2007 Annual Report 1a.Objectives (from AD-416) Discover and develop biological control agents for lygodium. Determine potential host range and environmental safety of promising agents. 1b.Approach (from AD-416) Survey of natural enemies in the plant's native range of Asia and Australia. Determine life histories of agents and conduct host specificty tests. Petition of release, attempt and evaluate colonization and impact of approved agents. 3.Progress Report This report serves to document research conducted under a reimbursable agreement between ARS and the South Florida Water Management District. Additional details of research can be found in the report in the parent project 6629-22000-009-00D, “Development & evaluation of biological control agents for invasive species threatening the Everglades & other natural and managed systems”. 1. Efforts were made to colonize Austromusotima camptozonale. Releases were made at 9 sites with almost 15,000 larvae. Breeding was detected at three sites but no evidence of persistence or establishment of the insect at the sites was obtained. 2. A release permit was obtained for the Lygodium gall mite Floracarus perrepae. The mite was imported to Ft. Lauderdale quarantine and the process began to develop a colony. 3. Quarantine testing found that the lygodium saw fly (Neostrombocerus sp.) is able to complete its development on a Caribbean Lygodium fern (Lygodium volubile), one of several Lygodium species tested. This species is primarily a South American fern with a modest presence in the Caribbean. Additional testing on other Lygodium species is needed before the suitability of this insect for biological control L. microphyllum can be determined. 4. A new lygodium stemborer was discovered from Lygodium microphyllum from Hong Kong. A limited collection of larvae produced adults which enabled the uniqueness of this insect to be determined. The production of adults suggests that it may be easier to culture than the Thai or Singaporean Lygodium stemborers. 5. Flea beetle adults (Manobia sp.), collected from Lygodium flexuosum in northern Thailand, demonstrated their ability to feed upon the leaves of L. microphyllum indicating that the insect may be able to use L. microphyllum as a host. Flea beetles have been valuable in biological control of weeds because of their root feeding behavior and narrow host ranges. 6. Manobia sp. flea beetles were collected from N. Thailand and shipped to the Gainesville, Florida quarantine attempt to start a colony for host specificity testing.