Sim Sheina B, Yoneishi Nicole M, Brill Eva, Geib Scott M, Follett Peter A
USDA-ARS, Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, 64 Nowelo St., Hilo, HI 96720, (
J Econ Entomol. 2016 Feb;109(1):100-5. doi: 10.1093/jee/tov284. Epub 2015 Oct 19.
The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is a serious pest of coffee worldwide. It was first detected in Hawai'i in 2010. Two predatory beetles, Cathartus quadricollis (Coleoptera: Silvanidae) and Leptophloeus sp. (Coleoptera: Laemophloeidae), have been observed in H. hampei-infested coffee. Under laboratory conditions, colony-reared C. quadricollis and Leptophloeus sp. prey upon all life stages of H. hampei. However, the H. hampei life cycle occurs almost exclusively within a coffee bean obscured from direct observation. Thus, it is unknown if C. quadricollis and Leptophloeus sp. consume H. hampei as prey in the wild. To demonstrate predation of H. hampei by C. quadricollis and Leptophloeus sp., a molecular assay was developed utilizing species-specific primers targeting short regions of the mitochondrial COI gene to determine species presence. Using these primers, wild C. quadricollis and Leptophloeus sp. were collected and screened for the presence of H. hampei DNA using PCR. Analysis of collections from five coffee farms revealed predation of C. quadricollis and Leptophloeus sp. on H. hampei. Further laboratory testing showed that H. hampei DNA could be detected in predators for as long as 48 h after feeding, indicating the farm-caught predators had preyed on H. hampei within 2 d of sampling. This study demonstrates the utility of molecular markers for the study of the ecology of predators and prey with cryptic behavior, and suggests C. quadricollis and Leptophloeus sp. might be useful biocontrol agents against H. hampei.
咖啡果小蠹(Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari),鞘翅目:象甲科)是全球咖啡的一种严重害虫。它于2010年首次在夏威夷被发现。在受咖啡果小蠹侵害的咖啡中观察到两种捕食性甲虫,四沟扁谷盗(Cathartus quadricollis,鞘翅目:锯谷盗科)和瘦薪甲属(Leptophloeus sp.,鞘翅目:薪甲科)。在实验室条件下,群体饲养的四沟扁谷盗和瘦薪甲属捕食咖啡果小蠹的所有生命阶段。然而,咖啡果小蠹的生命周期几乎完全发生在一颗咖啡豆内,难以直接观察到。因此,尚不清楚四沟扁谷盗和瘦薪甲属在野外是否以咖啡果小蠹为食。为了证明四沟扁谷盗和瘦薪甲属对咖啡果小蠹的捕食作用,开发了一种分子检测方法,利用针对线粒体COI基因短区域的物种特异性引物来确定物种的存在。使用这些引物,收集野生的四沟扁谷盗和瘦薪甲属,并通过PCR筛选是否存在咖啡果小蠹的DNA。对五个咖啡农场的样本分析揭示了四沟扁谷盗和瘦薪甲属对咖啡果小蠹的捕食情况。进一步的实验室测试表明,在喂食后长达48小时的捕食者体内都能检测到咖啡果小蠹的DNA,这表明在采样后2天内,从农场捕获的捕食者捕食了咖啡果小蠹。这项研究证明了分子标记在研究具有隐秘行为的捕食者和猎物生态学方面的实用性,并表明四沟扁谷盗和瘦薪甲属可能是防治咖啡果小蠹的有用生物防治剂。