Salvinia minima Baker is a floating aquatic fern native to South America. Introduced from Tropical America into the southern US, it is now established in the states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas. Although this plant is not as notorious a weed as its larger relative S. molesta Mitchell, S. minima has become dominate and formed large mats in several slow moving water bodies, especially in Texas and Louisiana. The first occurrence of S. minima in North America was Florida. Despite nearly an 80-year presence in Florida, S. minima has not achieved the pest status in this state as it has in states of more recent introduction. One explanation for the limitation of S. minima is the presence of the naturalized weevil Cyrtobagous salviniae Calder & Sands, the dramatically successful classical biological control agent of S. molesta. The weevil was accidentally introduced at Miami sometime before 1960.
This study was undertaken to evaluate the importance of C. salviniae on S. minima and to identify other herbivores of S. minima in northern Florida. Four densities of adult C. salviniae were established in tanks of S. minima; 0, 26, 52, and 75 per m2 plant material. Plant biomass in the 4 treatments will be compared after 6 months. Four S. minima infested lakes around Tallahassee, FL were sampled monthly. Those insects determined to be S. minima herbivores were identified from plant samples and a record developed of their distribution, seasonality, and relative abundance.
Species 1: Coleoptera Curculionidae Cyrtobagous salviniae
Species 2: Magnoliophyta Salviniaceae Salvinia minima (floating fern, water fern)
Keywords: herbivores, aquatic weed
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