Using Pseudacteon’s Aggressive Behavior for Biological Control Methods

Pseudacteon, part of the Phoridae family, is an extremely diverse group which contains over 25,000 species.  The life cycle of  Pseudacteon begins with a female fly injecting a single egg into the thorax of a fire ant through an aerial attack. Each female Pseudacteon has the ability to produce about 100 - 300 eggs during her lifetime. The female injects its egg into the ant using a ovipositor.  There are three main instars for the larva, during which the ant still functions normally.   During the second instar, the fly larva migrates into the head of the ant and procedes pupariation.  During pupariation, the fly larva consumes the head capsule tissue of the ant.  This forces decapitation and the larva can now complete development inside the head of the ant.  The pupa forms in the head capsule and an adult phorid fly emerges.  The newly born Pseudacteon phorid fly searches for a Solenopsis red fire ant to infest as its host.  Pseudacteon phorid flies are extremely host specific, as they only attack species of red fire ants.  Pseudacteon are widely distributed in the range of their host species, the red fire ant.

The invasive Solenopsis red fire ant has become an ecological problem around the globe.  They are beginning to overpopulate and intrude on natural habitats.  Pesticides were an attempted method to control their invasion.  However, this did nothing but spread them even more. These invasive ants have detrimental effects on native invertebrate and vertebrate species. A new approach was introduced to regulate this issue. Using the parasitic Pseudacteon phorid flies as a fire ant predator has become a successful technique.   This species is an excellent organism to use for biological control purposes since they are specific to their host and their impact is sufficient enough to the point where ants are beginning to develop phorid fly specific defense behaviors. The use of Pseudacteon as a biological control agent is mainly popular in the southeastern United States, since those areas have the highest amount of invasive  Solenopsis red fire ants.  

Bibliography 

 Morrison, Lloyd W. "Biological Control of Solenopsis Fire Ants by Pseudacteon Parasitoids: Theory and Practice." Biological Control of Solenopsis Fire Ants by Pseudacteon Parasitoids: Theory and Practice. N.p., n.d. Web. Oct. 2012. <http://www.hindawi.com/journals/psyche/2012/424817/>.

Porter, S. "Host Specificity and Risk Assessment of Releasing the Decapitating Fly Pseudacteon Curvatus as a Classical Biocontrol Agent for Imported Fire Ants." Biological Control 19.1 (2000): 35-47. Science Direct. Web.