Impact of the seed-fly, Ophiomyia lantanae (Froggatt) (Diptera: Agromyzidae), on the viability of lantana fruit in south-east Queensland, Australia
1999
Broughton, S.
The seed-fly Ophiomyia lantanae (Froggatt) (Dip.: Agromyzidae) is one of the most widely established biological control agents for lantana. Larvae of O. lantanae are found in the lantana fruit, in which they attack the fleshy endosperm and pupate in either the seed receptacle or a chamber within the fruit. This paper questions the impact of the seed-fly as a biological control agent in Australia. Fruit were dissected and tested with tetrazolium chloride to assess the viability of embryos. Of 3300 fruit dissected, none of the embryos were affected. Dissections and testing of fruit of different ages suggest that embryos are viable for a short period, regardless of whether the fruit is fly-infested.
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