@article {8923,
	title = {Survival of the mirid Eccritotarsus catarinensis as influenced by Neochetina eichhorniae and Neochetina bruchi feeding scars on leaves of water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes},
	journal = {BioControl (Dordrecht)},
	volume = {52},
	number = {2},
	year = {2007},
	month = {April},
	pages = {193-205},
	abstract = {Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms-Laub.) remains a problem waterweed worldwide, for which biological control offers a sustainable solution. Under laboratory conditions, we investigated the interaction between two established weevil species Neochetina eichhorniae (Warner), Neochetina bruchi Hustache and the mirid Eccritotarsus catarinensis (Carvalho) which have been released together in several countries. Adult and immatures of E. catarinensis had high mortality on plants with high levels of old feeding scars from adult N. eichhorniae and N. bruchi and was significantly different at p 0.05. In contrast, mirid survived well on plants with recent feeding scars from Neochetina spp. or on undamaged plants. Our results indicate that the mirid is compatible with the two weevil species for improving biological control of the weed.},
	keywords = {Neochetina bruchi, Neochetina eichhorniae},
	isbn = {1386-6141},
	author = {Ajuonu, O. and Byrne, M. and Hill, M. and Neuenschwander, P. and Korie, S.}
}
@article {8925,
	title = {The effect of two biological control agents, the weevil Neochetina eichhorniae and the mirid Eccritotarsus catarinensis on water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes, grown in culture with water lettuce, Pistia stratiotes},
	journal = {BioControl (Dordrecht)},
	volume = {54},
	number = {1},
	year = {2009},
	month = {February},
	pages = {155-162},
	abstract = {We assessed the effect of two biological control agents, the mirid Eccritotarsus catarinensis (Carvalho) and the weevil Neochetina eichhorniae (Warner), singly or in combination, on the competitive ability of their host plant, water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms-Laub., grown in a screen house, in competition with another aquatic plant (Pistia stratiotes L.). Water hyacinth plant growth characteristics measured included fresh weight, leaf and petiole lengths, number of inflorescences produced, and new shoots. Without herbivory, water hyacinth was 18 times more competitive than water lettuce (across all experimental combinations of initial plant densities), as estimated from fresh weights. Both insect species, singly or in combination, reduced water hyacinth plant growth characteristics. E. catarinensis alone was less damaging than the weevil and under normal conditions, i.e., floating water hyacinth, is not expected to increase control of water hyacinth beyond that of the weevil. When combined with the weevil, half the inoculum of weevils and half the inoculum of mirids produced the same growth reduction as the full inoculum of the weevil. Under conditions where the weevils are not effective because water hyacinths are seasonally rooted in mud, the mirid, which lives entirely on leaves, should become a useful additional biological control agent.},
	keywords = {Neochetina eichhorniae},
	isbn = {1386-6141},
	author = {Ajuonu, O. and Byrne, M. and Hill, M. and Neuenschwander, P. and Korie, S.}
}
