Phenology and Potential Fecundity of Neoleucopis kartliana in Greece

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The silver fly Neoleucopis kartliana Tanasijtshuk (Diptera, Chamaemyiidae) is the most abundant predator of the giant pine scale (GPS), Marchalina hellenica (Hemiptera, Margarodidae), and is considered a major factor in controlling GPS populations in Greece and Turkey. GPS has recently been detected in Australia. While generally not harmful to trees in its area of origin, GPS has a detrimental impact on pine trees in Australia and, therefore, needs to be controlled. As part of an evaluation of the silver fly for importation to Australia where it may be used as a biological control agent against GPS, we studied several aspects of the fly’s life history, namely its seasonal occurrence and number of generations per year (phenology), its acceptance of artificial food sources as adult flies, and the number of eggs females produce over their lifetime. We found that the fly has three generations per year and feeds on all life stages of GPS (eggs, nymphs, and adults). Adults readily feed on a mixture of sugar and dry yeast, and females emerge with no or few eggs and develop more as they age. ABSTRACT: Neoleucopis kartliana Tanasijtshuk (Diptera, Chamaemyiidae) is the most abundant predator of the giant pine scale (GPS), Marchalina hellenica (Hemiptera, Margarodidae) in Greece. GPS is native to Greece and Turkey, where it is not considered a pest of Pinus spp., but a valuable resource for pine honey production. However, its introduction to new areas leads to high population densities of the scale, linked to declines in tree health and insect biodiversity. To assess the potential use of N. kartliana for a classical biological control program in Australia, we studied selected life-history traits of the silver fly, namely its phenology in northern Greece, feeding preferences of adult flies on artificial food sources, and potential fecundity of female flies. The silver fly was present in every site in northern Greece studied and was found to have at least three generations per year in this area. The fly’s overall sex ratio was 1:1, and adult females emerged with no or few mature eggs in their ovaries, but egg production was exponential until at least the eighth day after emergence. These findings increase our knowledge about the biology of N. kartliana and aided in the evaluation of the silver fly as a classical biological control agent against invasive GPS in Australia.