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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Imported Fire Ant and Household Insects Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #255098
Title: Evidence of competition among three species of Pseudacteon decapitating flies released in the Gainesville area as fire ant biocontrol agents

Author
item Porter, Sanford

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/25/2010
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Three species of fire ant decapitating flies have been established in the Gainesville area. The first species, Pseudacteon tricuspis, was established in 1997. The second species, Pseudacteon curvatus, was established in 2003 and the third species, Pseudacteon obtusus, was established in 2008. The seasonal population dynamics of these three flies was monitored for a year (2008) and the expansion of P. obtusus was monitored in the fall of 2008 and 2009. Results of these studies show that P. tricuspis populations have dropped dramatically after the introduction of P. curvatus and then again after the introduction of P. obtusus. Currently, P. tricuspis only accounts for about 1% of the flies captured in the Gainesville area. This result is unexpected because in the native homeland of Argentina P. tricuspis is usually more abundant than P. curvatus and as abundant as P. obtusus.