Der Asiatische Laubholzbockkäfer (Anoplophora glabripennis) im Labor: Erste Erkenntnisse aus Kultivierung und Zucht

Wien

Bundesamt und Forschungszentrum für Wald

2003

7 Abb., 1 Lit. Ang.

Artikel aus einer Zeitschrift

200108282

Forstschutz Aktuell 2003, (29)

The first occurrence of Anoplophora glabripennis (ALB) in Europe gives rise to many questions of interest: Duration of the larvae and pupa stages, favoured tree species for feeding and oviposition, number of laid eggs per female, life-span of the adults. Therefore, at the Department of Forest Protection of the Federal Office & Research Centre for Forests at Vienna, pieces of infected wood from Braunau were taken into the laboratory and stored in insect boxes for observation. There, the feeding of the larvae and the emergence of adults could take place without any danger for the environment. Emerged beetles were put together in pairs and were allowed to feed on maple twigs and leaves for maturation feeding and copulation. Branches of different tree species were offered to find out which Central European tree species will be favoured for oviposition by the female. Branches with oviposition sites were cages for larvae development. Parallel to the development in wood pieces, larvae were cultured on artificial medium. Therefore, larvae from natural infected trees from Braunau as well as breeding larvae from the beetle pairs were prepared out of the wood and indvidually placed into a beaker with an artificially prepared diet. Depending on the development and the feeding activity the larvae were moved to a freshly prepared medium every six to eight weeks. From February 2002 to June 2003 altogether 30 larvae were cultured on diet so far. Forty percent of them died in the meantime due to development defects and two different unknown diseases. Nevertheless, these first cultivation experiments were sucessful: To date six beetles, three males and three females, have emerged from the medium and a further three larvae pupated but had shedding problems. In several cases it was possible to observe and document the whole pupal development over three weeks, but very rapidly in the last one. Observations from July 2001 until September 2003 in Braunau give reason to suppose that A. glabripennis needs 1 1/2 to 2 years for complete development from egg to adult under natural conditions in Central Europe. So far there was no detectable difference in the duration of larvae development between larvae in wood samples which were exposed to a chill period ("winter") and those which had no "winter". Contrary to these experiences, larvae emerged from eggs in wood samples during July 2002, and were then cultured on artificial medium without chill period. They pupated only one year later in July 2003 and emerged in August 2003. Therefore, the development of A. glabripennis from egg to adult could take place within only one year under optimal climatic and feeding conditions and this possibility has to be taken into consideration during monitoring in A. glabripennis infested areas.