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Video ViewAttendees 3

Member Symposium

Futures of Entomology: Managing Invasive Species and Novel Agricultural Approaches

Early development of a biological control program for earleaf acacia (Acacia auriculiformis)

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

1:50 PM – 2:08 PM ET

Location: Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Potomac C

Presenting Author(s)

Sara Salgado Astudillo

Graduate student
University of Florida
Fort Pierce, Florida

Co-Author(s)

Emily Le Falchier

Graduate Student
University of Florida
Vero Beach, Florida
SH

Sheri Holmes

University of Florida
Ft. Pierce, Florida
UM

Usman Mohammed

University of Florida
Ft. Pierce, Florida

Co-author(s)

MS

Melissa Smith

Research Ecologist
USDA
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Matthew F. Purcell (he/him/his)

Director
CSIRO
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
RZ

Ryan Zonneveld

USDA
Dutton Park, Queensland, Australia
CM

Carey Minteer

University of Florida
Fort Pierce, Florida

Acacia auriculiformis, commonly known as earleaf acacia, is a fast-growing evergreen tree in the Fabaceae family. Originally native to Australia, it was introduced to the United States as an ornamental plant in the early 1900s. However, the rapid spread of earleaf acacia throughout Florida has resulted in significant disruptions to native plant communities and ecosystem functions. To address this issue, a biological control program was initiated, beginning with comprehensive field surveys for arthropods and fungi conducted in the Northern Territory and Queensland, Australia, from 2015 to 2019. As a result of these surveys, two potential biological control agents were imported from Australia to containment laboratories in Florida. In 2019, Calomela intemerata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), and in 2021, Trichilogaster sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), a bud-galling wasp, were introduced for evaluation as agents for controlling earleaf acacia. At present, ongoing host specificity tests and biological studies are being carried out at the UF/IFAS Hayslip Biological Control and Containment Laboratory in Fort Pierce, Florida. Further testing is planned to assess the safety and efficacy of these insects before considering their release for earleaf acacia control in Florida. Encouraging preliminary results suggest the potential of these agents in addressing the earleaf acacia problem.