ARS | Publication request: CASE HISTORY: CACTOBLASTIS CACTORUM ON OPUNTIA SPP. IN THE U.S.

Submitted to: USDA Interagency Research Forum on Gypsy Moth and Other Invasive Species
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: January 1, 2003
Publication Date: January 15, 2003
Citation: Carpenter, J.E. 2003. Case History: Cactoblastis cactorum on Opuntia spp. in the U.S. 78 pp. IN: K. W. Gottschalk (ed.), U.S. Department of Agriculture Interagency Research Forum on Gypsy Moth and Other Invasive Species, January 14-17, 2003, Annapolis, MD. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station.

Technical Abstract: The unintentional arrival of the cactus moth, Cactoblastis cactorum, in Florida in 1989, following its release against Opuntia species on several Caribbean islands in 1957-1960, has raised concerns for the safety of native and rare Opuntia species in the Florida Keys and the potential spread of C. cactorum to the Opuntia-rich areas of the western U.S. and Mexico. In addition to threatening the biodiversity of these native ecosystems and the forage and vegetable Opuntia industries, the negative publicity from such non-target effects could heighten public concern over the use of exotic natural enemies and jeopardize future biological control programs against weeds. The arrival of C. cactorum in North America is useful as a case study to evaluate our risk analysis process for the introduction of biological control agents, and for our response to newly established exotic pests. The case study of C. cactorum suggest that risk perception is higher for species being considered for release as biological control agents than for species that have recently established as exotic pests. As part of the risk analysis process, C. cactorum is being used in a proof of concept study in which reproductively inactivated insects aid in the risk assessment of potential biological control agents for invasive weeds. Low doses of radiation can cause treated moths to produce sterile offspring. This type of induce-sterility is called inherited (F1) sterility. The production of sterile progeny allows developmental and behavioral observations to be made under actual field conditions without the concern of establishing a breeding population. These observations allow for confirmation of oviposition behaviors and host associations, field-testing of larval feeding preferences, and studies of larval development and survival on related plants that are of concern in various geographical locations.