendency for dispersal, have extremely conservative ecological requirements and live in environments that are becoming increasingly fragmented with development. In this study, the distribution areas of Antichiropus species from two different regions of Western Australia, namely the Pilbara and the Great Western Woodlands, were examined. These areas were compared with selected climatic conditions in each region, in an effort to determine factors (other than sampling effort) affecting the size of species ranges. Such studies are important in informing conservation decisions where species extinction must be taken into account when considering development proposals. | 37 MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM : PROGRESS IN AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNID AND MYRIAPOD SYSTEMATICS IN THE 21ST CENTURY 1515–1700 Documenting the Australian millipede fauna: Progress and prospects MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM : PROGRESS IN AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNID AND MYRIAPOD SYSTEMATICS IN THE 21ST CENTURY 1515–1700 The evolution of parasitoid wasp – spider host associations: Feeding on the fearsome! Andy D. Austin Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity; School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia Spiders, their juvenile stages and eggs are utilised as prey/hosts by numerous insect groups, but particularly the Hymenoptera. Wasps attack spiders and their eggs as ecto- and endoparasitoids, or collect juvenile stages or adults as prey for their developing larvae, usually paralysing the spider and placing it within a nest or cell. Clearly, exploitation of spiders has evolved multiple times across the order, having been recorded by from four apocritan superfamilies and at least eight families. Of these the most diverse species radiations are found within the Platygastridae s.l. (as egg endoparasitoids) and Pompilidae (as juvenile/adult ectoparasitoids). With the recent advent of more robust phylogenies for hymenopteran families and genera it is possible to more accurately track the evolutionary transitions from utilising insect hosts to exploiting the various life history stages of spiders. Evident from this analysis is that there have been multiple independent switches to spider hosts/prey in all but one family, the Pompilidae, where exploiting spiders is an obligate family level trait. Further, where the biology of sister lineages is known two traits are implicated in the transition to utilising spiders, 1) the recognition of silk as a host-associated substrate (e.g. within the Platygastridae and Ichneumonidae), and 2) host searching within a specific habitat where several potential host/prey groups are found (e.g. Sphecidae). Possibly one of the most intriguing switches is found within the Pompilidae, where the ground-plan biology appears to be predation on spider eggs with a single switch to utilising juveniles/adults as prey for their larvae. | 38 Federica Turco1, Christine L. Lambkin2, Adam Slipinski3 Queensland Museum, Biodiversity, P.O. Box 3300, South Brisbane, Qld 4101, Australia Queensland Museum, Biodiversity, P.O. Box 3300, South Brisbane, Qld 4101, Australia 3 CSIRO Entomology, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia 1 2 Zopheridae is a moderately large and very diverse family of Coleoptera in the superfamily Tenebrionoidea, with 190 genera and approximately 1700 species worldwide. They are mostly fungivorous beetles living on or under the bark of trees or in the forest leaf litter. They represent an important component of forests saproxylic fauna responsible for the natural decomposition of wood in a wide range of forests. This group was recently expanded to include two families, Monommatidae and Colydiidae. Two subfamilies are currently recognised: Colydiinae (with hundreds of genera worldwide, including 25 genera from Australia) and the less diverse Zopherinae (including Monommatini, with 6 genera from Australia). Australian Zopheridae were revised as part of the wider australo-pacific fauna about fifteen years ago, and eight new genera were described. One of the most interesting outcomes of that revision is that, among the 31 Australian genera, 14 proved to be endemic. Therefore, about 45% of Australian zopherid genera are unique. This part of Australian biodiversity still needed to be investigated at a species level and new species to be described. This is currently being completed at the Queensland Museum, thanks to an ABRS grant. This project is not only targeting the description of new species from Australia but is also gathering distributional and ecological data, leading towards a better understanding of zopherid species distribution in Australia and their ecological roles for a possible use in forest management, as part of the saproxylic fauna. | 39 TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: SYSTEMATICS 0930–1030 Australian Zopheridae: A piece of biodiversity being unveiled TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: SYSTEMATICS 0930–1030 *Molecular identification and phylogenetic relationship of Australian Silphidae (carrion beetles) and observations about their feeding habits. Jocelyn King1*, Markus Riegler2, Richard Thomas1, Robert Spooner-Hart1 1 2 School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney (Hawkesbury Campus), Richmond, NSW Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney (Hawkesbury Campus), Richmond, NSW * [email protected]; [email protected] Carrion beetles (Silphidae: Silphinae) are an important component of the carrion insect community. Currently, little is known about the natural history of the three Australian carrion beetle species, Diamesus osculans, Ptomaphila lacrymosa and P. perlata and their larvae remain undescribed. Understanding the phylogeny of these beetles may provide useful information regarding their feeding preferences and breeding behaviours. Utilising information from non-endemic silphid species, we determined the phylogenetic placement of all three Australian species utilising mitochondrial and nuclear sequences. In our study Ptomaphila spp. grouped with Oxelytrum at the base of the Silphinae, and D. osculans grouped with Necrodes. Our findings indicate the truncate elytra of the Necrodini (i.e. Diamesus and Necrodes), and the Nicrophorinae results from convergent evolution. Field based observations commonly document adult P. lacrymosa and P. perlata feeding on dipteran maggots found at remains, but they are also regularly observed feeding on the necrotic tissue. Notably, the basal positioning of the Ptomaphila spp. in the phylogenetic tree suggests these species have a tendency for necrophagy over predation on Diptera, as necrophagy has previously been established as more basal than predatory feeding. Similarly, this indicates that the habits of D. osculans (adults and larvae) are more similar to Ptomaphila, and not the Nicrophorinae, as occasionally reported. This study has also produced a molecular key for the identification of larvae to species level, but taxonomic keys based on morphology are still required. Further work detailing the ecology and confirming the feeding preferences of the three species is also needed. Understanding the molecular phylogeny of weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) Nicole Gunter, Stephen Cameron, Rolf Oberprieler Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Black Mountain laboratories, Canberra, ACT 2601. Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD Weevils are the most species rich group of animals on the planet with over 50,000 described species. However, the numbers and concepts of weevil subfamilies and tribes remain unclear due to poor definitions and amalgamation of distantly related taxa. Adding to this problem, their extraordinary diversity makes unravelling the true relationships to develop a more natural classification system a difficult task. In recent years, three substantial have been made to address the phylogenetic relationships of weevils but results of each were not congruent, providing multiple conflicting hypotheses of relationships. Here we provide a multi-gene phylogeny of Australian weevils to examine the relationships between families and subfamilies. Our data set includes 3.5 Kb of genetic data from 2 mitochondrial (16s &COI) and a nuclear gene (28s) for 144 curculionoid taxa from 122 genera representing 6 families, 19 subfamilies and 56 tribes. Phylogenetic relationships were tested by both Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood methods. Our results are compared to the past phylogenies to address general consensus of relationships. | 40 Sara Pinzon-Navarro CSIRO, ANIC, Clunies Ross St, Canberra, [email protected] The native Australian genus Melanterius (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) is of great importance given their use as biocontrol agents. Melanterius is a large group of seed-feeding weevils closely associated with Australian Acacias. More than 90 species of Melanterius are hitherto described, though many species remain unknown and their taxonomy has not been studied in detail. Australia has more than 1000 Acacia species of which the Botrycephalae Section (approx. 46 species) is of great importance as it includes invasive species in Africa. Intensive sampling of weevils and Acacias will allow to delimit their host specificity, providing a basis for studying the evolutionary patterns of these groups. Molecular analysis of the weevils collected to date show clades restricted to feed in non-Botrycephalae species, though clear patterns are still to be determined for Botrycephalae-feeding species. The molecular phylogenies of the weevils will be used to map host specificity, distribution and determine the importance of morphological characters for species identification. Further, the phylogeny of the weevils will be analysed with the Acacia phylogeny already available from our collaborator Joe Miller (CSIRO-Plant Industry) and determine the evolutionary patterns between these groups. Determining the host specificity of the weevils and their relationship to the acacias is crucial for the control of African weeds and insights in the diverse Australian weevils. | 41 TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: SYSTEMATICS 0930–1030 Host specificity and evolution of Melanterius, the Acacia seed-feeding weevils TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: FRUIT FLY MANAGEMENT AND THREATS 0930–1600 A conceptual model to explain polyphagy and extreme polyphagy in Bactrocera and other tephritid fruit flies Anthony R. Clarke School of Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences & Plant Biosecurity CRC, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland Less than 2% of herbivorous insects are polyphagous, i.e. have a host range spanning two or more plant families. Perhaps as few as 200 species world-wide are extreme polyphags, with host ranges including plants from 20 families. In contrast 40% of Bactrocera species are polyphagous, while extreme polyphagy is relatively common among frugivorous tephritids in general. In Australia B. tryoni, B. neohumeralis and B. krausii are all extreme polyphags, having been reared from 39, 36 and 27 plant families, respectively. Current theories of herbivore host-range evolution, with their emphasis almost entirely on host specialisation, do not explain the evolution of polyphagy or extreme polyphagy well. Further, the only attempt at an evolutionary model to explain extreme polyphagy explicitly excludes tephritid fruit flies. I will discuss the currently accepted theories used to explain host specialisation in herbivorous insects: decreased competition, over-coming plant defences, enhanced host location and location of enemy free space; and using data-sets from our own lab or the literature I will suggest that most or all of these drivers do not apply to frugivorous tephritids. I propose that in the absence of such drivers, selection will lead to the use of as many hosts as possible, hence the evolution of polyphagy and extreme polyphagy in fruit flies. How Queensland fruit flies escape in time Phillip Taylor, Sarsha Yap, Ben Fanson Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW 2109 Female Queensland fruit flies may encounter a long delay between emerging as adults and their first opportunity for reproduction, and are thought to undertake geographic movement during this period. We report on an extraordinary ability to delay aging, allowing these flies to escape through time until reproductive opportunities are located. Flies provided a diet lacking protein remain in a non-reproductive ‘waiting mode’ of aging but when later provided a yeast-sugar diet and mated they switch to a ‘reproductive mode’ in which mortality rate drops to zero and remaining lifespan is independent of time spent in waiting mode. We explore the role of nutrients, maturation and mating as mediators of aging mode. Females were provided one of three diets: sugar; essential; or yeast-sugar. Essential diet contained micronutrients found in yeast but lacked maturation-triggering protein. At days 20 and 30, some flies on the sugar diet were switched to essential or yeast-sugar diet, and some yeast-sugar fed flies were mated 10 days later. Mortality rate of flies switched to the essential diet dropped to that of same-aged flies on the essential diet from emergence, indicating a reduction only in acute risk of death. Mortality rate of unmated flies switched to a yeast-sugar diet dropped to below that of same-aged flies on yeast-sugar diet from emergence, but did not drop to zero. In contrast, mortality rate of flies switched to a yeast-sugar diet and mated dropped to zero and their subsequent mortality schedule was remarkably similar to mated flies on yeast-sugar diet from emergence. While nutrition alone increased lifespan, mating was required to induce a complete transition to reproductive mode of aging. | 42 O. L. Reynolds1, B. Orchard2, S. R. Collins3, P. W. Taylor3 EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation (NSW Department of Primary Industries and Charles Sturt University), NSW Department of Primary Industries, Private Bag 4008, Narellan, NSW 2567, Australia; 2 NSW Department of Primary Industries, Private Mail Bag, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2350, Australia; 3 Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia. 1 The sterile insect technique is widely used in integrated programs against tephritid fruit fly pests, including the Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae). Intrinsically, the mass rearing procedures required to rear the sterile flies often lead to a reduction in the fitness of the released males. A possible solution involves the pre-release feeding of adults with yeast hydrolysate (YH) which is a rich source of amino acids, minerals, sterols and vitamins. Several laboratory and more recently a field cage study has demonstrated that the provision of YH may increase copulation time, mating probability, sperm transfer, higher levels of sexual inhibition in mated females, quicker reproductive development and increased longevity. In a field cage study, 200 sterile flies per diet treatment (replicated four times) were held for 48h in the laboratory from eclosion. They were then released in a field cage according to treatment (one treatment per cage). They were fed either i) sugar (continual supply), ii) sugar (48h) then starved, iii) YH (48h) then continual sugar supply, iv) YH (48h) then starved or v) YH (continual supply). Each field cage contained a single potted lemon tree. Survival of flies was monitored until all were deceased. In a field study we released on three occasions, marked sterile B. tryoni fed either a YH-supplemented or YH-deprived diet and monitored abundance and persistence of sexually mature males by recapturing them in cue-lure baited Lynfield traps. In the field cages, both starvation groups suffered high mortality and all flies were dead within one week of release. Survival was similar for all other diet groups over a 40 day period. In the field, 1.2 YH-supplemented B. tryoni were trapped for every YH-deprived fly trapped. Therefore, under natural conditions, YH supplementation can improve the longevity of sterile male B. tryoni and may improve the success of the SIT for B. tryoni. It is recommended that sexually mature (ie. YH supplemented) B. tryoni be released in SIT programs. Combined effects of methoprene and access to dietary protein on the maturation and mating behaviour of Queensland fruit Fly, Bactrocera tryoni Samuel R. Collins1, Phillip W. Taylor1, Olivia Reynalds2 1 2 Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, [email protected]. NSW Department of Primary Industries, EMAI, Menangle, NSW. The chief goal of Sterile Insect Technique, SIT, is the suppression and eventual eradication of pest species. In SIT millions of insects are mass reared rendered sterile by gamma radiation and released into the wild. Sterile males mate with wild females rendering them sterile and the population declines due to a lack of successive generations. For SIT to be successful, flies need to survive till sexual maturity in the field and then successfully court and mate with wild females. A 48 hour window of access to dietary protein has been shown to improve the maturation and mating performance of male Queensland fruit fly. It has been demonstrated in other species of Tephritid fruit flies that treatment with juvenile hormone analogue can reduce the time till sexual maturation thus reducing the time needed for factory reared flies to successfully survive in the field. Combining the effects of methoprene and access to dietary protein may then be a powerful tool increasing the effectiveness of SIT to combat pest outbreaks. Here we test the combined effects of methoprene and access to dietary protein on the maturation of Queensland fruit fly. We demonstrate that it is possible to reduce the maturation time when exposing flies to methoprene and dietary protein combined. We also test the effectiveness of varying methods of application such as topical treatment of adults and dipping of pupae in solution. | 43 TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: FRUIT FLY MANAGEMENT AND THREATS 0930–1600 Abundance, longevity and persistence of sexually mature sterile flies: a role for yeast hydrolysate supplementation in sterile insect technique programs for the Queensland fruit fly? TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: FRUIT FLY MANAGEMENT AND THREATS 0930–1600 Developing a systems approach to the control of Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera tryoni) in strawberries for interstate trade Brendan P. Missenden1, Hainan Gu2, Ed Hamacek3 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, GPO Box 4001, [email protected] Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, GPO Box 4001, [email protected] 3 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, GPO Box 4001, [email protected] 1 2 Queensland strawberries grown through the winter months had traditionally been exempt from treatment for Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera tryoni) when accessing interstate markets in South Australia and Victoria. In 2009, this winter window option was withdrawn after a few live larvae were detected in two consignments of strawberries. This action forced the industry to rely on dimethoate cover sprays throughout the entire season to meet interstate market entry requirements. Dimethoate caused significant disruption to the management of other pests and left the industry with few viable alternatives when it was suspended in August 2011. Extensive field trials were conducted over 4 years to verify the low risk of fruit fly infestation by monitoring fruit fly activity and assessing infestation in strawberries grown in the Sunshine Coast region. These trials provided a scientific basis for the development of a systems approach, which use multiple mitigation measures including bait sprays, male annihilation technique (MAT), field hygiene and product inspection. This systems approach functions under the operational procedures of an Interstate Certification Agreement (ICA-34), which has been approved by South Australia and Victoria for strawberries grown in the Sunshine Coast region. The outcome of this project and the development of ICA-34 have also facilitated interstate market access of strawberries grown in the Bundaberg region, with access granted by Victoria on a trial basis while further data is collected. Insecticides for control of Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni, in tomatoes and peppers Lara Senior Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Queensland, Gatton Research Station, Locked Bag 7, Mail Service 437, Gatton, QLD 4343; [email protected] Dimethoate and fenthion are used for control of Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni, in a variety of crops. APVMA recently suspended use of dimethoate in a number of food crops, and fenthion is currently under review. A project was therefore undertaken to generate efficacy data to determine and document effective alternatives for control of fruit fly in tomatoes and capsicums. Laboratory trials were conducted to assess imidacloprid, bifenthrin and methomyl for effects on adult and immature stages of B. tryoni, compared with dimethoate and an untreated control. Treatments were applied to tomatoes and capsicums as a dip. Adult fruit flies were exposed to aged residues (0 - 5 days) of each insecticide, and the effects on the flies observed over a 72 hour period. The fruit were examined after a further 7 - 8 days to assess mortality of immature stages. In a second trial, fruit were treated following oviposition and subsequent effects on immature stages assessed. When fruit were dipped prior to oviposition the methomyl treatment was most comparable to dimethoate in terms of mortality of adult flies, however bifenthrin and imidacloprid produced the greatest reduction in immature stages. Efficacy diminished with increasing residue age. Imidacloprid was the most effective treatment when fruit were dipped after oviposition. Results suggest that a combination of imidacloprid, bifenthrin and methomyl, applied as pre-harvest cover sprays, could be effective as part of a systems approach for fruit fly control. | 44 Jianhua Mo, Olivia Reynolds, Bernie Dominiak, Mark Stevens Queensland fruit fly (QFF), Bactrocera tryoni, is one of the most important horticultural pests in Australia. To protect market access, QFF is monitored with large arrays of Cuelure baited Lynfield traps in and around all major horticulture production regions in New South Wales (NSW), Victoria, and South Australia. In NSW, the density of the trapping grid is 400 m for town traps and 1 km for orchard traps. The traps are checked weekly during the summer inspection cycle (November-May) and fortnightly during the winter inspection cycle (June-October). Servicing such a large number of fixed-interval traps is costly. A recent study suggests that better and earlier detections may be achieved by dynamically placing traps in more attractive host trees. To investigate the effects of trap hosts, we analysed QFF summer catch data from Cuelure baited Lynfield traps in the Risk Reduction Zone in NSW during 2000-2008 with general linear models. To remove the confounding effects of variable QFF population sizes in different towns and years, the analysis were carried out on corrected catches original catches divided by the corresponding town and year average catches of all traps. A series of host tree combinations were investigated for host tree effects. For data balance, traps from towns where one or more host tree members of the target combination were missing were excluded from the analysis. Data from years when no traps in the same town caught any flies were also excluded because these data did not contribute to the investigation of host tree effects. Overall, traps placed on pome fruit trees caught significantly more flies than citrus, stone fruit, or other trees, with no significant differences among the other three host tree groups. Within the pome fruit group, traps on apple and pear caught significantly more flies than those placed on cotoneaster. Within the citrus group, traps on orange trees caught significantly more flies than those placed on mandarin. No significantly differences were detected in catches between any members of the stone fruit group. Within the other-tree group, traps placed on kurrajong (Brachychiton populneus) caught significantly more flies than those placed on other trees. Implications of the results are discussed. Mitochondrial DNA sequence variation in endemic and outbreak populations of Queensland Fruit Fly (Bactrocera tryoni, Diptera: Tephritidae) at the southeastern Australian species border Mark J. Blacket1, Mali B. Malipatil1, Linda Semeraro1, Bernie Dominiak2 1 2 DPI Vic, Knoxfield, Vic, 3180, Australia DPI NSW, Orange, NSW, 2800, Australia The major fruit fly pest in eastern Australia is the Queensland Fruit Fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt). This species is subject to significant quarantine and population reduction control within exclusion zones – the Tristate Fruit Fly Exclusion Zone, FFEZ, and the Sunraysia Pest Free Area, PFA – in the major horticulture production areas of south-eastern Australia. In the present study we examined B. tryoni genetic variation across south-eastern Australia in endemic and outbreak regions (FFEZ / PFA) using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences. More than seventy populations were screened, including some of the most southerly endemic populations in Gippsland Victoria, and a large number of mtDNA haplotypes (~200) were detected. Westerly populations in the FFEZ and PFA appeared to experience reduced geneflow between populations compared with easterly endemic populations. We found screening mtDNA lineages to be a powerful genetic tool to assist in understanding fruit fly population dynamics during outbreaks. Over the study period (2010-2011) multiple simultaneous outbreaks occurred in the Sunraysia PFA, most of these were found to be genetically distinctive and relatively geographically localised, implying limited dispersal between different B. tryoni outbreaks. | 45 TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: FRUIT FLY MANAGEMENT AND THREATS 0930–1600 Effects of trap hosts on male Queensland fruit fly catches – a case study of trapping data from the Risk Reduction Zone in NSW during 2000-2008 TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: FRUIT FLY MANAGEMENT AND THREATS 0930–1600 The endosymbiont Wolbachia in Australian tephritid fruit fly species Markus Riegler Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751 [email protected] Wolbachia is a maternally inherited and intracellular Proteobacterium associated with an impressive number of insect species, many other arthropods and filarial nematodes. Wolbachia displays a range of symbiotic interactions extending from parasitism to mutualism. Some of these interactions are currently being tested for novel biological control approaches in pest and vector management. There is an emerging body of work about Wolbachia in true fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae), including pest species of economic importance. Research about Wolbachia in tephritids confirms many general aspects of Wolbachia biology but also challenges others, with a high incidence of multiple infections in individual hosts, a diversity of high and low bacterial titres as well as titre changes throughout a flies’ life span. I will summarise and compare findings of Wolbachia in tephritids from different biogeographic regions, present new findings of Wolbachia in the Australian species of the diverse genus of Bactrocera and review recent progress in the development of Wolbachia based control strategies for tephritid fruit flies. Island fly (Dirioxa pornia) and their bacterial symbiotic relationships Peter Crisp1, Kala Bhandari3, Nilesh Chand4, Ahmed Al-Hashimi2, Greg Baker5 South Australian Research and Development Institute, GPO Box 397, Adelaide South Australia 5001 [email protected] 2 University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005 [email protected] 3 University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005 [email protected] 4 University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005 [email protected] 5 South Australian Research and Development Institute, GPO Box 397, Adelaide South Australia 5001 [email protected] 1 Dirioxa pornia is endemic in irrigated fruit production areas throughout Australia, and while not a pest species, populations are increasing and management strategies need to be developed. As it is not currently under a management program it provides a for the development and assessment of eradication programs for incursions of fruit flies currently not present in South Australia, such as Bactrocera tryoni and Ceratitis capitata. Attempts by a number of research groups to rear D. pornia have been unsuccessful; however, by adding bacteria isolated from the crop of wild flies to the diet of the laboratory colony a viable culture has been established. Some species of the bacteria are highly attractive to adult D. pornia and volatile compounds have been observed to induce significant behavioural changes such as increased feeding, motor activity and excitation. Bacteria that have been isolated and identified using the 16s rRNA primer include Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Enterobacter sp., Citrobacter sp. and Erwinia sp. Volatile compounds have been identified using GC-MS head-space analysis and individual compounds evaluated for attraction to D. pornia and any behavioural changes induced. Bacteria identified as being beneficial to D. pornia, and associated volatiles have been evaluated to identify any improvements to quality parameters such as survival, flight ability and dispersal of sterile B. tryoni and C. capitata released as part of pest management and eradication programs. | 46 K. L. Anderson1, A. HKoetz2, J. FGrimshaw3 and B. C. Congdon1 S chool of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, PO Box 8116, Cairns, Queensland, 4870 [email protected] 2 Biosecurity Queensland, Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry, PO Box 652, Cairns, Queensland, 4870 [email protected] 3 PO Box 1356, Toowong, Queensland, 4066 1 Asian papaya fruit fly, Bactrocera papaya, is an invasive pest of international economic importance, having been described as ‘the most destructive of all the dorsalis complex pest species’. The species is known for enjoying an incredibly diverse host range of over 200 species in 51 different families. Keeping Australia free of B. papayae is a high priority for state and federal quarantine agencies Australia-wide. However, annual incursions of B. papayae occur from Papua New Guinea onto islands in the Torres Strait, especially the top-western group of islands which are situated very close to the Papua New Guinea coast. Much anecdotal information points to the driver of these incursions as being the onset of winds associated with the monsoon season, which occurs in about October. To determine if this was the case, we analysed ten years of Torres Strait fruit fly trapping data alongside wind data generated by Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM). Fruit fly occurrence in the Torres Strait exhibited a significant, cyclical pattern with a period of one year. Further analyses suggest that wind contributes significantly to the predicted seasonal occurrence of B. papayae in the Torres Strait. However, the high degree of variability suggests that season to season anomalies may be better explained by alternate factors. As such, wind cannot be dismissed as a driver of annual incursions of B. papayae in the Torres Strait, but temperature, rainfall and host fruit availability may also contribute significantly to the variability in year to year occurrence. The Northern Australian Quarantine Strategy (NAQS): Fruit fly monitoring and incursion management in Far North Queensland Anthony D. Rice1, James A. Walker1, Dan Papacek2 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry – Biosecurity, Box 96 AAC Building, Cairns International Airport, Cairns, QLD 4870. 2 Bugs for Bugs, 1 Bowen St., Mundubbera QLD 4626 1 Monitoring for exotic fruit flies in Australia’s far north has been carried out by various State and Federal agencies since the arrival of Bactrocera frauenfeldi in Far North Queensland in the 1970’s. The Northern Australian Quarantine Strategy (NAQS) now conducts fruit fly surveillance at selected locations from Cairns to Broome, throughout the Torres Strait islands and in countries to the near north. Regular incursions of B. papayae in the Torres Strait (that are likely linked to the annual monsoon winds) have resulted in the development of a strategy designed to contain and eradicate populations of exotic fruit flies and prevent further spread. Here we give an overview of both NAQS fruit fly surveillance activities and incursion management. We also present the results of a trial comparing the efficacy of caneite blocks and two designs of lure dispensers carried out in the NAQS trapping network. | 47 TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: FRUIT FLY MANAGEMENT AND THREATS 0930–1600 Does wind really disperse papaya fruit flies from Papua New Guinea into the Torres Strait? TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: FRUIT FLY MANAGEMENT AND THREATS 0930–1600 In vitro testing methodology to compare cold tolerance of Australian fruit fly species (Diptera: Tephritidae) Elizabeth Hall1, Sybilla Oczkowicz2, Peter Leach3 epartment of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, PO Box 652 Cairns, Queensland, 4870, D [email protected] 2 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, PO Box 652 Cairns, Queensland, 4870, [email protected] 3 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, PO Box 652 Cairns, Queensland, 4870, [email protected] 1 Currently there are no international guidelines for testing methodology for the development of cold disinfestation treatments for fruit fly host commodities. Treatments for Australian commodities have been successfully developed but have required bilateral negotiation on testing methodology, target species and efficacy rates. This approach has lead to inconsistent export protocols and duplication of research. A more scientific approach to development of cold disinfestation treatments would be to adopt similar strategies used in the development of heat treatments. The Asia Pacific Plant Protection Commission (APPPC) guidelines for development of heat treatments outlines testing procedures and allows research to be conducted against the most tolerant species for a particular commodity, rather than on every species known to infest a commodity. Another major component in the study of heat tolerance is the availability of internationally accepted in vitro testing procedures. This drastically reduces the time and cost of undertaking research on multiple species. Cold disinfestation research on the other hand still requires research to be undertaken in fruit. While this procedure is highly accurate it is slow, very expensive and research may take several seasons if a commodity has a very short production period. One of the major components of this current project will be to develop in vitro testing methods for cold disinfestation research and evaluate their accuracy. | 48 Austin McLennan1, Mike Kahl2, E Stuart Smith3, Brian Thistleton3 orthern Territory Government, Department of Resources, Katherine Research Station, PO Box 1346, N Katherine, NT 0850, [email protected] 2 Northern Territory Government, Department of Resources, Katherine Research Station, PO Box 1346, Katherine, NT 0850 3 Northern Territory Government, Department of Resources, Darwin, NT 0828 1 Since 2010 we have been assessing the market access implications of removing post-harvest fruit fly treatments from mangoes grown in the Katherine/Mataranka region of Australia’s Northern Territory. This work is aimed at developing alternative market access protocols that would allow mangoes to be exported into fruit-fly sensitive markets such as Victoria and South Australia without a requirement for post-harvest disinfestation using chemical, physical or irradiation treatments. A key objective has been to test the proposition that mangoes harvested at the hard green mature stage have an extremely low-nil risk of containing live fruit fly larvae. To obtain a measure of the potential for mangoes to be infested, the abundance of tropical pest fruit flies was monitored in and around mango orchards using a network of traps baited with male lures (either cuelure or zingerone). To determine background levels of fruit fly infestation under current production systems, large numbers of commercially harvested and untreated mangoes were collected and assessed for the presence of fruit fly larvae. Fruit fly population monitoring indicated only low-moderate levels of the Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni, during the 2010 and 2011 mango seasons, with detectable differences among the four major production zones identified in the study region. Trapping data also revealed new information on the seasonal abundance of B. jarvisi in the study region. Assessments on three varieties of commercially harvested and untreated fruit (Kensington Pride, B74 and Honeygold) showed extremely low levels of fruit fly infestation across the 2010 and 2011 mango seasons. From >44,000 fruit assessed, only 13 were infested and, of these, at least nine were able to be confirmed as having ripened beyond the ‘hard green mature stage’ or were otherwise defective when harvested. These results provide strong support for the proposition that, in the absence of other predisposing factors such as wounds, mangoes harvested at the hard green mature stage will not be infested with fruit fly larvae. Continuing studies in 2012 will attempt to further validate this assessment. Results also confirm that any proposed systems approach for managing market access for Northern Territory mangoes would incorporate the reluctance of female pest fruit flies to oviposit in in hard green mature mangoes combined with harvesting, grading, packing and inspection systems to exclude ‘at-risk’ fruit from entering the commercial supply chain. The potential to designate certain production zones within the Katherine/Mataranka region as Areas of Low Pest Prevalence for tropical pest fruit flies is also discussed. | 49 TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: FRUIT FLY MANAGEMENT AND THREATS 0930–1600 Fruit flies in mangoes: Encouraging prospects for a systems approach to replace postharvest disinfestation for interstate market access TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: FRUIT FLY MANAGEMENT AND THREATS 0930–1600 Review of quarantine distance of Queensland fruit fly for trade – a balance between science and risk Bernie Dominiak NSW Department of Primary Industries, 161 Kite Street, Orange NSW 2800, [email protected] The Queensland fruit fly Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae) (Qfly) is a species of significant quarantine concern to many countries. Currently Qfly is found in parts of Australia and on some Pacific islands. Understanding dispersal behaviour is important for the development of scientifically justified trade restrictions and quarantine distances for Qfly. These distances ensure adequate protection for overseas markets while also ensuring that growers sufficiently distant from the affected area are able to retain unrestricted market access. This review considers scientific data on dispersal and uses this information to make recommendations for appropriate quarantine distances. Most studies conclude that the life time dispersal distance of this species rarely exceeds one kilometre although three studies indicate that longer dispersal distances of a small number of individuals may occasionally occur. These short dispersal distances are consistent with findings for other fruit fly species. A proposed quarantine distance is based on the scientific basis of the mean dispersal distance plus three standard deviations, with a three-fold level of protection based on distance. It is proposed that an area contained by a circle with a radius of 1.2 km is a reasonable quarantine area for Qfly outbreaks where flies are contained within 200 m of an epicentre. This new proposed quarantine distance results in more than a 95% reduction on area requiring treatment compared with the current standard of 15 km. Where mean trappings are contained within 400 m of the epicentre, a quarantine distance of 2.4 km from the epicentre is recommended. Three other quarantine distances are proposed based on the formula and the characteristics of individual outbreaks. Population structuring and biogeography of Bactrocera dorsalis sensu lato in south-east Asia Mark Schutze, Matthew Krosch, Anthony Clarke 1 CRC for National Plant Biosecurity, LPO Box 5012, Bruce 2617, A.C.T, Australia 2 School of Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, G.P.O. Box 2434, Brisbane 4000, Queensland, Australia The Bactrocera dorsalis complex consists of over 70 fruit fly species distributed predominantly in Asia and the Pacific. While most are of no economic importance, several species are pests of south-east Asian and Pacific horticulture. Particularly problematic are three morphologically and genetically cryptic species: B. dorsalis sensu stricto, B. papayae and B. philippinensis. As part of a wider study which implies these three species to be a single biological entity, we undertook analysis of mtDNA (COI) haplotype and microsatellite structure obtained from over 300 individuals of B. dorsalis, B. papayae and B. philippinensis collected from 14 sites across south-east Asia. This was paralleled with a study of geometric morphometric wing shape analysis using the same specimens. Analyses were couched within a biogeographical context, taking into account the history of sea-level changes and land-exposure events that occurred in the south-east Asian region. Both mtDNA and microsatellite analysis of 10 loci revealed limited population structure, particularly for among mainland south-east Asia. There was a significant but relatively weak isolation-by-distance effect coupled with a hypothesised dispersal pathway from northern south-east Asia through the historical ‘Sundaland’ region which connected the south-east Asian archipelago during periods of relatively recent history. Wing shape analysis yielded a highly significant and strong isolation-by-distance effect, reinforcing the ‘Sundaland dispersal pathway’ hypothesis. We conclude that alongside other data, this study provides further evidence that B. dorsalis, B. papayae and B. philippinensis represent a single biological species that originated in northern south-east Asia and spread relatively rapidly throughout the region. | 50 Simon Grove1, Tim Wardlaw2, Lynette Forster3 Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery, 5 Winkleigh Place, Rosny, TAS 7018. [email protected] Forestry Tasmania, GPO Box 207, Hobart, TAS 7001. [email protected] 3 University of Tasmania, Private Bag 54, Hobart, TAS 7001. [email protected] 1 2 A multi-taxon study in Tasmania’s southern forests examined landscape-scale influences on mature-forest biodiversity, The experimental design involved siting half of the 56 research plots in mature forest and half in older silvicultural regeneration arising from past clearfelling. For each forest-type, plots were distributed equally among four different landscape contextclasses that had been characterised as sitting at various positions along a gradient of overall landscape-level disturbance intensity. Beetles were sampled at each plot by means of 4 flight-intercept traps operated over one summer month. In total, sampling gave rise to a data-set of some 90,000 beetles comprising some 619 species or morphospecies. Beetle assemblage composition differed little between the two forest-types, suggesting that the older silvicultural regeneration was generally mature enough to support a mature-forest beetle fauna. However, across and within forest-types, assemblages in plots in the more-disturbed context-classes differed from those in the less-disturbed context-classes, and overall beetle abundance and species richness tended to be lower in plots in the more-disturbed context-classes. Random Forests modelling, based on several hundred plot-level and landscape-level variables, identified a mix of local and landscape-level variables able to explain significant proportions of the overall variation in species richness, in total abundance and in the abundances of many of the commoner individual species. For mature-forest plots, plot-level variability in the amount of coarse woody debris (CWD) emerged as a likely key driver of much of this variation, in keeping with the saproxylic nature of much of the sampled beetle fauna. For plots in older silvicultural regeneration, similar relationships with CWD emerged for the facultatively saproxylic species, but not for the obligately saproxylic species. In contrast to our findings for birds and vascular plants, neither the amount nor the configuration of mature forest in the landscape emerged as a likely driver for the obligately saproxylic fauna; we have yet to identify any other local or landscape-level characteristics that might be alternative drivers. | 51 TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: ECOLOGY 1100–1230 Do mature-forest beetles really care about their landscapes? Some findings from the southern forests of Tasmania TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: ECOLOGY 1100–1230 Subterranean termites eavesdrop on predatory ants and other termite species to attain a nearby feed on the soil surface Glen Bann Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200. Work on drywood termites has identified that they communicate and eavesdrop using vibrations (Evans et al. 2005, 2009). However, applications of this ability and the mechanisms that enable it have not been fully investigated, particularly for subterranean termites. This research describes observations made of subterranean termites detecting and avoiding a number of predatory ant species to attain feed at the soil surface in box/gum grassy woodlands of the STNSW. Termite galleries from two genera were detected inhabiting the same site as a number of aggressive predatory ant species nests where log discs were placed on the ground surface above the nests (surrogate habitat/feed), despite a negative association found between termites and ants beneath the discs. The distance between the termite and ant galleries was often less than 1-2cm, with the termites having an amazing ability to avoid the ants, following a convoluted course through the ants to the log disc at the surface. Additionally, two different termite genera were observed inhabiting the same location, where one species (dominant?) were observed feeding on a buried toilet roll and the other on the log disc at the surface (within 30cm of each other). Both species appear to have travelled to the site from nearby woodland. These observations demonstrate the ability of subterranean termites to eavesdrop on other soil dwellers, be they of the same genus or family, or a formidable predator. It also confirms that the termites can detect and assess wood (food) through the soil, without actually being in contact with the wood. Preliminary laboratory experiments suggest that acoustic vibrations in addition to chemical factors may be involved. Implications from these findings include termite pest management and evolutionary considerations. Further work is warranted on these and other termite species (and from other regions) to determine whether this ability is widespread and the mechanisms which enable it. Agonistic relationships can predict occurrence patterns of New Zealand ant community Rafael F. Barbieri, Evan Brenton-Rule, Julien Grangier, Philip J. Lester Victoria University of Wellington, School of Biological Sciences, PO BOX 600, Wellington 6140, e-mail: [email protected] Behavioural interactions among species may play an important role in shaping communities. We may be able to predict patterns of occurrence based on laboratory confrontations. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the observed patterns of ant species distribution at local scale in New Zealand are driven by differential aggressive behaviour. Different species pairings produced different aggressive responses and were able to explain species occurrence patterns. Firt, among native ants, we found that a dominant species, Monomorium antarcticum, appears to shape patterns of co-occurrence. Second, we created a scenario that includes the presence of the invasive Argentine ant Linepithema humile. All species, including the invasive Argentine ant, were overwhelmed by M. antarcticum. Conversely, Prolasius advenus, abundant in beech forests, was equally competitive with Argentine ants. These results could have important implications from a conservation perspective. Our results suggest that agonistic interactions with native species could limit the spread of Argentine ants in some cases. However, in forest habitats P. advenus would provide little biotic resistance to Argentine ants and both species could probably co-exist. Laboratory confrontations may not necessarily reflect an interaction between colonies in their natural environment. Nevertheless, we were able to predict the patterns of occurrence by observing aggressive abilities displayed by species. | 52 Nigel R. Andrew1*, Robert A. Hart1, Myung-Pyo Jung1,2, John S. Terblanche3 entre for Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Zoology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, C Australia. 2 Department of Agricultural Biology, National Academy of Agricultural Science, 441-707, South Korea. 3 Department of Conservation Ecology & Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602, Stellenbosch, South Africa 1 *[email protected] 1. Insects in temperate regions are predicted to be at low risk of climate change owing to high thermal safety margins (low optimal performance temperature relative to habitat maxima) and/or high warming tolerance (high thermal tolerance relative to habitat maxima) relative to more tropical species. However, these assumptions have been generally poorly examined and such forecasting typically fails to account for microclimatic variation and behavioural optimization of insects. 2. Here, using Iridomyrmex purpureus meat ants from Armidale, NSW, we show that ants regularly forage for short periods (minutes) at soil temperatures well above their upper thermal limits determined over slightly longer periods (hours) and do not show any signs of a classic thermal performance curve in voluntary locomotion across 10-55°C. 3. Generally close associations of ant activity and performance with microclimatic conditions, possibly to maximise foraging times, suggest I. purpureus display highly opportunistic thermal responses and readily adjust behaviour to cope with extremely high trail temperatures. Increasing frequency or duration of high temperatures is therefore likely to result in an immediate reduction in foraging efficiency. 4. These results for a key functional group suggest that (1) soil-dwelling temperate insects may be at higher risks of extinction with increased frequency or duration of high temperatures resulting from climate change than previously thought; and (2) that indices of climate change-related extinction are strongly influenced by the scale of climate metrics employed. | 53 TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: ECOLOGY 1100–1230 Can temperate insects take the heat? The risks of high temperature exposure to meat ants caused by climate change TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: ECOLOGY 1100–1230 Growing up hot: Effects of retreat-site traits on development of flat rock spiders, Morebilus plagusius Francesca T. van den Berg1, Prof. Michael B. Thompson2, A/Prof. Dieter F. Hochuli3 S chool of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney; PhD student; Room 408, Heydon-Laurence Building (A08), The University of Sydney, NSW, 2006; [email protected] 2 School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney; Professor of Zoology; Heydon-Laurence Building (A08), The University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, [email protected] 3 School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Associate Professor; Room 401, Heydon-Laurence Building (A08), The University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, [email protected] 1 Temperature has a major influence on the growth, development and ultimately fitness of ectotherms. For arthropods, the thermal environment experienced during development can affect maturation time, which is of particular importance for taxa with slow developmental rates and episodic breeding. Flat rock spiders, Morebilus plagusius (Gnaphosoidea: Trochanteriidae) are nocturnal, sit-and-wait predators that sequester under exfoliated rocks during the day. They are slow developing spiders that only breed between spring and summer. We combined field surveys and laboratory experiments to determine how the type of retreat rock occupied during development would affect the thermal environment a spider experiences and consequently how those temperatures would affect growth and development. We surveyed the thermal and physical properties of retreat rocks being used by different ontogenetic stages of M. plagusius and found juveniles were able to occupy a subset of rocks smaller than those used by adults. Smaller rocks are hotter, do not retain their heat as long and experience more rapid temperatures changes than larger rocks. We further investigated the impacts of 9 constant temperature regimes on developmental rate and survival. Developmental rates were fastest at 30-32°C and no juveniles survived above 36°C. In thermal gradient experiments, spiders selected temperatures close to 30°C and chose warmer rocks over cooler rocks in retreat site choice experiments. Our results show that the type of retreat rock juvenile Flat rock spiders occupy will affect life history and fitness-related processes, and given the choice they will select rocks that maximise fitness. | 54 S.Seaton1, G.Matusick2, G.Hardy3 S tate Centre of Excellence for Climate Change, Woodland and Forest Health, , School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Murdoch University. 14 Florence Rd Nedlands, WA, 6009. 2 State Centre of Excellence for Climate Change Woodland and Forest Health, School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology(ALCOA), Murdoch University. Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch 6150, Western Australia. 3 Centre of Excellence for Climate Change Woodland and Forest Health, School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Murdoch University. Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch 6150, Western Australia. 1 Phoracantha spp. include important borers of trees in the south-west of Western Australia with four species currently been recorded. The Eucalyptus longicorn borer Phoracantha semipunctata is of particular interest because it causes a reduction in timber quality of Jarrah (E. marginata) and Marri (Corymbia calophylla) trees. This borer is known to attack stressed, dying or dead trees although little is known of its biology in jarrah and marri trees in the NJF. In 2010/11 the south west of WA experienced the warmest and second hottest year on record with rainfall 40-50% below average with approximately 16,800 ha of the northern jarrah forest (NJF) suffering severe drought induced tree mortality. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of this drought event on the extent of borer activity in jarrah and marri trees. Borer activity of harvested trees was extensive across the forest, with an average of 85 borer exit holes per tree and over 50% of the sapwood being damaged by larval feeding tracks. This level of borer damage appears to be related to the effects of drought on the trees health. Considerations of the reasons for this increase in population levels of P.semipunctata in the NJF ecosystem will be discussed. | 55 TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: ECOLOGY 1100–1230 Occurrence of Eucalyptus longicorn borer (Phoracantha semipunctata) in the northern jarrah forest following severe drought TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: BEHAVIOURAL ECOLOGY 1400–1530 Monandry or polyandry: Which one do you think requires an explanation? Hanna Kokko1, Johanna Mappes2 1 2 Research School of Biology, Australian National University, ACT 0200 Canberra, [email protected] Department of Biological and Environmental Science, P.O. Box 35, 40014 University of Jyväskylä, Finland Why do females of so many species mate multiply? The question makes use of an implicit null model that females by default should be monandrous and that polyandry requires an explanation. However, females encounter mates over their lifetime in a stochastic manner, and as they should accept at least one male, acceptance of all males may be a better null model than the more advanced strategy of accepting the first satisfactory one and rejecting all others. The advantage of this view is that it makes it explicit that females must accept and reject mates without precise knowledge of future mate encounters. In insects, limitations of cognitive and sensory capabilities make it hard for females to compare many potential mates simultaneously. It is then not always possible for a female to be very choosy (i.e., to reject a large proportion of encounters) without simultaneously increasing the expected time spent as a virgin and decreasing the overall expected number of mates she accrues during her lifetime. This fact easily leads to a pattern where choosiness is reduced and most females mate with more males than their optimal mate number. Our results suggest that monandry and polyandry may be less distinct strategies than they first appear as they may, to a large extent, reflect chance events influencing mate encounters. Polyandry can arise as a side effect of avoiding the risk of encountering too few acceptable mates – a viewpoint that is easily missed if females that have remained unmated are not included in datasets. | 56 Petah A. Low1, Clare McArthur2, Keith Fisher3, Dieter F. Hochuli4 School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, N.S.W., 2006, [email protected] School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, N.S.W., 2006, [email protected] 3 School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, N.S.W., 2006 4 School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, N.S.W., 2006, [email protected]} 1 2 In response to attack by insect herbivores, many plants release volatiles that attract the herbivores’ natural enemies. Although much of the work on plant volatiles has been undertaken in agro-ecosystems, there is growing evidence for the importance of this phenomenon in natural ecosystems. We conducted a series of experiments to test whether the volatile essential oils that are found within the leaves of eucalypts, which comprise the dominant component of Australian forests and woodlands, could serve as host/prey location cues for natural enemies. With Eucalyptus tereticornis seedlings and larval Uraba lugens as model species, we were able to demonstrate using solid phase microextraction (SPME) that emissions of cineole, the major volatile terpene in many eucalypts, increased significantly following damage (artificial or herbivore), but persisted only when damage was sustained by herbivore feeding; and that more cineole was emitted from seedlings whose essential oil content had been increased through nutrient enrichment. In the field, predation rates were significantly greater on model caterpillars baited with cineole. These results suggest that by feeding on eucalypts, insects advertise their presence to natural enemies and may therefore face a trade-off between increasing nutrient acquisition and decreasing risk of predation or parasitism. The significance of leadership behaviour in Perga sawfly larvae Lisa K. Hodgkin1, Matthew R. E. Symonds2, Mark A. Elgar3 Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, [email protected] School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, 3125 3 Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010 1 2 Understanding the evolution of cooperative behaviour remains among the more compelling unresolved issues in biology. Social insects, despite their characteristic cooperative behaviour and often high levels of relatedness, nonetheless exhibit strong individual differences in behaviour. Larval aggregations of the steel-blue sawfly Perga affinis are highly gregarious, synchronising feeding and development. Colonies of P. affinis larvae forage nocturnally and some individuals appear to ‘lead’ the colony on foraging trips more often than expected by chance. We investigated the relationship between this leadership role and weight, growth rate and behaviour at both an individual and colony level. The frequency of foraging leadership did not correlate with an individual’s initial weight or growth rate. However, experimentally manipulating the number of leader larvae in a colony revealed that colonies containing a high proportion of ‘leader’ larvae had significantly higher growth rates than those colonies with few or no leaders. These results suggest that the role of leadership may not be directly beneficial to the individual, but rather important for the success of the colony as a whole. We discuss these data in the context of individual and collective decisions about division of labour within large aggregations. | 57 TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: BEHAVIOURAL ECOLOGY 1400–1530 Insects eating eucalypts: A highly volatile situation? TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: BEHAVIOURAL ECOLOGY 1400–1530 First evidence for floral mimicry by a predatory insect James C. O’Hanlon1, Gregory I. Holwell2, Marie E. Herberstein3 Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, [email protected] School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142 [email protected] 3 Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, [email protected] 1 2 Mimicry theory is often regarded as one of the most significant advances in biological science since the description of evolution by natural selection. One of the major problems with our current understanding of mimetic relationships is that these resemblances are often noted based on our subjective human perceptions. One of the most infamous examples of this is the Malaysian orchid mantis, Hymenopus coronatus. For over a century this rare praying mantis has been renown for its remarkable resemblance to a white flower blossom. Despite its popularity the hypothesis that this insect mimics a flower blossom to attract pollinators as prey has never been scientifically investigated. To test this hypothesis we conducted the first ever investigation into the morphology of the orchid mantis using the perspective of pollinating insects. We conducted the forst ever investigation into the biology of the elusive orchid mantis. Using behavioural observations, physiological visual models and manipulate field studies we have shown for the first time that floral mimicry may actually function as a predatory strategy in the animal kingdom. This is a previously undescribed predatory strategy, and the orchid mantis may be the only floral mimic in the animal kingdom. Optimal signals in chrysomelid larvae Eunice. J. Tan1, Chris. A. M. Reid2, Mark A. Elgar3 1 University of Melbourne, Department of Zoology, Parkville 3010, Victoria, 3010, [email protected] 2 Department of Entomology, Australian Museum, 6 College Street, Sydney, NSW 2010 3 University of Melbourne, Department of Zoology, Parkville 3010, Victoria, 3010 The coloration patterns of animals is thought to reduce the risk of predator detection, warn predators of the prey’s unpalatabliity, or fool a predator into mistaking the prey for something else. The extraordinary diversity of chrysomelid leaf beetle colour patterns offers an excellent model system to investigate these issues. Chrysomelids are exposed when feeding on their host plants, and thus vulnerable to attacks by predators and parasites. An individual’s colour patterns are unlikely to remain static throughout its lifetime. While current studies tend to focus on the colour patterns of adult organisms, the effectiveness of protective colour patterns may change during the different life-history stages of an individual: the optimal colour patterns of a first instar larvae may not be the same for a final instar larvae or adult. Together with their contrasting colour patterns, the larvae of certain species of chrysomelid appear to advertise their defences to visually hunting predators. The colour patterns of these larvae change towards the later instars to include dark lateral stripes. We investigate the significance of the signals derived from the contrasting colour patterns in chrysomelid larvae by a combination of field experiments and natural history data. Using larvae models with different colour patterns in the field, we monitor the disturbance rate on the different model types. We discuss our findings in the context of the optimal signals that larvae adopt throughout their development. | 58 Tamara Johnson1, Matthew R. E. Symonds2, Mark A. Elgar3 1 The University of Melbourne, Department of Zoology, Parkville, Vic, 3010, [email protected] 2 Deakin University, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Burwood, 3125 3 The University of Melbourne, Department of Zoology, Parkville, Vic, 3010 Population density may have profound effects on male and female reproductive success. For example, locating a mate may be less challenging in high-density environments, but there may also be more intense pre- and post-mating competition for fertilisation success. In contrast, locating a mate may be more challenging in low-density environments, but competition may be less intense. For insects, information about their larval social environment may be used to predict their likely adult environment. Several studies reveal that insects adjust their allocation of resources to growth in key adult functions according to larval density the larvae experience, thereby increasing reproductive success. Accordingly, we explored the effects of larval density on investment in antennal growth in the gum-leaf skeletoniser moth Uraba lugens, which is characterised by elaborate male antennae. We predicted that adult males reared at low larval density should invest more into antennae, thereby increasing their sensitivity to female sex pheromones. Our experiments, which compare the size of antennae of males reared at two different densities, demonstrate how population density may influence the sexual communication system of moths through selection on receiver structures. | 59 TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: BEHAVIOURAL ECOLOGY 1515–1645 Population density and antennal development in the gum-leaf skeletoniser moth, Uraba lugens TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: BEHAVIOURAL ECOLOGY 1600–1645 Mating inhibition in Servaea vestita jumping spiders: Expression and mechanisms Vivian Mendez 1, Phillip Taylor 2 1 2 Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW, 2109. e-mail: [email protected] Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW, 2109. e-mail: [email protected] Mating inhibition has been studied extensively in insects but this research area remains very poorly developed in spiders. Once mated, females of many jumping spider species become sexually unreceptive and aggressive toward males but the mechanisms responsible for this mating inhibition are unknown. We assessed the mating frequency of 88 Servaea vestita (Araneae: Salticidae) females from maturation until death. Virgin females were highly receptive but mating inhibition was induced immediately after their first copulation; females became aggressive towards their first mate and almost always rejected courtship from subsequent males. Even after experimental removal of their first and second batches of eggs (simulating predation), females very rarely remated. Given low levels of female remating, virgin females are at an extreme premium for male reproductive fitness. Males will have an advantage if they are able to discriminate female reproductive status, and invest in pursuits of virgin females (high paternity value, and low rejection risk) over mated females. We discuss results for two mating inhibition experiments in S. vestita and propose mechanisms that might mediate mating inhibition in this jumping spider. Data of population dynamics and natural history provide context to the findings of mating inhibition experiments Profitability of a lizard versus invertebrates as prey for redback spiders Shawn M. Wilder1, Stephen J. Simpson2 1 2 School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, [email protected] School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW, 2006 Spiders consume a wide range of prey items in nature. While most prey of spiders are other arthropods, some spiders have been observed feeding on vertebrates. We compared the nutrients ingested by redback spiders when they fed on a vertebrate, the fence lizard Cryptoblepharus virgatus, and a wide range of invertebrates. Lizards represented 9 % (7 of 78) prey items fed on by redback spiders in an urban habitat. In terms of body mass, lizards were larger than most of the 23 different arthropod prey fed on by redback spiders. In laboratory feeding assays, spiders fed on lizards for twice as long as they did for similarly sized locusts but, despite feeding longer, extracted less of the overall biomass of lizards than locusts. Spiders extracted a high proportion of available nutrients from most invertebrate prey. The skeleton of lizards may have complicated nutrient extraction by spiders, especially compared to the exoskeleton of arthropods which may facilitate feeding by serving as a rigid container for the liquefaction of soft tissue. Hence, while vertebrate prey are sometimes eaten by spiders, vertebrates are likely less profitable prey than invertebrates. | 60 Rowan McGinley1, Eileen Hebets2, Phillip Taylor1, Eirik Sovik1, Andrew Barron1 1 2 Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109 [email protected] School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln Biogenic amines, such as serotonin and octopamine, are important mediators of behaviour in both vertebrates and invertebrates, with some remarkably consistent patterns apparent over vast taxonomic ranges. Spiders are popular model systems for behaviour research, but little is known about physiological mediators of spider behaviour and especially little is know about the role of biogenic amines. We quantified base-line levels of biogenic amines at different life stages of the jumping spider Servaea vestita, and considered the role of biogenic amines as mediators of intraspecfic interactions. Base-line levels of biogenic amines might be linked to resource holding potential such that winners and losers tend to differ in base-line levels of biogenic amines at the beginning of contests. Alternatively, the winning or losing of contests might induce changes in levels of biogenic amines such that winners and losers might be similar in levels of biogenic amines at the beginning of a contest but differ at the end. To assess whether this is the case, we staged contests between size-matched Servaea males and measured levels of biogenic amines either immediately after the contest or three days later as well as in control groups that did not experience contests. | 61 TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: BEHAVIOURAL ECOLOGY 1600–1645 Biogenic amines as mediators of spider behaviour WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: INVASIVE SPECIES AND BIO CONTROL 0930–1030 Sub-species mapping of the invasive earwig Forficula auricularia in Australian ecosystems Stephen Quarrell1 Thierry Wirth2, Juliette Arabi2, Paul Walker1, Geoff Allen1 1 2 University of Tasmania, School of Agricultural Science/Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, Hobart, Australia Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle - EPHE, Department of Systematics and Evolution, Paris, France The European earwig, Forficula auricularia is an introduced omnivorous insect, which was accidentally introduced into Tasmania prior to 1900. In 1930 it was first reported on the Australian mainland and in 1994 was discovered near Albany, Western Australia. F. auricularia is regarded as an urban and agricultural pest with home invasions and crop damage common. It has also been implicated in the decline of endangered, ground-dwelling invertebrates in North America, where it is also an invasive pest. Due to genetic differences, populations can display two reproductive strategies, species A (one or two clutches per year) and species B (two clutches per year). Mitochondrial DNA analysis is a reliable method of determining the sub-speciation of F. auricularia. DNA analysis of Australian F. auricularia populations have yet to be undertaken, therefore the presence of cryptic species is currently unknown. The aims of this project were to determine F. auricularia’s sub-speciation and genetic structure using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences and to track its date of incursion, rate of spread and current Australian distribution by utilising nationwide insect collection data and historical records. We report here on the results of the invasive earwig’s genetic identity and structure, rate of spread and current Australian distribution. It is hoped that this information will help identify areas where it may pose a threat to Australia’s endemic invertebrate fauna, and enable the increased efficacy of F. auricularia control measures Australia-wide. | 62 Anna Rathe1, Professor Geoff Gurr1,2, Dr Leigh Pilkington1 1 2 EH Graham Centre, Charles Sturt University. PO Box 883, Orange, NSW 2800 NSW Department of Primary Industries, Locked Bag 26, Gosford NSW 2250 The glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis Germar (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), is an important insect vector of the xylem-limited bacterial plant pathogen Xylella fastidiosa Wells which causes diseases in numerous host species including food and feed stock crops, ornamentals and weeds. Both the pathogen and the vector are native to the Americas and are considered highly invasive. Neither has been detected in Australia to date so the general aim of this study was to prepare for a possible incursion event of either species. To determine whether Australian native plants can host the insect, studies were undertaken native Australian plants in California. Acacia cowleana, Banksia serrata, Callistemon cv ‘Little John’, Correa schlectendalii , Eremophila maculata, Eucalyptus erythrocorys, Grevillea alpina, Hakea petiolaris, Leptospermum laevigatum, Melaleuca lateritia, Prostanthera ovalifolia and Swainsona galegifolia were all fed upon under non-choice greenhouse conditions though field surveys did not find evidence of adult or nymph feeding on M. lateritia, C. ‘Little John’, P. ovalifolia, C. schlectendalii, and G. alpina. A field experiment showed that all species except Callistemon, Grevillea, Melaleuca and Prostanthera were oviposition hosts. First instar H. vitripennis nymphs developed to adulthood on Acacia, Leptospermum, Grevillea, Swainsona and grape control plants. Insects on Acacia, Grevillea and Swainsona developed faster than did those on grape, a known favoured host. Together these findings show that several Australian native plants are susceptible to the sharpshooter. These would be damaged in the event of an incursion and could be the target to surveillance and eradication efforts. The mymarid wasp Gonatocerus ashmeadi successfully parasitised sharpshooter eggs on all Australian oviposition host plants suggesting that the introduction of this parasitoid should be considered in the event of the sharpshooter being established in Australia. Two Australia-wide surveys of known host plant species found no evidence of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa but tests in California showed that the bacterium was recovered from Hakea petiolaris, Swainsona galegifolia and Leptospermum laevigatum ten months post-inoculation. Systemic spread 10cm distal to the point of inoculation was also achieved in these species indicating that they are suitable pathogen hosts. Acquisition studies showed that sharpshooters were able to acquire X. fastidiosa via feeding from infected Swainsona plants (and grape control plants) and subsequently pass the infection on to grape seedlings. In terms of H. vitripennis invasion pathways, it is thought that a likely means of introduction is via live insects transported in the cargo hold of planes. A preliminary laboratory trial study under various possible cargo hold temperatures (8˚C 12˚C 21˚C) indicated that adult females are able to survive 24 hours at each temperature without food and can go on to reproduce. If the pathogen were to invade Australia without H. vitripennis, it is possible that Australian native xylem feeding insects from the Auchenorryncha may act as vectors. A literature review has shown that stylet diameter would not be a limiting factor in pathogen transmission ability. | 63 WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: INVASIVE SPECIES AND BIO CONTROL 0930–1030 Preparing Australia for the likely invasion of glassy-winged sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis) and the bacterial plant pathogen Xylella fastidiosa WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: INVASIVE SPECIES AND BIO CONTROL 0930–1030 Genetic characterisation of a recent Varroa mite host-switch to European honeybee J. M. K. Roberts1, D. L. Anderson2 1 2 C ommonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Clunies Ross Street, Canberra, ACT, 2601, [email protected] Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Clunies Ross Street, Canberra, ACT, 2601, [email protected] The parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, causes significant damage to European honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies around the world. Members of this mite species switched from their natural host, the Asian honeybee (Apis cerana), in the mid 20th century. The sister species, Varroa jacobsoni, also parasitises A. cerana but is restricted to southeast Asia. Recently in 2008, this mite was found to have switched host and begun parasitising European honeybee colonies in Papua New Guinea. This recent development increases the possibility of varroa mites reaching Australia and needs to be examined to fully understand this threat. Using microsatellite markers, genetic variation was determined in V. jacobsoni populations from New Guinea reproducing on A. cerana or A. mellifera. Comparison of these populations identified a significant reduction in variation for mites reproducing on A. mellifera, although several multilocus genotypes were present. This suggests only a small number of mites have managed to adapt to the new host, creating a severe population bottleneck. Significant genetic differentiation was also shown between mites in New Guinea reproducing on the two different hosts, indicating a lack of gene flow between these populations. Therefore, it seems that mites now reproducing on A. mellifera are unable to switch back and utilise their original host, A. cerana. Genetic analysis of mite populations from Indonesia and Solomon Islands is in progress as they represent the likely source region and a recent expansion, respectively, of the V. jacobsoni population in New Guinea. They’re dunging it again: Importation of additional dung beetle species to Australia E.J. Wright1, K. Wardhaugh, 2, P. B. Edwards, 3 CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, GPO Box 1700, Canberra ACT 2601, [email protected] 11 Deane Street, Yarralumla ACT 2600 3 PO Box 865, Maleny QLD 4552 1 2 In 1969-87 and again in 1990-92 (in partnership with WA Department of Agriculture), CSIRO released 43 exotic dung beetle species to clear pastures of accumulated livestock dung. Of these, 23 species are known to have established. Since then, beetle collection and redistribution has been continued by Landcare groups, farmers and individuals with a passion for the beetles. A recent assessment of the current status of introduced dung beetles showed that while some introduced species have apparently reached their expected geographical distribution, others have not. Also, parts of Australia are well served by a diverse suite of dung beetle species and experience a sustained level of dung burial, whereas other parts are not. In particular, the southern, temperate livestock region of Australia is lacking dung beetle activity in early spring and additional species are needed. CSIRO, in collaboration with the WA Department of Agriculture and with funding from Meat and Livestock Australia, has started a project to introduce Onthophagus vacca and Bubas bubalus from southern Europe. The selection of these species was based on a process of climate matching in potential donor and recipient regions. The biology of these species and the process of establishing breeding colonies sychronised with southern hemisphere conditions will be discussed. | 64 Brian M. Wiegmann North Carolina State University, Department of Entomology, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA True flies (Diptera) are one of the largest radiations of eukaryotic life and they constitute 12% of known species richness on earth. They have inhabited terrestrial environments since the Permian (260 million years ago), and comprise hundreds of thousands of extant species. Recent efforts to recover the fly tree of life have greatly advanced our knowledge of fly phylogeny. Fly evolution has taken place in episodic bursts, including 3 ancient rapid radiations corresponding to: lower Diptera (mosquitoes; 220 Ma), lower Brachycera (horse flies;180 Ma), and Schizophora (Drosophila, house flies; 65 Ma). Ancient lineages that underwent rapid radiations, such as these, are often left unresolved by standard phylogenetic methods. Fly model organisms used across scientific disciplines all occur within these lineages and a fully resolved phylogenetic framework is needed for contextualizing the comparative biology of flies. Transcriptomes are providing significant new data to further resolve these ancient rapid radiations in fly evolutionary history. Using new and existing data, we have identified thousands of orthologs shared across deep fly divergences, from Anopheles gambiae to Drosophila melanogaster. In comparison to targeted PCR, next-gen sequencing has more rapidly and affordably provided a wealth of genes that exhibit phylogenetic utility across flies. | 65 WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: SYSTEMATICS 0930–1030 Phylogenomics to study diversification in the evolutionary history of true flies WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: SYSTEMATICS 0930–1030 Integrative taxonomy of Australasian biting midges (Culicoides, Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) using molecular and morphological tools David Gopurenko1, Glenn Bellis 2, Andrew Mitchell 3 NSW Department of Primary Industries, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2650, [email protected] Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy, Marrara, NT, 0812 3 Australian Museum, Sydney, NSW, 2000 1 2 Biting midges of the genus Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are globally recognised as pests to humans and as vectors of economically important arboviruses affecting livestock. Australasia has a high diversity of Culicoides with upwards of 265 described morpho-species. Accurate species identification of Australasian Culicoides is essential for understanding individual pest and vector competencies; however, accuracy of identification is often impeded by both paucity and subtlety of speciesdiagnostic morphological features and a lack of specialist morphologists. We have initiated an integrative taxonomic assessment of Australasian Culicoides with a strong focus on the economically important vector species prevalent in the subgenus Avaritia. We use mitochondrial DNA barcoding supplemented by nuclear DNA analyses to test morphologically identified species and subgeneric boundaries proposed for the Australasian Culicoides. Our DNA barcoding provides support for the majority of morphologically defined species and contrasting evidence of putative cryptic species presence within others. Our comparative nuclear DNA analyses provide independent tests of these species boundaries and are particularly useful where morphological support for putative cryptic assemblages are unclear. The nuclear analyses are also informative at deeper phylogenetic levels and are used here to examine subgeneric relationships among pest species. In contrast, the higher levels of polymorphism provided by the mitochondrial barcoding provide us with a means for tracking dispersal of genetic lineages within distributions of focal pest species. DNA barcodes generated by this project also provide a valuable resource for current biosecurity efforts and are used in the development of a national Australian bio-surveillance monitoring platform to provide early detection and tracking of vector species of Culicoides. Co-speciation or niche differentiation? Phylogeny and host relationships of the dart-tailed parasitoid Cameronella (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) at three trophic levels: wasp, scale insect host and Eucalyptus A. X. Wang1, L. G. Cook2 1 2 School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, [email protected] School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, [email protected] The dart-tailed wasp Cameronella is a specific parasitoid of the gall-inducing scale insect Apiomorpha (Hemiptera: Eriococcidae). The common name of the wasp is descriptive of the most distinctive feature of the genus, the dart-shaped tail of adult females formed by the epipygium. Combined with its relatively large size (4-15mm), Cameronella is one of the most bizarre genera of Pteromalidae occurring in Australia. There are seven species currently recognized in the Australian Faunal Directory (ABRS) but the list is based on data more than 70 years. The wasp is relatively rare and there are only 48 specimens held in the Australian National Insect Collection (ANIC). Until recently, very little was known about the biology of this group, except that they exclusively parasitise Apiomorpha. Apiomorpha is restricted to host plants in the genus Eucalyptus and, like Cameronella, have a continent-wide distribution in Australia. Apiomorpha is wind-dispersed at the crawler stage (first-instar nymph) and finding the right host occurs by chance encounter with a suitable host eucalypt. The dart-tailed wasps need to find these rare and dispersed hosts frequently enough to maintain populations. My study is focusing on the evolution of these parasitoids and their interactions with their insect hosts and the plants on which they occur. Two hypotheses (co-speciation and niche differentiation) were tested using molecular, morphological and ecological data for this three-trophic-level system. | 66 David K. Yeates, Bryan Lessard Our understanding of the biogeography of the southern end of the world has been revolutionized in recent years. The comfortable assumption that austral distributions can be explained by Gondwanan ancestry followed by vicariance has been overturned by evidence from studies estimating divergence times of key austral taxa using molecular data. A number of iconic gondwanan groups contain internal nodes that are too young to be explained by gondwanan vicariance, and suggest that long distance over-ocean dispersal has been an important process in shaping austral distributions. Our knowledge of these distributions and the processes that shape them will improve as we gain further insights into the distribution of extant and extinct austral lineages and divergence time estimation methods. A number of processes are likely to have affected the distribution of austral lineages, and ecological factors will influence the probability of those processes. We discuss these issues using recent evidence from horse flies (Tabanidae: Diptera) and scorpion flies Nannochoristidae (Mecoptera). | 67 WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: SYSTEMATICS 0930–1030 Austral biogeography: Goodbye Gondwana and the Moa buoyancy hypothesis WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: INVASIVE SPECIES AND BIOCONTROL 1100–1130 The bark beetle, Ips grandicollis in Australia: Implications for management of the wood wasp Sirex noctilio C.W. Gitau1, A.J. Carnegie2, R.A. Bedding3, R. Bashford4, C. Poynter5, F. Yousuf1, G. M. Gurr1 E H Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation (Department of Primary Industries, NSW, and Charles Sturt University), Leeds Parade, Orange, NSW 2800, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] 2 Department of Trade, Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services, NSW, PO Box 100, Beecroft, NSW 2119, [email protected] 3 CSIRO Entomology, Clunies Ross Street, ACT, 2601, [email protected] 4 Forestry Tasmania, 79 Melville Street, Hobart, TAS, 7000, [email protected] 1 5 Research Office, Spatial Data Analysis Network, Boorooma Street, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, [email protected] The bark beetle Ips grandicollis (Eichhoff) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) is an exotic pest that attacks Australia’s large pine plantations. Impact is a particular problem for the biological control program in place for another exotic pest, the wood wasp, Sirex noctilio Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Siricidae). An entomopathogenic nematode, Beddingia siricidicola (Bedding), needs to be introduced into the wood wasp population on hundreds of sites each year using ‘trap tree plots’. These consist of 8-12 trees treated with a herbicide at a rate that kills them slowly making them attractive to ovipositing wood wasps. Later, the trees are felled and inoculated with nematodes but I. grandicollis also finds trap tree plots attractive and this may reduce the efficacy of biological control. To quantify the magnitude of threat facing Sirex biocontrol, we surveyed trap trees for presence/absence of I. grandicollis in 354 TTPs in Tasmania, New South Wales, Southern Australia and Victoria during spring and summer of 2010 and 2011. Incidence of the bark beetle was especially high in Mt. Gambier and Ranges in Southern Australia, Macquarie and Hume regions of NSW and Ballalat region in Victoria where 40% of sampled trees showed attacks by I. grandicollis. Geographical regions where suppression of the bark beetle is urgently required were identified. Silvicultural practices, biotic and abiotic factors that favour incidence of I. grandicollis in the four states will be discussed. | 68 Fazila Yousuf1, Geoff M. Gurra2, Angus J. Carnegie3, Robin A. Bedding4, Richard Bashford5, Catherine W. Gitaub2 EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation (Industry and Investment NSW and Charles Sturt University, 346 Leeds Parade, Orange, NSW 2800. Australia, e-mail: [email protected] 2 EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation (Industry and Investment NSW and Charles Sturt University, 346 Leeds Parade, Orange, NSW 2800. Australia. 3 Forest Health and Resource Assessment, Biosecurity Research, Industry and Investment NSW, Forest Science Centre, PO Box 100, Beecroft, NSW, 2119, Australia. 4 CSIRO Entomology, Clunies Ross Street, GPO Box 1700, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia. 5 Forest Entomology, Forestry Tasmania, 79 Melville Street, Hobart, Tasmania, 7000.Australia. 1 Sirex noctilio Fabricius is an exotic pest causing extensive losses to Pinus radiata in Australia by introducing a phytotoxic mucus and symbiotic fungus Amylostereum areolatum (Fries) Boidin (Stereaceae) during oviposition. The nematode Beddingia (= Deladenus) siricidicola Bedding (Neotylenchidae) is widely used as a bio-control agent, parasitizing S. noctilio and feeding on A. areolatum. The efficiency of S. noctilio bio-control is greatly affected by the attack of another exotic pest Ips grandicollis Eichhoff and its associated fungus Ophiostoma ips (Rumbold) Nannfeldt (Ophiostomataceae) by causing reduction in the parasitism of S. noctilio. This has led us to investigate two main hypotheses: first we investigated the antagonistic interactions between A. areolatum and O. ips that occurs in S. noctilio and I. grandicollis infested trees, and the effect of two different temperatures (20°C and 25°C) on the outcome of these fungal interactions was also considered. Secondly, we determined the survival, reproduction and migration of B. siricidicola on the O. ips cultures. The results showed that A. areolatum is a weak competitor against O. ips at both temperatures and could not gain substrate already colonized by O. ips competitor. Beddingia siricidicola was not able migrate through the O.ips mycelia though it was able to survive on O. ips cultures in vitro for up to three weeks at 20°C by feeding on O.ips. However no reproduction was observed by nematodes. The results suggest that antagonistic interactions between A. areolatum and O. ips fungi could negatively influence the success of B. siricidicola hence influencing S. noctilio parasitism. | 69 WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: INVASIVE SPECIES AND BIOCONTROL 1100–1130 Effect of fungi vectored by the bark beetle Ips grandicollis (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) on the biological control of introduced woodwasp Sirex noctilio (Hymenoptera: Siricidae) on Pinus radiata WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: SYSTEMATICS 1100–1300 Taxonomy and systematics of Calocidae (Trichoptera) M. Shackleton1, Phil Suter2, Susan Lawler3, Jeff Webb4 La Trobe University, University Drive Wodonga, Victoria, 3690, [email protected] La Trobe University, University Drive Wodonga, Victoria, 3690, [email protected] 3 La Trobe University, University Drive Wodonga, Victoria, 3690, [email protected] 4 University of Guelph, 50 Stone rd East, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G2W1, [email protected] 1 2 The Family Calocidae (Trichoptera) is recorded from Australian and New Zealand, with genera endemic to either country. Until recently, a large portion of the fauna of Calocidae was undescribed. Furthermore, information on the larval stages was minimal with only 5 of the 19 species associated and these from only 4 of the 6 genera. Over the past three years, 15 new species of Calocidae have been described, from Australia, and 9 larvae have been associated with adult forms. At least one larva is now known from each genus in the family. Given the large amount of information previously not available, past studies on the systematics of Calocidae have relied on data from only a small portion of the total fauna. Using the additional information now available, we conducted a more thorough investigation into the evolutionary history of this family. The Gripoptergidae (Plecoptera) – who they are and what we know Julia Mynott1, Phil Suter2, Dennis Black2 1 2 La Trobe University, Albury-Wodonga. University Drive, Wodonga, Victoria. [email protected] La Trobe University, Albury-Wodonga. University Drive, Wodonga, Victoria. The Gripopterygidae are the largest stonefly family in the southern hemisphere. The family contains 277 species in 49 genera and is found in South America, Australia and New Zealand. Yet the evolutionary history of this family has been little studied. No genera are shared between the continents and stoneflies are regarded as poor dispersers. So how did they wind up on these southern landmasses with entirely endemic fauna? An Australian fossil species has been recorded from the Lower Cretaceous suggesting the Family has a deep Gondwanan origin. So why did the family not radiate in a similar fashion to the Families in the northern hemisphere? Do environmental constraints limit the radiation potential of southern hemisphere stoneflies. An understanding of the relationships within the Gripopterygidae based on genetic techniques is developing, that will hopefully provide an insight into these questions. | 70 Stephen L. Cameron1, Kazunori Yoshizawa2, Kevin P. Johnson3 E arth, Environment & Biological Sciences, Science & Engineering Faculty, Queensland University of Technology, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane, Queensland, 4001, Australia. [email protected] 2 Systematic Entomology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-8589, Japan, psocid@ res.agr.hokudai.ac.jp 3 Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois, 1816 South Oak St., Champaign, IL, 61820, USA, [email protected] 1 The evolution of the Psocodea (lice, bark lice and relatives) has long been difficult to resolve due to the massive morphological changes which resulted from the adaptation to parasitism in a portion of the lineage, the lice (Phthiraptera). Molecular phylogenetic approaches to this group have also struggled with the high rates of substitution in lice leading to mutational saturation of many widely used genes. The extreme rates of mitochondrial (mt) genome rearrangements in this group, higher than all other metazoan, are a potential additional phylogenetic data source which may help resolve their evolution. Different proposed methods of inferring trees from rearrangement data were applied to a dataset derived from mt genome representing the diversity of the Psocodea (12 genera representing 6 of 7 recognised suborders) and compared with trees derived from sequence data alone. The relative performance of methods and their implications for our understanding of psocodean evolution will be discussed. Male wing dimorphism in Australian Amphientomidae (Psocodea) Christopher K. Taylor Dept of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845; [email protected] Polymorphism in wing development is found in many families of Psocodea, both within and between sexes. However, records of polymorphism in Amphientomidae are not common, with dimorphism between sexes known for some species, but no records to date of within-sex dimorphism. A new species of Amphientomidae from Barrow Island in northern Western Australia, as well as being the first Australian species described from multiple specimens, represents the first known case of within-sex dimorphism for Amphientomidae, with both macropterous and brachypterous males collected. | 71 WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: SYSTEMATICS 1100–1300 Unravelling the evolution of the Psocodea (lice, bark-lice) from genome rearrangements WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: SYSTEMATICS 1100–1300 New Australian records of Deltocephalinae (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) Murray J. Fletcher1, James N. Zahniser2, Christopher H. Dietrich2 1 2 Orange Agricultural Institute, Forest Road, Orange, NSW 2800 Australia. [email protected] Section for Biodiversity, Illinois Natural History Survey, 1816 S. Oak St. Champaign, IL 61820, USA. A continuing and long-term study of the Deltocephalinae (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) of Australia by the first author has revealed a large number of genera not recognised previously in the country. In recent years, some of these genera have been formally published, including the Melanesian genus Melanetettix Knight & Fletcher (2007), the New Zealand genus Horouta Knight (Fletcher 2004), the Oriental genus Carvaka Distant (Fletcher & Semeraro 2007) and the widespread Goniagnathus Fieber (Fletcher & Zahniser 2008) which also provided the first Australian record of the tribe Goniagnathini. Oriental genera such as Mimotettix Matsumura, Paramesodes Ishihara, Bhatia Distant and Hengchunia Vilbaste also have representation in Australia, mainly with new species. A joint visit to China in 2011 by all three authors provided an opportunity for other Australian genera to be examined in the context of the world fauna and two additional deltocephaline tribes were found in the Australian material. These are the Fieberiellini and the Mukariini and details of the material identified will be presented. The phylogenetics of gall-inducing scale insects feeding on Leptospermeae Edward L. White, Lyn G. Cook School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia Australia’s myrtaceous flora is relatively well known. In contrast, many of the insects that consume and parasitise members of the family Myrtaceae are yet to be described. One insect-plant interaction that typifies this disjuncture is the gall-inducing scale insects feeding on Leptospermeae. Leptospermeae is a monophyletic clade consisting of at least seven distinct plant genera, including Agonis, Asteromyrtus, Homalospermum, Kunzea, Leptospermum, Neofabricia and Pericalymma. Eremococcus Ferris (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha; Coccoidea: Eriococcidae) is a group of gall-inducing scale insects that feed only on members of Leptospermeae. There are currently three described species: E. turbinata (Froggatt), E. pirogallis (Maskell) and E. rugosus (Maskell). However, many undescribed gallers have been collected from a diverse range of Leptospermeae, including members of the genera Agonis, Kunzea, Leptospermum and Neofabricia. Based on a molecular phylogenetic analysis of two nuclear gene regions (18S and Dynamin), we identify at least eight (three described, five previously undescribed) distinct species groups, from two distinct, reciprocally monophyletic linages of gallers feeding on Leptospermeae: Eremococcus sensu stricto and a previously undescribed sister group. From this analysis we also reassess the classification of a previously described Leptospermeae galler, Ascelis melaleucae. The evolution of the Eremococcus (and their relatives) is discussed with reference to recent phylogenetic assessments of Leptospermeae. | 72 Yen-Po Lin1, Takumasa Kondo2, Lyn G. Cook3 The University of Queensland, School of Biological Sciences, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia. y [email protected] 2 Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria. 3 The University of Queensland, School of Biological Sciences, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia. [email protected] 1 Currently recognised species of scale insect are frequently being found to actually comprise cryptic species complexes. This is of particular relevance to quarantine because scale insects are among the worst invasive pests worldwide. Parasaissetia nigra (Nietner, 1861) (Hemiptera: Coccidae) is a cosmopolitan, parthenogenetic and extremely polyphagous pest feeding on more than 80 families of host plants. Previous work on adult female morphology for this species suggested that it might be a species complex. Here, we assess the cryptic species status of P. nigra using DNA sequences from five gene regions: 18S, 28S, EF1α, COI and Dynamin. Different analyses (maximum parsimony, neighbour-joining and Bayesian inference) of separate gene regions all converged on the same result. Our results have important implications for how this pest species is considered for quarantine purposes. . Rapid chromosomal evolution in a gall-inducing scale insect Penelope J. Mills1, Lyn. G. Cook2 1 T he School of Biological Sciences (BIOL), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, [email protected] 2 The School of Biological Sciences (BIOL), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, [email protected] The Australian endemic gall-inducing scale insect genus Apiomorpha (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea) exhibits massive chromosome variation (2n=4 up to 2n=c.192) rarely observed in other animal clades. Also, many of the described species exhibit intraspecific chromosome variation, including Apiomorpha minor (2n=10, 42 or 84). DNA sequence data has shown that the morphospecies A. minor consists of numerous distinct genetic lineages that likely represent cryptic species. However, chromosomal differentiation in the group does not correlate one-to-one with the genetic lineages. Here, we focus on chromosomal evolution within the species complex, using mitochondrial and nuclear gene regions to assess the rate of karyotypic change within and between lineages. We argue that chromosomal rearrangements might be leading to reproductive isolation and partly driving speciation in the group. | 73 WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 PAPERS: SYSTEMATICS 1100–1300 Cryptic diversity in the parthenogenetic pest coccid species, Parasaissetia nigra (Nietner, 1861) (Hemiptera: Coccidae) WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: URBAN ECOLOGY 1130–1630 Insects, health, and the conservation of biodiversity Philip Weinstein Healthy ecosystems provide a variety of ecosystem services to humans, most obviously provisioning services (food, fuel, and shelter), but also regulating services (that lead to disease suppression) and cultural services (recreation and wellbeing). Insect communities are fundamental to maintaining ecosystem functionality and resilience, and when community structure is adversely affected by human activities such as urbanisation and agriculture, ecosystem services can fail. Directly or indirectly, the maintenance of biodiversity can prevent the emergence and re-emergence of a variety of public health problems that include vector borne diseases, obesity, and depression. To combat the emergence of such problems, it is first necessary to demonstrate a quantifiable link between unhealthy ecosystems and unhealthy humans, and I discuss examples of recently ‘created’ public health problems for which this has been done: Ross River virus infection (mosquitoes), lyme disease (ticks), and obesity and depression (biodiversity generally). The examples support the idea that the conservation of biodiversity benefits both the environment and human health concurrently. To provide a stronger evidence base for policy generation in this area, more research into urban ecology is required. Elevated levels of insect herbivory on an urban-rural gradient reveal speciesspecific signals of landscape degradation Dieter F. Hochuli School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, [email protected] Loss of biodiversity is a major factor contributing to declines in the quality of remnant vegetation in urban landscapes. These novel ecosystems often support depauperate assemblages, with losses from higher trophic levels contributing to the decline of vital ecosystem processes. The aim of this work was to identify the extent to which levels of insect herbivory in urban remnants could be predicted from landscape and plant traits, ultimately identifying benchmarks for ecological function. I sampled arboreal insects and assessed levels of herbivory for chewing, mining and galling along an urbanrural gradient in Sydney for four prominent plants, Banskia serrata, Angophora costata, Acacia longifolia and Pittosporum undulatum. The damage caused by different functional groups of insect herbivores varied significantly across plant species, with A. costata and B. serrata suffering the highest levels of chewing damage and P. undulatum showing highest levels of galling and mining. Herbivory increased on A. costata and B. serrata in non-urban areas while P. undulatum suffered reduced herbivory in urban areas. There was no coherent signal of herbivory for all 4 plant species across the urbanrural gradient owing to the extensive variability among sites. The results revealed idiosyncratic associations with degree of urbanization across plant species, with fine scale habitat traits consistently being more informative in predicting levels of herbivory than coarse habitat traits. While these results showed that urban remnants supported vegetation suffering significant levels of herbivory, the goal of identifying benchmarks of ecological function in urban landscapes required species-specific approaches accommodating coarse and fine scale landscape traits. | 74 Mike Muller Medical Entomologist, Mosquito Management, Brisbane City Council, G P O Box 1434, Brisbane, QLD, 4001. [email protected] When urban development occurs around and beside prime breeding sites for mosquitoes and biting midges, or creates them, there will be trouble. This presentation will provide examples of such events in Brisbane, and illustrate how successful these insects are in taking advantage of any opportunity presented to them. That includes saltmarsh, tidal, freshwater ground pool and artificial container habitats. In some cases, management options are available, in others urban dwellers have to learn to live with the consequences. Urban invasions: arbovirus vectors and people and the threat from climate change Prof. Pat Dale and Dr Jon Knight Environmental Futures Centre, Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan Qld 4111. [email protected]; [email protected] The presentation analyses the relationship between human patterns of settlement and exposure to mosquito vector of disease such as Ross River virus disease (RRv). The focus is on coastal systems and their mosquito habitats, with reference to the habitat requirements of the immature stages. South-east Queensland is experiencing particularly rapid population growth, concentrated in the coastal area, and this is expected to continue. As settlement tends to move closer to mosquito habitats in coastal areas, there is likely to be increased exposure to mosquito borne disease. This may be exacerbated as sea level rises if mosquito habitats move inland closer to human settlement, thereby increasing the risk of contact. Other aspects of climate change, such as the effect of warming on the risk of transmission of diseases such as RRv will be discussed. The presentation includes the results of recent research demonstrating that the incidence of RRv can be related to mosquito larval habitats (wetlands) and to mosquito management. The impact of sea level rise (both positive and negative) on mosquito habitats will be discussed and its implications for mosquito management. There is a potential conflict between mosquito management and conservation of ecosystem values under threat from climate change. To avert conflict, to minimize adverse risk to people and wetlands and to adapt to climate change needs appropriate human and material resources (institutional capacity). | 75 WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: URBAN ECOLOGY 1130–1630 Little biters in Brisbane – urban opportunists WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: URBAN ECOLOGY 1130–1630 Linking mosquito behaviour to management actions: Urban vectors at various spatial scales Cassie Jansen1,2, Nancy Schellhorn1 1 2 CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences University of Queensland Changes in the urban landscape, human behaviours and household water storage practices have important implications for the risk posed by mosquito species that thrive in urban habitats, including the primary vector of dengue, Aedes aegypti. Data gathered from coastal towns across a latitudinal gradient in Queensland has examined environmental features that may predict the likelihood of the presence, density and species composition of container-inhabiting mosquitoes (CIMs). We examine the effect of numerous urban landscape features on mosquito risk at different spatial scales. Preliminary data suggests that some urban features best predict mosquito activity at the typical “neighbourhood block” scale rather than at the scale of individual house, and that these trends are species-specific. Further, different urban mosquito species appear to respond to different urban landscape features, and at varying spatial scales. These observations can inform the spatial scale at which management occurs and increases capacity to pre-emptively manage vector borne disease risk. Endangered ecological communities as surrogates for insect assemblages in urban landscapes James E. Schlunke1, Dieter F. Hochuli2 S chool of Biological Sciences, Room 408, Heydon-Laurence Building (A08), The University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, [email protected] 2 School of Biological Sciences, Room 401, Heydon-Laurence Building (A08), The University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, [email protected] 1 The strategy of conserving coarse habitat units is generally regarded as the best method for conserving cryptic components of biodiversity, such as invertebrates. However, to adequately conserve total biodiversity these vegetation units must also represent the breadth of invertebrate diversity present across the landscape, which assumes some degree of congruence between plant community and invertebrate community composition. Within the Sydney region 24 endangered ecological communities are provided protection under the NSW and Commonwealth legislation, however the effectiveness of conserving these vegetation surrogates has not been evaluated. We sampled floristic composition and ant assemblages from five distinct vegetation communities. at 40 urban bushland sites in the Sydney region. We found 525 plant species and 99 ant morphospecies, a high proportion of which were recorded at a single site. Although there were strong associations of ant assemblages with vegetation community identity, not all endangered communities supported unique assemblages. There was also a significant positive correlation between similarity in plant and ant assemblage composition amongst sites. No relationship between ant assemblage similarity and distance between sites was found. Canonical Analysis of Principal Coordinates revealed that some habitat structural attributes were useful in predicting ant assemblage composition, with percentage cover of leaf-litter explaining the greatest amount of variation amongst sites. Links between habitat variables and plant community indicated that fine-scale responses to structural attributes were central to identifying the causal relationships driving ant community composition and ultimately assessing the value of using coarse structural and vegetation surrogates for invertebrate conservation. | 76 Jon Knight Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland 4111 The saltwater mosquito Aedes vigilax breeds in estuarine wetlands and is a significant pest species in sub-tropical and tropical coastal Australia. The insect is a vector for Ross River virus and other debilitating diseases. A model of Ae. vigilax habitat in mangrove basin forests is described. The model is a synthesis of detailed empirical studies of three mangrove basins that support mosquito production located near Caloundra, the Gold Coast (SE Qld) and Terranora (Nthn NSW). The model combines the insect’s relevant lifestages, mangrove basin topography and hydrodynamics. The essential features include the synchronization of the mosquito’s lifecycle to basin hydrodynamics and thus an intricate relationship between hydrodynamics and basin structure. The habitat includes shallow mangrove basins (back-basins) with a hummocky substrate micro-topography that are periodically connected by fewer than the highest 15% of high tides. Between recharge events (tides and rainfall), very small decreases in basin water level (<1 cm/day) lead to significant decreases in extent of standing water (for example, 60% over 6 days) across the basin resulting in corresponding increases in the extent of exposed substrate. This state change between submerged and exposed substrate within the basin ensures the availability of suitable habitats, simultaneously, for insect development (water – larval development; exposed substrate – oviposition and eggconditioning). The model is applicable to similar species, such as Ae. taeniorhynchus, found in Florida’s (USA) mangroves. Ecological interactions and the Ross river virus vector, Aedes camptorhynchus (Diptera: Culicidae), in Tasmania Raylea Rowbottom1, Geoff Allen1, Scott Carver2, Leon Barmuta3, Philip Weinstein4 School of Agricultural Science/TIA, University of Tasmania Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University 3 School of Zoology, University of Tasmania 4 Dean of Graduate Research, University of South Australia 1 2 Aedes camptorhynchus (Diptera: Culicidae) is a well established mosquito in peri-urban regions of Southern Australia. This species is particularly prominent in coastal regions of Tasmania and is the main vector for Ross River virus (Togoviridae: Alphavirus) in the state. Interspecific interactions during the aquatic stages of mosquito development have presented important influences on mosquito oviposition behaviours, developmental rates, survival and vector-competence. Recent research has discovered a putative ostracod competitor in Tasmania and this has resulted in field and experimental investigations on the biological consequences of competition on Ae. camptorhynchus development and survival. These results along with investigations of environmental determinants and mosquito oviposition behaviour will be integrated to better understand vector abundance and vectorial risk of arboviral activity in the State. | 77 WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: URBAN ECOLOGY 1130–1630 The habitat of the saltwater mosquito Aedes vigilax in mangrove basin ecosystems WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: URBAN ECOLOGY 1130–1630 The effect of urbanisation on the size and condition of Nephila plumipes Lizzy C. Lowe1, Dr Shawn M. Wilder2, A/Prof. Dieter F. Hochuli3 ostgraduate student, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006 p [email protected] 2 Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006 [email protected] 3 Associate Professor, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006 [email protected] 1 Urbanisation can drastically alter ecological processes and interactions by modifying abiotic conditions, altering vegetation structure, and increasing habitat heterogeneity. These changes occur at both local habitat and landscape scales and may benefit some species while negatively affecting others. Most research on the effects of urbanisation on arthropods focus on responses of diversity, while little is known of how intraspecific variation along an urbanisation gradient may reflect the capacity of species to adapt to novel urban ecosystems. We examined the effect of urbanisation at a local and landscape scale on the body size and condition of Nephila plumipes, a common urban coloniser in the Sydney region. Landscape variables from each study site (classified as park, remnant bush land or continuous bush land) were used to create an urbanisation index. Immediate habitat characteristics and web traits were measured for each spider as well as the webs proximity to important landscape features. Body condition was quantified using a lipid analysis and the residuals from a regression of body mass on tibia length. Body condition tended to be higher in urban parks than urban bush land and was affected by larger scale landscape features more than fine scale habitat variation. Sites with a high urban index also contained larger spiders, indicating urban spiders had increased foraging success during development. The changes in spider size and condition along the urbanisation gradient are consistent with the hypothesis that N. plumipes benefits from the habitat changes associated with urbanisation. Mosquitoes in urban Australia: A tale of three cities Craig R. Williams Sansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471 Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia [email protected] Mosquitoes have a significant presence in urban environments, causing nuisance biting and transmitting viral diseases. This presence is due partly to the proximity of urban areas to natural mosquito breeding habitats, such as saline coastal marshes, which can produce prodigious amounts of mosquitoes. Urban environments also provide an abundance of both natural and man-made habitats which can be colonized by mosquitoes. The provision of drains, tanks, sumps and domestic containers can all provide larval habitats for native sylvan mosquitoes and exotic urbanised species. In this talk I will describe the ways mosquitoes cause problems in urban environments, and how urbanisation has benefitted them. Using examples of three Australian cities I will describe the differing urban mosquito ecology in each and the location-specific approaches required to manage problems they pose. The potential impact of climate change and human population growth on urban mosquito ecology will also be explored. | 78 Cameron E. Webb, Richard C. Russell Department of Medical Entomology, University of Sydney and Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW, 2145, Australia. [email protected] Mosquito-borne disease management in coastal Australia faces many challenges. Increasing urbanisation is bringing the community closer to productive mosquito habitats but environmental management of coastal wetlands is often in conflict with effective mosquito control strategies. Annually abundant pest and vector mosquito populations bring with them the risks of disease caused by Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus. Large scale wetland rehabilitation projects are increasing the availability of productive mosquito habitat while also providing refuge for known reservoir hosts (e.g. macropods, birds) of mosquito-borne viruses. Balancing the desire for environmental conservation with the need to protect the health of human communities requires integrated urban design strategies combined with targeted research. While broadscale mosquito control activities are restricted due to unresolved issues associated with potential ecological impacts, local authorities are looking to use planning instruments to minimize the impacts of local mosquitoes by requiring mosquito risk assessments to be conducted by developers, placing stringent controls on constructed water bodies and the incorporation of buffer zones between residential allotments and mosquito habitats. However, the effectiveness of these strategies is often site-specific and is determined by the local mosquito fauna. Potentially important onsite mosquito habitats are also being created through Water Sensitive Urban Design strategies intended to increase water conservation through above- and below-ground water treatment and storage. These issues will be discussed and illustrated by local case studies. Living with the tiger: The repercussions of the potential range expansion of Aedes albopictus to mainland Australia’s urban regions Nigel Beebe School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland and CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences The Asian tiger mosquito - Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus – is a highly invasive exotic mosquito, native to Southeast Asia and initially detected in New Guinea over 30 years ago. Surveys conducted in southern Papua new Guinea in 1988 and 1992 revealed that while Ae. albopictus was present in the Western Province, it appeared to be restricted to only a few the villages in the southern Fly River coastal region. By 2005, however, it was extant on Masig Island in the central Torres Straits – Ae. albopictus had arrived with attitude and today it exists as far south as Horn and Thursday Islands in the Torres Straits waging war against Queensland Health field operatives – next location Mainland Australia. This species can exist in both urban and sylvan habitat and has the potential to outcompete the dengue mosquito Aedes aegypti in certain urban landscapes. Apart from being an extreme nuisance biting species that will affect Australia’s alfresco lifestyle, it is a secondary vector of dengue and primary vector of chikungunya – a globally re-emerging arbovirus. I will present on the potential for the arrival and distribution of this mosquito to the mainland and propose the hypothetical situation of Ae. albopictus existing throughout Australia’s major urban regions. | 79 WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: URBAN ECOLOGY 1130–1630 Taking an ecological approach to wetland rehabilitation and urban development to reduce the risks of mosquito-borne disease in Australia WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: URBAN ECOLOGY 1130–1630 Virus, vector and vertebrate host interactions in the urban environment Andrew van den Hurk1, Cassie Jansen2, Scott Ritchie3 P ublic Health Virology, Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services, PO Box 594, Archerfield, QLD, 4108, [email protected] 2 CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, PO Box 2583 Brisbane, QLD, 4001, [email protected] 3 School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitative Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, 4870, [email protected] 1 Mosquito-borne arboviruses, including dengue (DENVs), yellow fever (YFV) and chikungunya (CHIKV), are transmitted between humans by Aedes aegypti. Humans are also the primary blood meal source for Ae. aegypti, and discarded containers and water storage vessels are larval habitats for these mosquitoes. Consequently, the urban environment facilitates explosive transmission of these viruses. West Nile virus (WNV), which exists in a zoonotic cycle between birds and ornithophilic mosquitoes, has emerged as a major cause of mortality in North American cities. This paper examines a selection of factors that could influence transmission of these exotic viruses in urban areas of Australia. Firstly, the 20082009 Cairns dengue epidemic resulted in over 1,000 cases. We demonstrated that the strain of DENV-3 that caused this outbreak could be transmitted by Ae. aegypti after only five days, corroborating field evidence of a shortened extrinsic incubation period of the virus. Importantly, it rendered standard mosquito control procedures ineffectual. In another study, Ae. vigilax and Ae. procax were incriminated as efficient CHIKV vectors, and Ae. notoscriptus as a YFV vector. However, these species possesses ecological traits that would impact their role in virus transmission. In relation to WNV, Culex mosquitoes, particularly Culex annulirostris and Cx. quinquefasciatus, were shown to be candidate vectors of a North American WNV strain. Australia’s receptivity to WNV is further enhanced by the limited circulation of endemic flaviviruses in major cities. Ultimately, case recognition and targeted mosquito control programmes are essential to limit the impact of exotic viruses in Australian cities. | 80 Dr Beth Mantle Natural history collections are important libraries of data for the presence and distribution of both historical and presentday flora and fauna. Of the potential three billion specimens available in collections worldwide, only a small fraction have been digitised; approximately 50 million specimen records according to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (of which Australia is a contributing member). Entomology collections are particularly challenging: insects are generally mounted on pins with very small labels attached beneath the specimen. To access the data, the specimens must be handled, the label removed from the pin and the associated data decoded and entered into a database, which places the specimen at risk of damage through handling. Furthermore, entomology collections are large and contain significantly greater numbers of individual specimens than other zoological collections, of which up to 70% may be unknown to science. This presentation will provide a brief overview of emerging technologies being used to digitise entomology collections, and provide an update of the progress of digitisation initiatives in Australian collections. BowerBird – Australia’s new Citizen Science web portal Ken Walker The recent sophistication of digital imaging, combined with the 2004 release of websites such as Flickr and Facebook has led to a surge in the number of people putting natural history images online. At first they seemed like a curiosity but with the advent of GPS and time/date stamped data being embedded on images, Darwin core data can now be extracted from these images making them valuable virtual records for the species they show. Online natural history data, within a social network, opens up new phenomena for access to natural history data: The evolution of online user access to biological data has gone from interacting with the data to having conversations about the data - a significant step. A number of overseas websites have emerged to cater for citizen science images - Project Noah, iNaturalist, iSpot etc. – but in general these websites are social networks that squeeze in a bit of science rather than as BowerBird will do which is to wrap a social layer around solid Science framework. BowerBird will be Australia’s first dedicated social science website. It has been funded by ALA (Atlas of Living Australia) and will provide the user with a personalised, shared workspace and a personalised window into Australia’s aggregated Natural History resources through the combined Herbaria and Natural Museum’s data held within the Atlas of Living Australia. | 81 WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: DIGITISATION AND BIODIVERSITY INFORMATICS INITIATIVES IN INVERTEBRATE COLLECTION 1400–1545 Digitisation of invertebrate collections: An Australian perspective WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: DIGITISATION AND BIODIVERSITY INFORMATICS INITIATIVES IN INVERTEBRATE COLLECTION 1400–1545 Pinning a story to a specimen: Digitisation is more than an audit Robert Blackburn Macleay Museum, The University of Sydney Digitisation of museum collections provides access to information for both international and local users. Two objectives behind the digitisation of collections are to increase community engagement and expand access to the greater scientific community. However, digitisation projects must use accurate data or risk being obsolete. Voucher information on historic specimens can be remarkably sparse and difficult to translate into a digital framework. An effective strategy to engage scientists and the wider community is storytelling. The tales surrounding the specimens provide a wealth of information for both specialists and the curious. This paper will finish with one such story, that of a collection of beetles labelled simply ‘Tripoli Ritchie’. Surviving British spies, aspiring Frenchmen, dedicated scientists, dozens of curators and several ocean voyages, this collection of beetles obtained in 1818 Tripoli arrived in Sydney, Australia in the celebrated cabinets of the Macleay family. SA Museum volunteer digitisation – or, how I learned to stop worrying and love the bugs! Alexis Tindall Project Manager, South Australian Museum [email protected] Photograph tiny, delicate 150 year old insect specimens? Using volunteers? Why not?! During 2011 and 2012 the South Australian Museum started using volunteers to photograph and database 8500 insect holotypes for online publication through the Atlas of Living Australia. Alexis Tindall established and oversaw this project, encountering innumerable unanticipated challenges along the way. In this presentation she’ll highlight the successes and challenges experienced through this project, demonstrating what can be achieved with a well-structured volunteer program, collaboration with other institutions, and how priorities and standards can aid digitisation in all kinds of collections – all accompanied by spectacular images from the SA Museum insect collection. | 82 Paul Flemons, Rhiannon Stephens, David Baird, Leone Prater The Australian Museum, with funding assistance provided by the Atlas of Living Australia, has developed an approach to digitising entomology collections that is cost effective, has high throughput and engages the community through in house volunteers and online crowdsourcing. Based on images of specimens and their labels, this approach enables a distributed modular workflow that is cost effective and scalable. The advent of this approach has come from the realisation that having an image of the specimen and its associated labels has strong collection data management benefits including: • A readily accessible digital voucher of specimen and labels for verifying data • A reduced need for specimen handling • A virtual specimen in the event of collection loss or damage (eg fire, flood, earthquake), or when the specimen is on loan Remote access to original label data for review by researchers Capacity for using handwriting to help identify collector in absence of collector name Some limited potential for species identification from an image Enabling the use of “non-experts” in data entry with the benefit of knowing data quality and dubious data can be checked without having to physically visit the specimen in the collection. A major problem has been that resourcing large-scale digitising is beyond the budgets of most museums. Generally, funding bodies, governments included, see digitising as a core activity and so have been unwilling to fund the staff required to make it happen at the scale that is required to have an impact on the large undigitised collections held by many museums. Compared to many countries, Australia is doing relatively well in the proportion of its collections that are digitised, yet entomology collections in Australia are largely undigitised eg Australian Museum 11.4%, Queensland Museum 9.4%, Museum Victoria 9.4%, Australian National Insect Collection 4.2% (statistics courtesy Atlas of Living Australia). By combining the use of a dedicated onsite volunteer imaging laboratory with online crowdsourcing of label transcription, the problems of resourcing has been reduced somewhat by harnessing the capacity of the volunteer community. I will discuss this approach and demonstrate the crowdsourcing label transcription site called the Biodiversity Volunteer Portal. | 83 WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2012 SYMPOSIUM: DIGITISATION AND BIODIVERSITY INFORMATICS INITIATIVES IN INVERTEBRATE COLLECTION 1400–1545 Harnessing volunteers and crowdsourcing for digitising entomology collections RAPID FIRE SESSION 1. Actin cytoskeleton and the secretory pathways in insect glands Homayoun Kheyri1, Bronwen Cribb2, David Merritt3 P hD student, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, 4072 [email protected] 2 Senior Lecturer, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, 4072 [email protected] 3 Associate Professor, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, 4072 [email protected] 1 Insect type III dermal glands are glands associated with the cuticle. They show a diverse range of structures across insects but they have some things in common. The secretory cell has an invaginated apical region covered with microvilli. Within the invagination lies a cuticular structure called an end-apparatus through which the secretion passes. Secretion is then carried through a cuticular duct secreted by a second cell, the duct cell, and released into a reservoir or onto the cuticular surface through a pore. Some glands are composed of three or more cells and others are unicellular. Here we compare the number of cells, structure of the end apparatus, the role of the actin cytoskeleton and developmental profile of a diversity of insect glands. We report on unusual structures we have found in the hypopharyngeal (royal jelly-producing) glands of honeybees, Apis mellifera, and compare them to the equivalent structures in venom glands of the bee. We also describe the metathoracic glands of pentatomid bugs that produce and store noxious secretions. Methods include light microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. 2. Augmentative biological control – is it fulfilling its potential in the Australian citrus industry? M. Begum, P. Ampt and S. Mansfield Faculty of Agriculture and Environment; The University of Sydney, NSW 2015 Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an alternative to conventional pest control that can reduce the use of pesticides, and augmentative biological control is an important component of IPM. However it is not clear how augmentative biological control is currently being used for pest management in the Australian citrus industry. Therefore a national survey of Australian citrus farmers was undertaken in 2012 to understand how they adopt biological control agents, a process which is largely influenced by farmers’ attitudes. Several factors (demographics, farm practices, social, political, economic, technological and other factors) may impact upon the decision process for adoption. It was not possible to identify the biological control users and non-users prior to conducting the survey because this information is not currently available. Therefore the questionnaire was sent to the entire national population (1867 citrus growers) through Citrus Australia Ltd in 2012. The results will illuminate the current pest management practices in the Australian citrus orchards and identify factors which help to understand the perspective of growers to the adoption of biological control agents. | 84 Marco A. Bologna1, Federica Turco2, John D. Pinto3 University “Roma Tre”, viale G. Marconi 446, 00146 Roma, Italy Queensland Museum, Biodiversity, P.O. Box 3300, South Brisbane, Qld 4101, Australia 3 Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, USA 1 2 The Meloidae are Tenebrionoidea beetles primarily occurring in temperate steppe and arid regions, but also in subtropical and tropical savannas and other open habitats where they feed on leaves and/or flowers of several plant families. They are also characterised by a vesicating substance (cantharidin), a blistering defensive chemical released through reflex bleeding, and by a hypermetamorphic larval development. Three subfamilies are currently recognised, based on morphological and molecular data: Eleticinae, Meloinae and Nemognathinae. The family is virtually cosmopolitan, absent only from New Zealand, Antarctica and most Polynesian islands. All records east and south of Weber’s Line belong to the subfamily Nemognathinae and, apart from descriptions of new species and a few partial keys to species, a comprehensive taxonomic work has never been attempted. We started working on the Australian meloids about ten years ago to address the nemognathine diversity of this area, possibly defining and describing new genera. We didn’t know we were opening a Pandora’s box. Indeed a puzzling new bauplan of male genitalia not only led to the description of two new genera (Australozonitis from New Guinea, Melanesia and Australia, and Pulchrazonitis, endemic to Australia) and of a new tribe (Palaestrini, from eastern Africa through south-east Asia to New Guinea, Australia and some Pacific archipelagos) but it is also challenging the definition of Nemognathinae itself. Further biogeographic and phylogenetic studies will help address this issue in the future, and possibly lead to an understanding of the unique evolutionary trends underpinning the radiation of this group, particularly in Australasia. 4. Bronze bug gone walkabout – update from New Zealand Stephanie Sopow1 and Helen Sharpe2 1 2 Forest Protection, Scion, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua, NZ Compliance and Response Branch, Ministry for Primary Industries, PO Box 2526, Wellington, NZ In March 2012 Thaumastocoris peregrinus was discovered in a localised area of Auckland, during routine surveillance conducted by New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries and partners. This sap feeder causes leaf discoloration, or ‘winter bronzing’, and can lead to premature leaf drop and branch death. As of June, surveys indicate that the Auckland population appears to be confined to 9 heavily infested trees within a 3.5 km radius. In recent years this Australian insect appeared in South Africa and Argentina and quickly spread to neighbouring countries. In 2011 it was also discovered in Italy. These finds occurred following an initial outbreak in the Sydney area in 2001. It is now regarded as a pest there, with some control achieved through systemic insecticide injections into stems of urban trees. Overseas it is considered a pest of both urban and forestry trees and biological control efforts are underway using the Australian egg parasitoid, Cleruchoides noackae. Potential impacts and response efforts in New Zealand will be discussed. | 85 RAPID FIRE SESSION 3. Australian Meloidae: A new bauplan of male genitalia challenges the current definition of subfamilies RAPID FIRE SESSION 5. Characterisation of microbial symbionts of two thrips species and their importance for reproduction Thi Duong Nguyen1, Robert Spooner-Hart2, Markus Riegler3 Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, 3 Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, 1 2 Microbial symbionts associated with insects can play important roles in insect biology and ecology. They can contribute to insect host nutrition, host-plant choice, defence against antagonists, transmission of pathogens, manipulation of behaviour and reproduction, population differentiation and speciation. So far, bacterial symbionts have been characterised only in a limited number of thrips species, with a particular focus on the maternally inherited, common insect endosymbiont Wolbachia (Proteobacteria), that can cause reproductive manipulation of host insects, such as thelytokous parthenogenesis. In this study, populations of two thrips species that are of economic relevance to horticulture in Australia and overseas have been analysed. Two Australian populations of the greenhouse thrips Heliothrips haemorrhoidalis (Bouché) that are known to reproduce through thelytokous parthenogenesis have been screened for Wolbachia, using different primer sets and PCR conditions. The populations were also treated with antibiotics. Negative PCR results and unchanged sex ratio after antibiotic treatments suggest that thelytokous reproduction of these two Australian populations is not mediated by Wolbachia nor any other symbiotic bacteria. However, Wolbachia has been detected in one Australian population of the Kelly’s citrus thrips Pezothrips kellyanus (Bagnall). Phylogenetic analyses have confirmed that Australian P. kellyanus harbours a novel Wolbachia strain. Interestingly, this thrips species experiences temperature dependent sex ratio changes, and Wolbachia may be associated with the sex ratio diversity of this species. 6. Evaluation of entomopathogenic nematodes against Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae) Eliza Langford, Dr Uffe Nielsen, Dr Scott Johnson, Dr Markus Riegler awkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith NSW 2751, H Australia Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt), is the most serious and economically damaging tephritid in Eastern Australia, attacking many fruit and vegetable crops. Flies lay their eggs into fruit. Larvae then feed within, causing direct fruit damage, inducing decay and premature fruit drop. In addition, fruit fly infestation limits market access because of biosecurity restrictions. Currently there are several control methods available, including insecticides, lure and kill techniques and the sterile insect technique. However, two widely used chemical insecticides for field and post-harvest applications are currently under review. Thus, the development of biological control strategies is warranted. These may include the use of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs). EPNs are widely used to control insect pests with life stages in the soil. Infective juveniles of EPNs parasitise host insects and are associated with symbiotic bacteria that kill insect hosts through toxin production in 24-48 hours. Queensland fruit fly has soil dwelling life stages making it an ideal candidate for EPN application. So far there has not been a single study identifying the susceptibility of Queensland fruit fly to EPNs, yet such information is required to evaluate the EPNs’ potential as biocontrol agent against this fruit fly. In my poster I will present data obtained from laboratory experiments with three EPN species that were applied to different stages of Queensland fruit fly at different concentrations, different substrate moisture and temperature. Susceptibility of Queensland fruit fly to EPNs is comparable with susceptibility to EPNs found in related tephritid fruit fly species elsewhere. | 86 Nigel R.Andrew1,2, Sarah J. Hill 2, Matthew Binns 1,2, Mohammad H. Bahar 1,5, Emma V. Ridley3, MyungPyo Jung 1,4, Chris Fyfe 2, Michelle Yates 1,2, and Mohammad Khusro 1 entre for Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Zoology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, C Australia 2351 2 School of Environmental and Rural Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia 3 Department of Biology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK 4 Department of Agricultural Biology, National Academy of Agricultural Science, 441-707, South Korea. 5 Saskatoon Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 0X2, Canada. 1 Understanding how researchers are tackling globally important issues, such as climate change, is crucial to identify whether current research is comprehensive enough to make substantive predictions about general responses to climate change. We assessed the type of studies being conducted by researchers to understand the impacts of climate change on insects, published. Most published research is generated from Europe and North America and being dedicated to core data analysis, with reviews being highly produced. Temperature – only is the main climate change factor being analysed, with most researchers are assessing changes in abundance or distribution/range shifts. Of most concern is the number of studies which do not specifically identify a climate change factor (ie just arm wave), the lack of studies on Hemimetabolous insects and the need for more studies to assess specific mechanistic responses to climate change. 8. Monitoring for incursions of the tomato potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli) in Australian potato fields Paul Walker1, Leonie White1, Robert Tegg1, Geoff Allen1,2 and Calum Wilson1 1 2 Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 98, Hobart, Tasmania School of Agricultural Science University of Tasmania, Private Bag 54, Hobart, Tasmania Bactericera cockerelli (Sulc) is a major biosecurity threat to the Australian potato and tomato industries. Originating from North and Central America, B. cockerelli was discovered infesting glasshouse tomatoes near Auckland, New Zealand, in 2006. Since then it has spread throughout the North and South Islands where it has had a devastating effect on the potato, tomato, capsicum and tamarillo industries. The psyllid not only directly affects crop yield and quality through feeding on phloem but more importantly it is a vector of the bacterium, ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’, which causes diseases such as psyllid yellows and Zebra Chip. In North America, B. cockerelli is highly migratory and it is feared that it may enter Australia by being carried on strong easterly winds from New Zealand, in the same way the currant-lettuce aphid (Nasonovia ribis-nigri) is thought to have entered Tasmania in 2004. Accordingly, in 2011 we initiated a trapping programme in major potato growing areas of eastern Australia to monitor for incursions of B. cockerelli using yellow sticky traps. This poster presents the results from the first two trapping seasons. To date, over 800 traps have been placed in the field and no B. cockerelli have been detected. However, over 2,500 native species of psyllids, including low numbers of Triozidae, have been caught. | 87 RAPID FIRE SESSION 7. Insect responses to climate change: What are we testing for? RAPID FIRE SESSION 9. New insights into the biology of citrus gall wasp Jianhua Mo1, Andrew Creek 2, Mark Stevens1, and Scott Munro1 1 2 Yanco Agricultural Institute Griffith Centre for Irrigated Agriculture, NSW Department of Primary Industries Citrus gall wasp (CGW), Bruchophagus fellis, is a native gall-forming wasp of citrus in Australia. Heavily infested trees are covered with galls, some over 30-cm long, resulting in little fruit production and dieback of trees in severe cases. Until recently CGW was confined to Queensland and northern NSW. In the early 2000s, significant CGW infestations appeared in the southern citrus growing region of Sunraysia. The infestation area has since increased to over 100 ha. To provide necessary information for the development of management strategies against CGW, we studied its development and phenology in citrus farms near Dareton, NSW, during 2010-2011. Adult wasps emerged from late October to late December in 2010 and from mid October to late November in 2011, with a median emergence date of 19th November and 31st October respectively. The median emergence dates corresponded to 566-675 degree-days (DD) since 1st July of the same year or 2433-2893 DD since 1st December of the previous year, assuming a lower development threshold temperature of 10°C and an upper development threshold temperature of 40°C. Median lifespan of the adult wasps ranged from 3 d at 29.0°C to 15 d at 13.3°C. Female wasps started laying eggs immediately after emergence, with peak egg production occurring in 1-3 day-old females. Median egg development period ranged from 11 d at 29.0°C to 25 d at 13.3°C. Dissection of citrus shoots collected from the field showed a median hatching date of 12th December in 2010 and 4th December in 2011, or 23 and 34 days after the respective adult emergence dates in the two years. This study represents the first attempt to quantify important developmental parameters of CGW that are needed to forecast the timings of adult wasp emergence and egg hatching, and ultimately the timing of chemical control. 10. Nutrient regulation in the web building spider, Argiope keyserlingi Jesse R.F. Hawley, Stephen J. Simpson, Shawn M. Wilder The University of Sydney, A08 – Heydon-Laurence Building, NSW 2006 Australia Predators have traditionally been considered to regulate their diet based only on energy intake rather than specific nutrients. However, prey items may differ in nutrient composition both inter- and intraspecifically and the nutrient composition of prey can affect predator growth and other measures of fitness. We used the web-building spider, Argiope keyserlingi to test whether a stationary predator regulated the intake of nutrients. Thirty-three A. keyserlingi were fed locusts (Chortoicetes terminifera) that were injected with either a lipid-rich or protein-rich solution for two initial feedings. We then fed all A. keyserlingi with unmanipulated locusts for three consecutive feedings. After the initial two feedings, spiders fed on the lipid-rich treatments had consumed significantly more lipid than those fed protein-rich locusts. However, after a single feeding on unmanipulated locusts, both treatments were similar in their cumulative lipid intake. Spiders on the high-protein diet appeared to selectively extract lipid from their first unmanipulated locust to match the lipid intake of the spiders on the high-lipid treatment. Although stationary predators have little choice in the nutrient composition of encountered food items, our data show that they regulate their nutrient intake using selective nutrient extraction. Our results challenge the long-held hypothesis that predators only regulate energy intake by demonstrating that specific prey nutrients can also influence dietary regulation in predators. | 88 Vivian Mendez, Rowan McGinley, Phillip Taylor Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW, 2109. The natural history and phenology of a jumping spider, Servaea vestita, was studied from December 2010 until December 2011. Once each month we assessed abundance of males, females and juveniles in a population in Bankstown, NSW. We also recorded cohabitation of adult males with sub-adult females, a mating tactic whereby the male defends the female at her nest and then copulates as soon as she matures. Servaea vestita are most often found under the bark of eucalypt trees, where they build their retreats. Adults were most abundant during February, March, April and May, whereas juveniles were most abundant in January and February. Cohabitation was never common but was evident through the year. Servaea vestita were found to feed on ants, numerous other small insects and conspecifics, and were found to be preyed on by huntsman spiders (Sparassidae) and other jumping spiders. We also maintained some spiders in the laboratory to obtain more detailed information. Females typically produced an egg sac within a month after copulating. A second eggsac was often produced a month later, and some females even produced a third eggsac. Females commonly live for more than a year in the laboratory whereas males had shorter adult lives. Development from spiderling to adult takes approximately 3 months for both sexes. 12. Population genetic structure of Malaysian Culex quinquefasciatus Say (Diptera: Culicidae) using mitochondrial COI gene Low, V.L.1, Lim, P.E.1,2, Chen, C.D.1, Lim, Y.A.L.3, Lee, H.L.4, Tan, T.K.3, Sofian-Azirun, M.1 Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 3 Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 4 Medical Entomology Unit, Institute for Medical Research, Jalan Pahang, 50588 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1 2 The present study aims to explore the population genetic structure of Culex quinquefasciatus collected from 14 selected residential areas across all states in Malaysia. Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequences were used to determine the phylogenetic relationship. A statistical parsimony network of 70 taxa aligned as 624 characters of the COI gene revealed three haplotypes (A1-A3). COI inferred that haplotype A1 is the common ancestor and the most widespread haplotype due to its prevalence in all study sites. For comparison purposes, the COI sequences of Cx. quinquefasciatus from other countries were obtained from GenBank. Four haplotypes (AA1-AA4) were revealed when COI sequences of Cx. quinquefasciatus from Uganda, India, Iran and Thailand were compared. This study documented the intraspecific genetic diversity, dispersal patterns and evolutionary relationship of Cx. quinquefasciatus in Malaysia. | 89 RAPID FIRE SESSION 11. Phenology and life history of a jumping spider, Servaea vestita (Araneae: Salticidae) RAPID FIRE SESSION 13. Rapid measures of ecological integrity in urban remnants Dieter Hochuli1, Robert Blackburn2 1 2 School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney Macleay Museum, The University of Sydney Strong links between biodiversity and ecosystem function offer insights into the quality of remnant vegetation in urban landscapes, novel ecosystems that often support depauperate invertebrate assemblages dominated by disturbance specialists. There is an increasing need to engage local communities in ecological restoration and fortify such projects with scientific evidence of improvements. We sought to develop simple, rapid surveys of ecological integrity to allow citizen scientists to evaluate the state of remnant vegetation.Using a combination of pitfall traps, protein and carbohydrate baited traps and seed removal depots along an urban-rural gradient; we showed how simple field surveys of ants reflect shifts in urbanization. Although baited traps only surveyed a fraction of the ant community presented by the pitfall traps, both techniques demonstrated shifts associated with the degree of urbanization. Estimates of seed removal were consistently high independently of where on the gradient they were surveyed, reflecting the resilience of this interaction and the potential of many species of ant to provide this service for myrmecochorous plants in our system. Ideally, rapid ecological surveys would couple seed removal surveys with baited ant traps to offer insights on the state of remnant vegetation.These results offer significant opportunities for community engagement through citizen scientists applying our techniques to enhance their understanding of these ecosystems. 14. Response of white-fringed weevil (Naupactus leucoloma) larvae to host plant roots and tubers Paul Walker1 and Geoff Allen1,2 1 2 Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 98, Hobart, Tasmania School of Agricultural Science, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 54, Hobart, Tasmania White-fringed weevils (WFW) are a major pest of several crops in Australia. Larvae cause severe damage to the roots of pasture and forage plants, particularly lucerne, sometimes reducing the life of crops to only a few years. In several States, particularly Tasmania, they have become a primary pest of potatoes. Recent research has shown that many soil dwelling organisms (insects, nematodes and earthworms) do not find their hosts in the soil through random searching. Rather, they detect and orient towards specific compounds released by their hosts. This poster presents the preliminary results from ongoing bioassays to establish the mechanisms used by WFW larvae to find host plant roots or tubers (potatoes, carrots and lucerne). Two types of 2-choice bioassay chambers were used to test the response of larvae to roots and tubers. To date, no significant orientation by 1st instar larvae (non-feeding stage) to host plants has been detected but further bioassays using older, feeding instars are in progress. | 90 Christina Peckmezian, Phillip Taylor Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Selection pressures underlying invertebrate cognition are poorly understood, with existing research focusing heavily on vertebrates. Jumping spiders possess many characteristics that make them well suited as invertebrate models for comparative cognition, and recent studies have demonstrated their ample capacity for flexible behaviour, route planning, representation and selective attention. My research adapts methodologies conventionally used in vertebrates to explore cognition in the jumping spider Servaea incana. Using a fully automated shuttle-box, adult female spiders were tested for their ability to learn an association between various conditioning stimuli and an unconditioned stimulus, electric shock. In the first experiment, a moving-dot was displayed on a video screen as the single conditioning stimulus, and spiders were scored for both ‘escape’ and ‘avoidance’ responses. To look at whether individuals were using a timing mechanism to assist in predicting when the shock would occur, the interval between trials was held constant for one group and varied randomly for the other. Spiders were tested after a delay of 1, 15 or 60min in order to test memory. A second experiment was conducted in order to examine whether simultaneous exposure to stimuli in other modalities would heighten attention and subsequently performance. Spiders were divided into dragline present/absent groups as well as seismic-stimulus present/ absent groups, and were tested for escape and avoidance learning in the shuttle-box, as described above. 16. Sulfoxaflor: A new broad-spectrum insecticide for control of sap-feeding insects in horticulture and broad-acre crops in Australia Robert Annetts1, Paul Downard2 1 2 Senior Research Scientist, Dow AgroSciences, Toowoomba, QLD [email protected] Dow AgroSciences, Sydney, NSW Sulfoxaflor is a new broad-spectrum insecticide with very good activity on most sap-feeding insects including: aphids (Hemiptera: Aphidoidea), plant bugs (Hemiptera: Miridae), soft and hard scales (Hemiptera: Coccoidea), mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) and whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) and some activity on thrips (Thysanoptera). Sulfoxaflor is the first insecticide to be developed from the sulfoximines, a new class of chemistry discovered by Dow AgroSciences scientists. Sulfoxaflor has a unique interaction with the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAchR); extensive testing has demonstrated no cross-resistance between sulfoxaflor and any other insecticide classes making it a critical tool for insect resistance management. Sulfoxaflor has a favourable beneficial insect profile at proposed field use rates. Data on key economically important sap-feeding insect pests are presented in this paper. Sulfoxaflor has an excellent fit in IPM programs because of its spectrum of activity and low impact on many key beneficial insects. It has low mammalian toxicity, and has minimal effect on non-target organisms such as fish, birds, and aquatic invertebrates. Sulfoxaflor is currently not registered in Australia and is not available for commercial use. Sulfoxaflor will be registered as Transform™ Insecticide and will have a comprehensive label for use in broadacre and horticultural crops. When registered, Transform with its novel mode of action will be a valuable rotational partner with existing insecticides for robust control of sap-feeding pests. | 91 RAPID FIRE SESSION 15. Associative learning and memory in the jumping spider Servaea incana RAPID FIRE SESSION 17. Understanding the biology and ecology of an exotic mosquito to assess public health risks in urban areas of Australia Nur Faeza A. Kassim, Cameron E Webb, Richard C Russell Department of Medical Entomology, University of Sydney and Westmead Hospital, Westmead NSW 2145 Australia. Email: [email protected] The mosquito Culex molestus is thought to have been introduced into Australia in the 1940s. Molecular analysis suggests the mosquito was introduced from Asia, possibly via US military movement through the South Pacific, but there may also have been multiple introductions over the past 70 years. It is now found in most urban areas of the country with the exception of Queensland and Northern Territory. Laboratory studies have shown that the species is uniquely adapted to subterranean habitats and the current trend towards increased water storage in urban areas has raised concerns of increased nuisance-biting and public health risks in the future. Concern has been raised as to the potential role this species may play in the transmission of exotic arboviruses such as West Nile virus and locally important arboviruses such as Murray Valley encephalitis virus. However, notwithstanding the vectorial capacity of this species, there may be ecological barriers that diminish the public health risks associated this species. The mosquito is active throughout the year but, as it delays taking its first blood meal until after it lays its first autogenous egg batch, it may be less likely to play an important role in the transmission of urban mosquito-borne pathogens. This paper will present the findings of biological, ecological and molecular studies of Culex molestus with implications for the assessment of mosquito-borne disease risk. 18. Influence of habitat management on spider population in Spanish olive groves Daniel Paredes1, Luis Cayuela2, Geoff Gurr3, Mercedes Campos1 Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). Profesor Albareda 1, Granada, 18008, Spain, 2 Biodiversity and Conservation, Rey Juan Carlos I University, Tulipán s/n, 28933, Móstoles, Spain, 3 School of Agricultural & Wine Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Leeds Paredes, Orange NSW 2800, Australia, 1 The loss of natural vegetation is one of the main environmental problems in olive groves, and has a direct negative effect on the abundance of natural enemies of insect pests. In this study we used maximum likelihood methods to analyse the synergistic effects of ground cover and different types of natural vegetation (herbaceous and woody) on the abundance of the spiders in olive groves. Spiders showed a strong preference for herbaceous habitats. When such habitats are found within the crop (i.e. ground cover), spiders can use trees –due to their proximity- as alternative resources to find food and shelter, particularly after senescence of the herbaceous vegetation in summer, thus displaying an increase in the tree canopy in ground cover plots. Patches of herbaceous vegetation around the crop will be likewise attractive for spiders, but will have the opposite effect for spiders found in the tree canopy, promoting migration outside the grove, and ultimately acting as sinks for spider populations at the landscape scale. In the absence of herbaceous habitats (both ground cover and natural vegetation), large woody vegetation can turn out more suitable for spiders than olive trees, probably due to the higher humidity found in the ravines, thus decreasing their abundance within the crop. We encourage land managers to use ground cover surrounding by woody vegetation since the interaction between these two structures produce a total effect on the abundance that is greater than the sum of the individual effects. | 92 Nikolai J. Tatarnic Macquarie University, Sydney Australia Heterospecific mating can carry significant risks. When conflated with indiscriminate mating and harmful genitalia – characteristic of some mating systems – risks may be intensified, including physical damage and even death. Here I report the discovery of two sister species of the traumatically inseminating plant bug Coridromius living sympatrically on the same host plants in Tahiti. Both sexes of one mimic the males of the other, while the females of each are inseminated through different parts of the body. These are interpreted as adaptive responses to reproductive interference. 20. Explaining phenotypic and behavioural variability in ochrogaster lunifer (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae) from an evolutionary ecology perspective Martin J. Steinbauer1, Andrew Mitchell2 1 2 Insect-Plant Interactions Lab, Department of Zoology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Vic. 3086, Australian Museum, 6 College St, Sydney, N.S.W. 2010 The Processionary caterpillar or Bag-shelter moth, Ochrogaster lunifer Herrich-Schäffer, of Australia is presently recognised as a single species but is probably a species complex. Wing pattern polyphenism and differences in larval nest-types have been taken as evidence for the existence of at least two species but their differentiation using morphological characters has not be possible to-date. The forewings of male moths exhibit either a single pale macula just below the areole (same phenotype as females) or more elaborate maculation. Males of ground-nesting populations exhibit a single pale macula while those of canopy-nesting populations exhibit what we have termed “numerous streaks” maculation. The incidence and extent of maculation varied with latitude and nest type. Numerous streaks males are typically lighter and live longer than males with single pale macula. Females from both ground-nesting and canopy-nesting populations are of comparable weight but females from ground-nesting populations lay significantly greater numbers of eggs. Canopy-nesting behaviour replaced ground-nesting behaviour north of the Murray River. Interestingly, temperatures inside groups of ground-nesting caterpillars were generally above ambient while those inside canopy-nesting groups were close to ambient (sometimes slightly below). DNA barcoding provides support for the existence of at least two species, roughly matching nesting behaviour – possibly three. Barcoding and genitalia studies are ongoing to resolve inconsistencies in a preliminary tree derived using COI data. | 93 RAPID FIRE SESSION 19. Sexual mimicry and paragenital divergence between sympatric species of traumatically inseminating plant bug RAPID FIRE SESSION 21. Psyllids see red: First evidence for colour vision in hemiptera Kevin R. Farnier1, Adrian G. Dyer2, Eric J. Warrant3, Martin J. Steinbauer1 Insect-Plant Interactions Lab, Department of Zoology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Vic. 3084, AUSTRALIA, School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Melbourne, 3001, AUSTRALIA 3 Lund Vision Group, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35, S-22362 Lund, SWEDEN 1 2 Host selection by herbivorous insects is achieved via perception and assessment of olfactory/gustatory, visual and tactile plant stimuli. The different Orders of insect taxa rely on these cues to differing degrees with their relative importance changing during the various stages of the behavioural cascade preceding oviposition. During host searching, Hemiptera (as exemplified by aphids), have been found to be receptive to visual and olfactory stimuli in particular. The influence of visual cues on this process is manifest by the common observation that aphids are readily attracted to yellow targets. Hemiptera are known to possess photoreceptors sensitive to UV, blue and green wavelengths but not red receptors. We present the findings of behavioural bioassays for adults of three genera of eucalypt-feeding psyllid in which their colour preferences were quantified. Unsurprisingly, two Ctenarytaina species were strongly attracted to green and yellow. In contrast, however, Glycaspis brimblecombei and a new Anoeconeossa species preferred red over green and yellow. Electroretinogram (ERG) studies using G. brimblecombei provided evidence for at least three classes of photoreceptor: UV (peak around 370 nm), blue-violet (peak around 450 nm) and green (peak around 530 nm). Spectral sensitivity fell to zero around 620 nm which is within the range for sensitivity to red but no red peak was obvious. Since ERG data represent the massed response from the whole retina it is possible that this psyllid has red receptors but that they are few in number (which is often the case in insects that possess them). 22. Thrips species composition and abundance in French bean, lettuce, tomato and zucchini crops M.A. Healey1,2, J.D. Duff1, L.J. Senior1 P. H. Brown2 1 2 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Gatton Research Station, Queensland, 4343, Central Queensland University, Centre for Plant and Water Science, Bundaberg, 4770, There is an increasing interest in studying thrips population dynamics in agricultural production systems, to better predict pest incursion and prevent outbreaks. In vegetable production the variety of crops grown in open fields means that the thrips species will vary dependant on crop and season. To understand the dynamics of insect populations it is fundamental to monitor the periodic seasonal change in species composition and abundance. A field survey was undertaken in the vegetable production area of the Lockyer Valley, South East Queensland, to determine if a host use pattern for establishment and abundance exists between thrips and four vegetable crops – French beans, lettuce, tomatoes and zucchinis. Replicate plantings were staggered at six week intervals. Flower, leaf tissue and destructive samples were collected on a weekly basis from one week post planting for the duration of the trial. The most abundant species included Frankliniella occidentalis, F. schultzei, Pseudanaphothrips achaetus and Desmothrips tenuicornis, with F. occidentalis dominant from the first sample across all crops. P. achaetus replaced F. occidentalis five weeks after planting in French beans and F. schultzei numbers dominated in the tomato plantings. At planting, predatory thrips D. tenuicornis were as abundant as F. occidentalis in lettuce plots. Numbers of both species diminished as the season progressed potentially as a result of predation by D. tenuicornis on F. occidentalis and the subsequent decrease in a food source. This interaction will be explored further in the laboratory. This field survey will be repeated in the growing season of 2012/2013. | 94 Stephen Quarrell1 NoelDavies2, Paul Walker1, Geoff Allen1 niversity of Tasmania, School of Agricultural Science/Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, Private Bag 54, Hobart, U 7001 2 University of Tasmania, Central Science Laboratories, Hobart, 7001 1 The European earwig (Forficula auricularia) is regarded as a pest in many urban and agricultural environments but a beneficial predator in pome fruit crops. Several laboratory studies have demonstrated that earwigs utilise an aggregation pheromone to mediate interactions within the population. However, verification of the active components of the pheromone is yet to be achieved. Field studies have also shown that F. auricularia populations diminish from mid-summer presumably due to density-dependent factors including food and mate competition. The aims of this study were monitor the field population in an organic apple orchard in Tasmania’s Huon Valley during the 2011/12 field season, to sequentially sample the cuticular hydrocarbons from this field based earwig population over this same time period and to assess the behavioural response of F. auricularia to several synthetic hydrocarbons previously identified from both adult sexes and all life stages of F. auricularia. We provide first evidence that cuticular hydrocarbons may mediate F. auricularia aggregations and that these same compounds are down regulated during the same period as population dispersal occurs. 24. Cryptotermes brevis (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae) – dealings with an illegal immigrant in New Zealand Diane C. Jones1, Shaun Bennett2, Travis Ashcroft2 and Bruce Phillip3 Investigation and Diagnostic Centre and Response, Ministry for Primary Industries, PO Box 14018, Christchurch 8544. 2 Investigation and Diagnostic Centre and Response, Ministry for Primary Industries, PO Box 2095, Auckland 1140 3 Ministry for Primary Industries, PO Box 2526, Wellington 6140 1 Cryptotermes brevis, the West Indian Drywood Termite, was detected in New Zealand at a residential property in 2011. A native of South America it now occurs throughout the world and is considered one of the world’s most destructive drywood termites. The detection of this species resulted in MPI NZ undertaking response actions to eradicate C. brevis from New Zealand. The potential impact of C. brevis establishing in New Zealand, response actions taken and the challenges faced by MPI NZ in dealing with this incursion are discussed. | 95 RAPID FIRE SESSION 23. Do temporal fluctuations in the cuticular hydrocarbons profiles of Forficula auricularia mediate interactions between conspecifics? STATIC POSTERS 25. Changes in the synthetic insecticide resistance status of Australian Helicoverpa species Lisa Bird NSW Dept. Primary Industries, Australian Cotton Research Institute Narrabri The insecticide resistance monitoring program for Helicoverpa spp. is based at the Australian Cotton Research Institute, Narrabri. The aim of the program is to measure resistance frequencies in field populations of Helicoverpa armigera (the cotton bollworm, corn earworm) and Helicoverpa punctigera (the cotton budworm) to key insecticidal chemistries used within the cotton farming system. Sampling of Helicoverpa eggs is conducted each season from September to March. The area of sampling extends from central Queensland to southern New South Wales with collection teams based at Narrabri, Emerald, Darling Downs, St. George, Goondiwindi, Mungindi, Narromine and Hillston. Eggs are collected from all available hosts including cotton, sorghum, maize, sunflower, chickpea and other pulse crops, as well as known weed hosts. Eggs are transported to Narrabri where they are reared to larvae and tested with discriminating doses of insecticides. The range of insecticides tested incorporates key insecticidal groups, with data used to determine regional resistance status and identify any changes in resistance frequencies. In the event of increasing resistance frequencies industry is engaged to develop management strategies to mitigate widespread field failures of insecticides. The program has recently shown that in H. armigera resistance frequencies to the three IPM -compatible insecticides available for use (indoxacarb, emamectin benzoate and rynaxypyr) remain at very low levels, and indicate that these products will continue to be effective methods of control. Organophosphate resistance is also very low. Carbamate resistance is widespread and remains at moderate but stable levels, indicating that field performance may be highly variable. Pyrethroid resistance has increased significantly for the first time in many seasons. The overall frequency of bifenthrin resistance is 40%, up from 8% in 2010-11. These levels indicate that the use of bifenthrin may give unsatisfactory results against H. armigera. Nevertheless, H. punctigera remains fully susceptible to pyrethroid insecticides and can be readily controlled with these compounds. | 96 Jessica Marsh1, Assoc. Prof. Duncan Mackay1, Dr. Molly Whalen1, Dr Richard Glatz2 1 2 School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University of South Australia South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), Waite Research Precinct Eastern Kangaroo Island is characterised by predominantly cleared agricultural land, with small, fragmented pockets of native vegetation. Approximately a quarter of these remnant patches are made up of Eucalyptus cneorifolia (Kangaroo Island narrow-leaf mallee) vegetation communities. E. cneorifolia is endemic to South Australia and is restricted in its distribution, being mainly found on eastern KI. As a result of landscape fragmentation, disturbance events such as grazing, and a reduction in the frequency of burning many of the patches are showing signs of senescence and reduced floristic diversity. An experimental burning programme, run by the SA Department for the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), is underway that aims to investigate the use of prescribed burning as a tool to restore threatened E. cneorifolia plant communities. The aim of this study is to utilize the DENR burn programme to investigate how restoration burning of small isolated patches of native vegetation affects arachnid communities, both from a conservation perspective to directly assess any impacts of restoration burning on arachnid diversity, and also from an ecosystem perspective to greater understand post-burn changes in arachnid functional diversity. The study involves pre-burn and successive post-burn surveys, using an array of invertebrate survey techniques and sampling a range of microhabitats and spider functional guilds. It has a high level of replication, with 13 replicated burn sites, and an unburnt control area in each. Preliminary data analyses are revealing interesting correlations, including significant effects of burning, and pre-burn vegetation treatment, on post-burn spider community diversity and composition. I will present the latest findings from this project and discuss areas for future research. 27. Ecology of lycosid and mygalomorph spiders in Burra, South Australia, and the implications for the conservation of pygmy bluetongue lizards (Tiliqua adelaidensis) Jessica Clayton, Michael Bull Flinders University, School of Biological Sciences, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia, 5001 The pygmy bluetongue lizard is an endangered species restricted to isolated fragments of native grassland habitat in South Australia. It uses empty spider burrows, constructed by mygalomorph (trapdoor) and lycosid (wolf) spiders as refuges, basking sites and ambush points. Research conducted to date has established the importance of these spiders to pygmy bluetongue lizards, in terms of burrow construction and maintenance between occupants. In order to maintain longterm conservation of pygmy bluetongue lizards, spider populations must also be maintained. This PhD project aims to provide information on the population dynamics of spiders associated with pygmy bluetongue lizard populations. It will identify patterns in the distribution of spiders and lizards on both spatial and temporal scales; the hole digging behaviour of spider species, and inter/intra species interactions spider species’ and lizards. This will be achieved through field studies (observations of spatial and temporal distribution in natural habitat) and laboratory studies (observations of hole digging behaviour and intra-/inter-species interactions). Twelve plots have been set up at the study site to identify the spatial and temporal distribution of spider species; changes in burrow use over time; and the impact of different sheep grazing regimes. Individual spiders captured from the site will also be monitored under controlled conditions. These spiders will be monitored to observe their hole digging behaviour and what environmental conditions are suitable for this. This research will provide valuable information on the role that these spiders play in the conservation of the pygmy bluetongue lizard, which to date is poorly understood. | 97 STATIC POSTERS 26. Does restoration burning of fragmented plant communities lead to restoration of arachnid communities? STATIC POSTERS 28. Evaluation of chitin synthesis inhibitors against field collected Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) and Aedes albopictus Skuse from Malaysia C.D. Chen1, K.W. Lau1, H.L. Lee2, M. Sofian-Azirun1 1 Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603 Malaysia. 2 Medical Entomology Unit, Institute for Medical Research, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur, 50588 Diflubenzuron, cyromazine and novaluron are insect growth regulators (IGRs) classified as chitin synthesis inhibitors (CSIs). Insect growth regulators are potent insecticides that possess growth retarding properties on insects such as mosquito larvae. The activity of diflubenzuron, cyromazine and novaluron were evaluated against Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus larvae obtained from 12 states in Malaysia. Larval bioassay was performed according to the protocol of WHO. The larvae were exposed to a series of concentration to obtain 50% and 90% emergence inhibition (EI) and resistance ratio (RR). Field populations of Ae. albopictus exhibited low resistance toward diflubenzuron (RR=2.08), but susceptible to cyromazine and novaluron (RR<1). All field populations of Ae. aegypti were susceptible to all IGRs tested (RR < 1). Significant correlation within the CSI group (diflubenzuron and novaluron, r = 0.829, P = 0.000; novaluron and cyromazine, r = 0.854, P = 0.000; cyromazine and diflubenzuron, r = 0.748, P = 0.000) was detected, indicating cross-resistance within the CSI group of insecticide may present. However, cyromazine and novaluron can be considered as alternative control agents when larvae develop resistance to conventional insecticides. Integrated Vector Management (IVM) approach such as source reduction and rotation usage of other group of chemicals should be implemented in order to prevent resistance development against the insecticide . 29. Importing dead invertebrate specimens for research or collections Jacqui Otley DAFF Biosecurity, 9 Fricker Road Perth International Airport, Western Australia, 6105, DAFF Biosecurity has been working closely with industry to refine processes for importing dead invertebrate specimens for research purposes and collections. The import conditions imposed on collectors and researchers by DAFF Biosecurity have been put in place to manage Biosecurity risks and control the movement of CITES listed invertebrates into Australia. DAFF Biosecurity has made the process more transparent and it will streamline the process of importing curated invertebrate specimens into Australia. By defining and outlining import conditions specific to the method of preservation and invertebrate classification, importers who comply can expect limited intervention at the border. The importation of dead invertebrate specimens (excluding Bees in the genus Apis) is permitted without an Import Permit or Quarantine Entry provided the specimens are wet preserved/fixed (in solution), or dry. The requirements are specific to the method of preparation of the dead invertebrates. For example, the Import Conditions outline acceptable forms of preservation liquid that comply with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), packing requirements and the requirement for the importer to provide a signed supplier/packers declaration stating what the specimen(s) is and how it was killed, prepared and preserved/fixed. Issues of viability are of concern if the invertebrates are imported in a dry state, and extra conditions relating to this method of import require the supplier/packers to state that the specimen is not knowingly infected, and free of other Biosecurity risk material such as bark, soil, faeces, seeds or plant material is present. | 98 Ben Boyd DAFF Biosecurity, Australian National Insect Collection, Clunies Ross Street, Black Mountain, Acton, ACT, 2601 Many longicorn beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) are significant invasive pests in various countries and some exotic species are of concern for Australia becausethey damage timber in service (e.g. structural timber in houses), urban amenity and plantation trees and are sometimes responsible for the transmission of exotic pest organisms themselves (e.g. the pine wilt nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus). Many longicorn beetles have the potential to become significant pests, including burnt pine longicorn (Arhopalus ferus), Asian longhorn beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis), European house borer (Hylotrupes bajulus)* and Japanese pine sawyer (Monochamus alternatus). Longicorn beetles are regularly intercepted by DAFF Biosecurity (formerly AQIS) from imported timber and timber articles, including furniture, pallets, and other wooden dunnage. Approximately 55 genera comprising 65 species of Cerambycidae were intercepted between January 2006 and May 2012 and in total 620 cerambycid interceptions were recorded. *Note: European House Borer (Hylotrupes bajulus) is present and restricted to Western Australia. 31. Megaloastia mainae, a most extraordinary jumping spider Samuel R Collins, Phillip W. Taylor, Rowan McGinley Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Megaloastia mainae breaks the basic conventions of jumping spider ‘design’. Conventional jumping spiders of comparable body length (9-11 cm) have legs just 8-12 mm in length in contrast Megaloastia has extraordinarily long and ungainly legs that are as much as 45 mm long in males and 30 mm long in females. Megaloastia is so unlike other jumping spiders that an entire new genus was established to accommodate this one grossly aberrant Australian species. Megaloastia is also described as living in large sheet webs unlike more typical jumping spiders that build small retreats. To date all else that is known of Megaloastia came from collection notes of staff at the Western Australian Museum. Since the first collection of this then undescribed species in 1988 a number of specimens have been collected from widely separated locations in the remote Kimberley region, however little to nothing was noted about their natural history or behaviour as specimens have been immediately preserved for taxonomic collections. Do they utilize their unique sheet webs in prey capture? And how does having such long ungainly legs impact their locomotory and jumping ability? Here we carry out the first detailed investigations of the natural history and behaviour of Megaloastia. Incorporating both field and laboratory observations detailing web structure and use, hunting behaviour, locomotory abilities, and conspecific interactions. | 99 STATIC POSTERS 30. Longicorn beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) intercepted by DAFF biosecurity between 2006 and 2012 STATIC POSTERS 32. Molecular characterisation and detection of Rickettsia (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) endobacteria in stored grain pest beetles Cryptolestes spp. (Coleoptera: Laemophloeidae) Dr Wee Tek Tay 33. Molecular phylogenetics of chelonine wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae): Parasitoids of lepidopteran larvae Rebecca Kittel, John T. Jennings, Andrew D. Austin Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity; School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia The Cheloninae are a diverse subfamily of braconid wasps which have a global distribution. There are about 1,300 described species in 15 genera. Chelonines are egg/larval parasitoids of Lepidoptera and they can be easily distinguished from most other braconids by the presence of a metasomal carapace. Although easy to recognise chelonines suffer from several unresolved taxonomic issues, with several genera not clearly delimited. For example, Microchelonus was described as a separate genus from Chelonus based on the presence of a large pit on the posterior metasoma. However, it is considered by some workers to be a separate genus and by others as a subgenus of Chelonus. Also the status of Leptodrepana has been variably treated as either a separate genus or as a synonym of Ascogaster. Recently Zettel erected six new genera (Wushenia, Phanerotomoides, Leptochelonus, Huseyinia (Fischeriella), Dentigaster, and Pseudophanerotoma), of which four are monotypic. It is likely that at least some of these genera are aberrant members of Phanerotoma, and like the case above, render it paraphyletic. To examine chelonine relationships and resolve some of these outstanding problems, we undertook a phylogenetic analysis using sequence data from 1600 bp from three genes (CO1, 28S and ef1α). Our results show that the large well-known chelonine genera (viz. Chelonus, Ascogaster and Phanerotoma) are monophyletic except for Microchelonus which falls inside Chelonus. Further, genera belonging to the tribes Pseudophanerotomini and Phanerotomini, in which all species have sutures on the carapace, form a natural group but neither of the tribes themselves is monophyletic. α | 100 Simon Grove, Catherine Byrne Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery, 5 Winkleigh Place, Rosny, TAS 7018. We carried out an analysis of the electronic records of identification-type enquiries sent in by the Tasmanian public to the invertebrate zoologists at the Tasmanian Museum over the past seven years. The analysis offers some revealing insights into people’s varying levels of interest in, and fascination for, the various invertebrates that they encounter. The ‘big three’ taxa are the insects, spiders and molluscs, accounting for over four-fifths of all identification requests. Within each of these taxa, certain species feature far more regularly than would be expected from their overall frequency in the environment. Beauty, size, cohabitation with humans and the ‘yuk’ factor are all clear drivers. This poster presents some of our findings and discusses the significance of this taxonomic favouritism for the public understanding of biodiversity and the work of Museum practitioners. 35. Temporal change in the distribution and resistance of Anopheles sinensis Wiedemann obtained from Selangor, Malaysia C.S. Leong1, C.D. Chen1, H.L. Lee2, H.M. Karen-Chian1, A.A. Izzul1, T.G. Goh1, M. Sofian-Azirun1 1 2 Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Malaysia. Medical Entomology Unit, Institute for Medical Research, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur, 50588, Malaysia. An entomological survey was conducted to determine the monthly distribution of Anopheles sinensis and meteorological factors that affected their occurrence in paddy field located at Sekinchan, Selangor, Malaysia (3°31’23.70”N, 101° 8’31.29”E). Adult mosquitoes were sampled by using human landing catch on 4 different nights from January to December 2011 and identified. A total of 1,111 Anopheles sinensis were collected. There was a significant negative relationship between mean monthly rainfall and mean number of mosquitoes/man/night (r= -0.750, p≤ 0.05). However, monthly distributions of An. sinensis were not associated with temperature and relative humidity. The resistance status of An. sinensis was also determined using adult bioassay procedures of WHO. Anopheles sinensis were resistant to dieldrin, propoxur, fenitrothion, permethrin, cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, etofenprox and lambdacyhalothrin, as the 24-hours posttreatment mortality was less than 80%. However, An. sinensis were susceptible to DDT (80.00% mortality) and malathion (100% mortality), , indicating that malathion is the most effective against this mosquito. | 101 STATIC POSTERS 34. Taxonomic favouritism: The spineless minority bugging Tasmanians STATIC POSTERS 36. Role of chemical and visual signals on the aggregation behaviour of the common spotted ladybird, Harmonia conformis (Boisduval) and the Tasmanian ladybird, Cleobora mellyi (Mulsant) Gemma Sherwin1, Steve Quarrell1, Geoff Allen1, Noel Davies2 1 2 School of Agricultural Science, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 54 Hobart, Tasmania, 7001. Central Science Laboratory, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 74, Hobart, Tasmania, 7001. The common spotted ladybird, Harmonia conformis (Boisduval) and the Tasmanian ladybird, Cleobora mellyi (Mulsant) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) are native to Tasmania and usually found occupying areas of native eucalypt forest and perennial horticulture crops. During winter these beetles usually aggregate, often together, in natural shelters such as under the bark of trees, however both species have also been found to overwinter in large numbers within prominent commercial and industrial buildings. Little is currently known regarding overwintering site preference of these ladybirds. However, results from recent studies conducted overseas on the multicoloured Asian ladybird Harmonia axyridis have shown that numerous cues may be involved including visual signals, such as silhouette/visual intensity contrast of the site, trail and aggregation pheromones which are believed to be comprised of saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons and aggregations maintained by thigmotaxis amongst the overwintering beetles. The relative hierarchy of these signals, the duration that any pheromone cues last for and the distances over which they operate is currently unknown. This project aims to identity some of the possible visual and chemical cues involved in initiating mixed overwintering aggregations of these two ladybirds and explores the changes in the hydrocarbon profile of ladybirds over their lifespan. 37. The use of log discs for epigeic fauna surveys in box-gum grassy woodlands of SE NSW Glen Bann Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra 0200 Quantitative, non-destructive ecological data collection is imperative for sustainable ecosystem management, particularly for endangered species and communities. This research investigates the applicability of the use of log disc habitat surrogates for epigeic macro-invertebrate surveys in endangered listed box/gum grassy woodlands of SE NSW. A total of 264 endemic red gum (Eucalyptus blakelyi) and exotic pine (Pinus radiata) discs were placed at stations along transects at ten sites. Animal presence beneath the logs was recorded regularly over a period of one year, by simply lifting and replacing the discs. Five order of insects, endemic and exotic earthworms, spiders, centipedes, millipedes, scorpions, slaters, slugs, flatworms, lizards and frogs were identified. Ants, termites and earthworms were the predominant taxa. Total taxa number was (positively and negatively) associated with various habitat attributes. Earthworms appeared to favour the pine discs, particularly the exotic species, which were the predominant earthworm species found in these grassy woodlands. However, the pine discs decomposed faster than the red gum, perhaps influencing the relative numbers of the earthworms beneath the two disc types. Some of the red gum discs lasted for a number of years, providing valuable habitat. The log discs are relatively easy to obtain, set up, and monitor, are non-destructive and could be utilised in various monitoring programs, including those applicable for community groups and land managers. They are also likely to be beneficial for micro-invertebrate surveys. It is therefore suggested that the survey technique has broad applications and should be trialed in other vegetation types and regions. | 102 Joeng-Jin An, Seon-Woo Lee, Hyun-Na Koo, Gil-Hah Kim Department of Plant Medicine College of Agriculture, Life and Environment Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763, Republic of Korea The cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover is an important sap-sucking pest of many plants, including cucumber and pepper. The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of sublethal concentrations of two insecticides (imidacloprid and flonicamid) and the action mechanisms on the feeding behavior of A. gossypii. The median lethal concentrations (LC50) of imidacloprid and flonicamid for adult A. gossypii were 2.01 and 1.92 ppm, respectively. The sublethal concentrations of imidacloprid were 0.22 ppm (LC10) and 0.82 ppm (LC30), and those of flonicamid were 0.094 ppm (LC10) and 0.56 ppm (LC30). The developmental period of A. gossypii nymphs at LC30 was 3.6 days for both insecticide which shorter than controls (4.2 days). Adult longevities at LC10 and LC30 of imidacloprid were 15.2 and 13.6 days, respectively. Adult longevity at LC10 and LC30 of flonicamid was 11.1 and 9.9 days, respectively. Control adult longevity was 15.5 days. Total fecundity was decreased at both sublethal concentrations of two insecticides. Feeding behavior analysis using an electrical penetration graph showed that sublethal doses of imidacloprid and flonicamid had significant effects on the duration of phloem ingestion. However, higher doses of flonicamid induced starvation by inhibition of phloem ingestion and higher doses of imidacloprid induced contact toxicity rather than inhibition of feeding behavior. 39. Comparative fumigants toxicity to reticulitermes speratus and correlation between toxicity and penetrations into timber blocks Kwang-Soon Choi1, Gil-Hah Kim1, Min-Goo Park2, Yong-Lin Ren3, Bong-Soo Kim4, Byung-Ho Lee4* epartment of Plant Medicine College of Agriculture, Life and Environment Sciences, Chungbuk National University, D Cheongju 361- 763, Republic of Korea 2 QIA Plant Quarantine, South Korea 3 School of Biological Science and Biotechnology, Murdoch University, Australia 4 Dongbu ARI, Dongbu Hannong Co Ltd. South Korea 1 Methyl bromide (MB) is still widely used fumigant in most of the countries for quarantine purpose, even though it’s phasing out agreements regarding ozone-depleting substance under the Montreal Protocol. In this study, we have investigated the effectiveness of phosphine (PH3), EDN (C2N2) fumigation on wood pests for developing MB alternatives. We evaluated two bioassay methods; wooden enclosure cube (10×10×10 cm) and normal(vented) fumigation procedures for comparison between their toxicity and penetration character of fumigant into the timber block. Fumigation to adults of Reticulitermes speratus was carried in a desiccators system for 6hr at 21±2℃(EDN, MB) and 24hr at 15±1℃(PH3). As a result, The L(CT)99 of PH3 and EDN to R. speratus in both two bioassay had a similarly investigated, However, in case of the L(CT)99 of MB to R. speratus, efficacy was different depending on assay method. It could be positive correlation with penetration character of fumigants which was previously reported. PH3 and EDN are a fumigant with the potential to replace methyl bromide alternative for control wood destroying pests. | 103 STATIC POSTERS 38. Feeding behavior and sublethal effects of imidacloprid and flonicamid on cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii (Homoptera: Aphididae) under laboratory conditions STATIC POSTERS 40. Effects of electron beam on life stages and DNA damage of Spodoptera litura Seung-Hwan Yun, Hyun-Na Koo, Gil-Hah Kim* 3 Department of Plant Medicine College of Agriculture, Life and Environment Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763, Republic of Korea The effect of electron beam irradiation on life stage and reproduction of Spodoptera litura were examined. Eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults were irradiated at target doses of 30, 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 Gy. When eggs were irradiated with 100 Gy, egg hatching was perfectly inhibited. When irradiated to the larvae, pupation was inhibited at 100 Gy and larval period was delayed. When irradiated to the pupae, emergence was inhibited at 100 Gy and above. When irradiated to the adults, longevity and fecundity did not show any differences. However, egg hatching was strongly decreased at 100 Gy and above. Also, electron beam irradiation was not induced the instantaneous death of S. litura. Reciprocal crosses between irradiated and unirradiated moths demonstrated that males were more radiotolerant than females. Adult longevity was not affected in all stages. The levels of DNA damage in S. litura adults were evaluated using the alkaline comet assay. Our results indicate that electron beam irradiation increased levels of DNA damage. These results suggest that electron beam irradiation induced abnormal development and reproduction by DNA damage in S. litura. | 104 DELEGATE LIST Last Name First Name Organization State/CountryEmail Address Allen Geoff TIA- School of Agricultural Science, University of Tasmania TAS [email protected] An Jeongjin Chungbuk National University KOREA, [email protected] Anderson Kylie James Cook University QLD [email protected] Andrew Nigel University of New England NSW [email protected] Annetts Robert Dow AgroSciences QLD [email protected] Austin Andy The University of Adelaide SA [email protected] Baehr Barbara QM QLD [email protected] Bann Glen Australian National University NSW [email protected] Barbieri Rafael Victoria University of Wellington NEW ZEALAND [email protected] Barron Andrew Macquarie University NSW [email protected] Beebe Nigel University of Queensland QLD [email protected] Begum Mahmuda The University of Sydney NSW [email protected] Bellati Judy PIRSA (Biosecurity SA) SA [email protected] Berg Gordon Department of Primary Industries VIC [email protected] Bingham Sarah Syngenta Pty Ltd NSW [email protected] BirdLisaNSW DPI [email protected] Blackburn Robert The University of Sydney NSW [email protected] Blacket Mark DPI Vic VIC [email protected] Boyd Ben DAFF [email protected] Braby Michael Biodiversity Conservation NT [email protected] Byrne Catherine Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery TAS [email protected] Cairnes Jessica Biota Environmental Sciences WA [email protected] Cameron Stephen Queensland University of TechnologyQLD [email protected] Car Cathy Western Australian Museum WA [email protected] Cartledge Victoria Biota Environmental Sciences WA [email protected] Carver Scott University of Tasmania TAS [email protected] Castalanelli Mark Western Australian Museum WA [email protected] Chand Nilesh The University of Adelaide SA [email protected] Chandler Keith BSES Limited QLD [email protected] Chen Chee Dhang University of Malaya MALAYSIA [email protected] Cheng Marina The University of New South Wales NSW [email protected] Choi Kwangsoon Chungbuk National University KOREA, [email protected] Clarke Anthony Queensland University of TechnologyQLD [email protected] Clayton Jessica Flinders University SA [email protected] Cole Christopher Biota Environmental Sciences WA [email protected] Collins SamuelMacquarie University [email protected] Cook Lyn The University of Queensland QLD [email protected] CrispPeterSARDI [email protected] Cross Dominic University of Sydney/CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences NSW [email protected] Dale Pat Griffith University QLD [email protected] De Little Dave Tas Museum & Art Gallery (Honorary)TAS [email protected] Dominiak Bernie NSW Deptment of Primary IndustriesNSW [email protected] Downard Paul Dow AgroSciences (Australia) Ltd NSW [email protected] Elek Jane Tasmanian Institute for Agriculture TAS [email protected] Farmilo Paul Agrisearch Services NSW [email protected] Ferrier Simon CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences – Black Mountain ACT [email protected] FlemonsPaul [email protected] Fletcher Murray Orange Agricultural Institute NSW [email protected] Ford Stewart Biota Environmental Sciences WA [email protected] Forster Lynne University of Tasmania TAS [email protected] Gillespie Kate Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Populations and Community ACT [email protected] GillespiePeter NSW DPI [email protected] | 105 DELEGATE LIST Gitau Catherine Charles Sturt University NSW [email protected] Gopurenko David NSW Department of Primary Industries NSW [email protected] Grove Simon Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery TAS [email protected] Gullan Penny The Australian National University ACT [email protected] Gunter Nicole Australian National Insect Collection CSIR0 [email protected] Gurr Geoff Charles Sturt Univ NSW [email protected] Hall Elizabeth Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry QLD [email protected] Hamilton Lynda SA Health SA [email protected] Harding Jo Australian Biological Resources StudyACT [email protected] Harrison Sophie The University of Adelaide SA [email protected] Harvey Mark Western Australian Museum WA [email protected] Hawley Jesse University of Sydney NSW [email protected] Healey Madaline Agri-Science Queensland, Central Queensland University QLD [email protected] Hill Matt University of Melbourne VIC [email protected] Hochuli Dieter The University of Sydney NSW [email protected] Hodgkin Lisa University of Melbourne VIC [email protected] HoffmanAry VIC [email protected] Hogendoorn Katja The University of Adelaide SA [email protected] Jambrecina Mim Australian Biological Resources Study ACT [email protected] Jansen Cassie CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences QLD [email protected] Jennings Debbie CSIRO ACT [email protected] Johnson Tamara The University of Melbourne VIC [email protected] Johnson Leticia University of South Australia SA [email protected] Johnston Emily University of South Australia SA [email protected] Jones Diane Ministry for Primary Industries NEW ZEALAND [email protected] Keirle David Biota Environmental Sciences WA [email protected] Kheyri Homayoun The University of Queensland QLD [email protected] King Jocelyn University of Western Sydney NSW [email protected] King Jacinta Biota Environmental Sciences WA [email protected] Kittel Rebecca University of Adelaide SA [email protected] Knight Jon Griffith University QLD [email protected] Kokko Hanna Australian National University ACT [email protected] Koo Hyun Na Chungbuk National University KOREA, [email protected] Kumarasinghe Lalith Ministry for Primary Industries NZ NEW ZEALAND [email protected] Lambkin Christine Queensland Museum QLD [email protected] Langford Eliza University of Western Sydney NSW [email protected] Leijs Remko South Australian Museum SA [email protected] LessardBryan CSIRO [email protected] LevotGarryNSW Department of Primary IndustriesNSW [email protected] Lin Yen-Po The University of Queensland QLD [email protected] Ling Hannah Flinders University SA [email protected] Lomov Boris Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry NSW [email protected] Low Petah The University of Sydney NSW [email protected] Lowe Lizzy The University of Sydney NSW [email protected] Lubanga Umar La Trobe University VIC [email protected] Mansfield Sarah University of Sydney NSW [email protected] Mantle Beth Australian National Insect Collection ACT [email protected] Mappes Johanna University of Jyväskylä FINLAND [email protected] Marsh Jessica Flinders University SA [email protected] Matthiessen John CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences WA [email protected] | 106 | 107 DELEGATE LIST McGinley Rowan Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University NSW [email protected] McLennan Austin NT Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries NT [email protected] Mendez Vivian Macquarie University NSW [email protected] Merritt David University Queensland QLD [email protected] Mesibov Robert Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery TAS [email protected] Milledge Graham Australian Museum NSW [email protected] Mills Penelope The University of Queensland QLD [email protected] Missenden Brendan Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry QLD [email protected] Mo Jianhua NSW Department of Primary Industries [email protected] Mound Laurence CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences ACT [email protected] Muller Mike Brisbane City Council QLD [email protected] Murray Tara University of Canterbury NEW ZEALAND [email protected] Mynott Julia La Trobe VIC [email protected] NansenChristian UWA [email protected] Nguyen Thi Duong Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, UWS NSW [email protected] O’Hanlon James Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University NSW [email protected] Orre-Gordon Sofia University of South Australia SA [email protected] O’Sullivan Shaun University of South Australia SA [email protected] Otley Jacqui DAFF Biosecurity WA [email protected] Papacek Daniel Bugs for Bugs QLD [email protected] Paredes Daniel Spanish Council of Research SPAIN [email protected] Peckmezian Christina Macquarie University NSW christina.peckmezian@students. mq.edu.au Pinzon-NavarroSara CSIRO [email protected] Porch Nick School of Life and Environmental Sciences [email protected] Quarrell Stephen Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture TAS [email protected] Raven Robert Queensland Museum QLD [email protected] Reid Craig Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery TAS [email protected] Rendon Dalila Macquarie University/CSIRO NSW [email protected] Reynolds Olivia NSW DPI NSW [email protected] Rice Anthony Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry QLD [email protected] Riegler Markus University of Western Sydney NSW [email protected] Roberts John CSIRO [email protected] Rowbottom Raylea University of Tasmania TAS [email protected] Sachse Timothy Biota Environmental Sciences WA [email protected] Schlunke James The University of Sydney NSW [email protected] SchutzeMark Queensland University of Technology QLD [email protected] Seago Ainsley CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences ACT [email protected] Seaton Stephen Murdoch University WA [email protected] Senior Lara DAFF Qld QLD [email protected] Shackleton Michael La Trobe University VIC [email protected] Sharpe Helen Ministry for Primary Industries NEW ZEALAND [email protected] Sherwin Gemma University of Tasmania TAS [email protected] Simpson Stephen University of Sydney NSW [email protected] Smith Helen Australian Museum NSW [email protected] Sopow Stephanie Scion NEW ZEALAND [email protected] Steinbauer Martin La Trobe University VIC [email protected] Steven David IPM Research Ltd [email protected] DELEGATE LIST Stevens Mark NSW Department of Primary Industries [email protected] Sullivan Luke DAFF Biosecurity VIC [email protected] Symonds Matthew Deakin University VIC [email protected] Tan Eunice University of Melbourne VIC [email protected] Tann Colin CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences NSW [email protected] Tatarnic Nikolai Macquarie University NSW [email protected] Tay Wee Tek CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences ACT [email protected] Taylor Christopher Dept of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University WA [email protected] Taylor Phillip Macquarie University NSW [email protected] Taylor Gary University of Adelaide SA [email protected] Thomson Linda University of Melbourne VIC [email protected] Tindall Alexis South Australian Museum SA [email protected] Tree Desley DAFF, Qld QLD [email protected] Turco Federica Queensland Museum QLD [email protected] Umbers Kate Macquarie University/Australian National University NSW [email protected] Van Den Berg Francesca School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney NSW [email protected] Van Den Hurk Andrew Public Health Virology, Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services QLD [email protected] Walker Paul Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture TAS [email protected] Walker Ken Museum Victoria VIC [email protected] Walter Andre University of Melbourne VIC [email protected] Wang Andy Xiaobei School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland QLD [email protected] Watson Nicola Biota Environmental Sciences WA [email protected] Webb Cameron University of Sydney NSW [email protected]. gov.au Weinstein Philip University of South Australia SA [email protected] WellsAliceAustralian Biological Resources StudyACT [email protected] White Edward The University of Queensland QLD [email protected] Whitehouse Mary CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences NSW [email protected] Wiegmann Brian North Carolina State University UNITED STATES [email protected] Wignall Anne Macquarie University NSW [email protected] Wilder Shawn School of Biological Sciences NSW [email protected] Williams Craig University of South Australia SA [email protected] Withers Toni Scion NEW ZEALAND [email protected] Wright Jane CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences ACT [email protected] Yates Michelle University of New England NSW [email protected] Yeates David CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences ACT [email protected] Yousuf Fazila Charles Sturt University NSW [email protected] Yun SeungHwan Chungbuk National University KOREA, [email protected] | 108 Author Index An, Joeng-Jin Anderson, K. L. Andrew, Nigel R. Healey, M.A. 103 Hochuli, Dieter 47 53, 87 94 74, 90 Hodgkin, Lisa K. 57 Annetts, Robert 91 Hogendoorn, Katja 29 Austin, Andy D. 38 Jansen, Cassie 76 Baehr, Barbara 27 Johnson, Tamara 59 Jones, Diane C. 95 52 Kassim, Nur Faeza A. 92 Barron, Andrew B. 18 Kheyri,Homayoun 84 Beebe, Nigel 79 King, Jocelyn 40 Begum, M. 84 Kittel, Rebecca Bird, Lisa 96 Knight, Jon 77 Blackburn, Robert 82 Kokko, Hanna 56 Blacket, Mark J. 45 Lambkin, Christine 23 Bologna, Marco A. 85 Langford, Eliza 86 Boyd, Ben 99 Leijs, Remko 25 Byrne, Catherine 22 Leong, C.S. 101 Cameron, Stephen L. 71 Lessard, Bryan D. 23 Car, Cathy 37 Levot, Garry 32 Castalanelli, Dr Mark 35 Lin, Yen-Po 73 Chen, C.D. 98 Low Petah A. 57 Low, V.L. 89 Bann, Glen Barbieri, Rafael F. 52, 102 25, 100 103 Clarke, Anthony R. 42 Lowe, Lizzy C. 78 Clayton, Jessica 97 Mantle, Beth 81 Mappes, Joanna 19 Collins, Samuel R. 43, 99 Crisp, Peter 46 Marsh, Jessica 97 Cross, Dominic 29 McGinley, Rowan 61 Dale, Prof. Pat 75 McLennan, Austin 49 Dominiak, Bernie 50 Mendez, Vivian Elek, Jane 30 Mesibov, Robert 37 F. Braby, Michael 22 Mills, Penelope J. 73 Farnier, Kevin R. 94 Missenden, Brendan P. Ferrier, Simon 21 Mo, Jianhua Flemons, Paul 83 Mound, Laurence 26 Fletcher, Murray J. 72 Muller, Mike 75 Gende, Paul 33 Mynott, Julia 70 Gopurenko, David 66 Nansen, Christian 31 60, 89 44 45, 88 Grove, Simon 51, 101 Nguyen, Thi Duong 86 Gunter, Nicole 24, 40 O’Hanlon, James C. 58 Gurr, Geoff 63 Otley, Jacqui 98 Hall, Elizabeth 48 Paredes, Daniel 92 Harding, Jo 21 Peckmezian, Christina 91 Harrison, Sophie E. 36 Pinzon-Navarro, Sara 41 Harvey, Mark S. 36 Quarrell, Stephen Hawley, Jesse R.F. 88 Raven, Robert J. | 109 62, 95 35 AUTHOR INDEX Choi, Kwang-Soon AUTHOR INDEX Rendon, Dalila 32 Thomson, Linda J. 31 Reynolds, O. L. 43 Tindall, Alexis 82 Rice, Anthony D. 47 Turco, Federica 39 Riegler, Markus 46 Umbers, Kate D. L. 20 Roberts, J. M. K. 64 van den Berg, Francesca T. 54 Rowbottom, Raylea 77 van den Hurk, Andrew 80 Schlunke, James E. 76 Walker, Ken 81 Schutze, Mark 50 Walker, Paul 87, 90 Seago, Ainsley 24 Walter, Andre 18 Seaton, S. 55 Wang, A. X. 66 Senior, Lara 44 Webb, Cameron E. 79 Shackleton, M. 70 Weinstein, Philip 74 Sherwin, Gemma 102 White, Edward L. 72 Sopow,Stephanie 85 Whitehouse,Mary 28 Wiegmann, Brian M. 65 Steinbauer, Martin J. 34, 93 Stevens, Mark M. 30 Wignall, Anne 19 Symonds, Matthew R. E. 20 Wilder, Shawn M. 60 Tan, Eunice. J. 58 Williams, Craig R. 78 Tann, Colin R. 28 Wright, E.J. 64 Tatarnic, Nikolai J. 93 Yates, Michelle 33 Yeates, David K. 67 Tay, Dr Wee Tek 100 Taylor, Christopher K. 71 Yousuf, Fazila Taylor, Gary 26 Yun, Seung-Hwan Taylor, Phillip 42 | 110 68, 69 104 RYDGES HOBART HOTEL 16 2 6 13 7 11 8 14 3 4 15 5 10 PW1 17 9 5 MINUTES BY TAXI TO 1 12 Accommodation HOTEL ADDRESS PHONE 1 Amberley House 391 Sandy Bay Road, Sandy Bay 03 6225 1005 2 Fountainside Hotel 40 Brooker Avenue, Hobart 03 6213 2999 3 Henry Jones Art Hotel 25 Hunter Street, Hobart 03 6210 7700 4 Hobart Hadleys Hotel and Grand Mercure Apartments 34 Murray Street, Hobart 03 6223 4355 5 Hobart Macquarie Hotel 167 Macquarie Street, Hobart 03 6220 7100 6 Hobart Midcity Hotel 96 Bathurst Street, Hobart 03 6234 6333 7 Hotel Collins 58 Collins Street, Hobart 03 6226 1111 8 Hotel Grand Chancellor 1 Davey Street, Hobart 03 6235 4535 9 Lenna of Hobart 20 Runnymede Street, Hobart 03 6232 3900 10Macquarie Manor 172 Macquarie Street, Hobart 03 6224 4999 11Mercure Hobart 156 Bathurst Street, Hobart 03 6232 6255 12Motel 429 429 Sandy Bay Road, Sandy Bay 03 6225 2511 13The Old Woolstore Apartment Hotel 1 Macquarie Street, Hobart 03 6235 5355 14Quest Savoy 38 Elizabeth Street, Hobart 03 6220 2300 15Quest Waterfront 3 Brooke Street, Hobart 03 6224 8630 16Rydges Hobart Hotel Cnr Argyle Street & Lewis Street, Hobart 03 6231 1588 17Salamanca Inn 10 Gladstone Street, Hobart 03 6223 3300 18Zero Davey Boutique Apartments 15 Hunter Street, Hobart 03 6270 1444
