The Harlequin ladybeetle Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in the Western Cape Province, South Africa: effects on arthropods in urban, agricultural and natural ecosystems

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Invasive arthropod predators are one of the largest and most diverse groups of invasive insects in the world. Many are generalist predators, with cosmopolitan distributions due to their use as biological control agents in agriculture. Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), an invasive arthropod predator species native to Asia, which now has a world-wide distribution. It is considered one of the most successful biological control predator species and is generally considered to be economically beneficial. However, negative effects have recently emerged in agricultural and natural systems. Harmonia axyridis poses a threat to biodiversity as it outcompetes native species for food resources. It can also feed directly on native predatory arthropods that disrupt natural ecosystem processes. Their movement in-and-out of agricultural landscapes may depend on food availability with natural vegetation alongside agricultural areas often utilised for refuge and alternative food resources. This beetle has also been recorded in urban areas. The aim of this study was to determine how the invasive H. axyridis beetle uses the local landscape in the Western Cape province, South Africa, and to determine its threat to native species. I sampled urban landscapes, vineyards, natural vegetation/vineyard edge zones and pristine natural areas for arthropods every second month using a suction sampler. Data collected included the abundance and diversity of H. axyridis, herbivores, local predators and non-Harmonia ladybeetles. Most H. axyridis were collected in urban areas during all sampling periods. Highest abundance was recorded in May and July (winter). This indicates that urban areas were the preferred landscape feature and that these act as ovipositing areas, particularly as larval H. axyridis were also only collected in urban areas. Significantly, vineyards and natural vegetation had very low abundance of H. axyridis, questioning their value as a biological control agent in this region. Harmonia axyridis had a negative effect on the overall local arthropod community, as well as the predator and herbivore guilds, although it was positively correlated with the abundance of non-Harmonia ladybeetles. This suggests that H. axyridis and non-Harmonia ladybeetles are responding to the same resources in these landscapes. A negative correlation found between H. axyridis and the abundance of predators is most likely due to competition for the same resources (e.g. prey items). These negative impacts, along with their negligible value as biological control agents in agriculture, suggest that a programme should be implemented to control this invasive species. More specifically, control should be aimed in urban areas during winter when and where the species aggregates and when larvae are present.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University