Lantana camara (Verbenaceae) 

The weed

Lantana is one of the worst weeds in the world, a category 1b species in South Africa in terms of the Alien and Invasive Species Regulations (AIS), National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (Act No 10 of 2004). Land occupiers are legally obliged to control it, or to remove and destroy it if possible. No trade or planting is allowed.​ It comprises a complex of vigorous, prolific, man-made hybrids, bred in Europe from unrecorded parents from Central and South America, and spread all over the world as a hardy, ornamental shrub, with multi-coloured flowers. Dispersed by fruit-eating birds, it establishes along fence lines and under trees, where it out-competes indigenous plants and forms impenetrable, prickly thickets that reduce natural pasturage, productivity of cattle farming, access to water supplies and tree plantations, biodiversity and land values. 

​

Biocontrol agents already present

A total of 9 lantana biocontrol agents and 3 associated insects were established on lantana in South Africa before 1997 (listed below). The damage is caused by the developing larva or nymph. Some of these agents undergo sporadic, localized outbreaks that defoliate whole stands of lantana, but the plant recovers completely, and continues to densify and spread.

Status of lantana biocontrol agents and associated insects established on lantana in South Africa before 1997:

• Aristaea onychota, a leaf-mining moth, indigenous to Africa - Negligible impact
• Calycomyza lantanae, a leaf-mining fly - Minor impact
• Epinotia lantana, a flower-mining moth - Minor impact
• Hypena laceratalis, a leaf-chewing moth, indigenous to Africa - Medium impact
• Lantanophaga pusillidactyla, a flower-mining moth - Minor impact
• Octotoma scabripennis, a leaf-mining beetle - Sporadic outbreaks, inland areas
• Ophiomyia lantanae, a fruit-mining fly - Minor impact
• Orthezia insignis, a stem-sucking bug, a cosmopolitan pest with preference for lantana - Localized impact
• Phenacoccus parvus, a leaf-sucking bug, a cosmopolitan pest with preference for lantana - Very localized
• Salbia haemorrhoidalis, a leaf-chewing moth - Localized, minor impact
• Teleonemia scrupulosa, a eaf-sucking bug - Sporadic outbreaks, drier areas
• Uroplata girardi, a leaf-mining beetle - Sporadic outbreaks, coast

Current research

Current South African research into biological control of lantana focuses on developing new, host-specific, biocontrol agents (listed below), to supplement the activity of the agents established earlier. With financial support from the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry's Working for Water Programme during the period 1997-2010, the lantana biocontrol research team obtained 30 promising-looking candidate agents from the Central American Region, and evaluated them in quarantine in South Africa. Of these, 13 were rejected internally because they were found to be inadequately host-specific or non-pathogenic ('x' in the list below, below), 9 were shelved ('~') for various reasons (such as breeding difficulties or giving preference to another species in the same genus), and 7 were found to be acceptably host-specific for release ('*'), whilst 1 is undergoing host-specificity testing ('?').

Status of candidates for biocontrol of lantana evaluated in quarantine in South Africa during 1997-2010:

• Aceria lantanae, a flower-galling mite - 2010, Initial establishment *
• Aconophora compressa, a stem-sucking bug - Insufficiently host-specific x
• Aerenicopsis championi, a stem-boring beetle - Could not rear ~
• Aerenicopsis irumuara, a stem-boring beetle - Could not rear ~
• Alagoasa decemguttata, a leaf-chewing beetle - Insufficiently host-specific x
• Alagoasa extrema, a leaf-chewing beetle - Insufficiently host-specific x
• Asphondylia camarae, a flower-galling fly - Could not rear ~
• Barela parvisaccata, a leaf-sucking bug - Insufficiently host-specific x
• Charidotis pygmaea, a leaf-chewing beetle - Insufficiently host-specific x
• Coelocephalapion camarae, a petiole-galling beetle - 2007, Initial establishment *
• Eutreata xanthochaeta, a stem-galling fly - Insufficiently host-specific x
• Falconia intermedia, a leaf-sucking bug - 1999, Localized establishment *
• Leptostales ignifera, a leaf-chewing moth - Must re-collect for release *
• Leptostales cf. hepaticaria, a leaf-chewing moth - Shelved for congener ~
• Longitarsus bethae, a root-chewing beetle 2007, Initial establishment *
• Longitarsus columbicus Root-chewing beetle - Shelved for congener ~
• Longitarsus howdeni, a root-chewing beetle - Shelved for congener ~
• Longitarsus sp., a root-chewing beetle - Shelved for congener ~
• Macugonalia geographica, a stem-sucking bug - Insufficiently damaging x
• Mycovellosiella lantanae, a leaf-spotting fungus - 2000, No permanent establishment *
• Omophoita albicollis, a leaf-chewing beetle - Insufficiently host-specific x
• Ophiomyia camarae, a leaf-mining fly - 2001, Abundant, especially hot, coastal areas *
• Phenacoccus madeirensis, a stem-sucking bug - Host-specificity uncertain ~
• Pseudanthonomus canescens, a flower-mining beetle - Insufficiently host-specific x
• Pseudanthonomus griseipilis, a flower-mining beetle - Insufficiently host-specific x
• Prospodium tuberculatum, a leaf rust fungus - Non-pathogenic to RSA varieties x
• Puccinia lantanae, a leaf-and-stem rust - Host-spec. testing in UK ?
• Septoria sp. a leaf-spotting fungus - Non-pathogenic to RSA varieties x
• Teleonemia vulgata, a leaf-sucking bug - Shelved for compatibility concerns ~
• Tingidae indet., a leaf-sucking bug - Insufficiently host-specific x

The lantana biocontrol agents established in South Africa are generally widespread but very sparse, reaching only about 10% of maximum abundance (Table 1). The introduction of the lantana herringbone leafminer, Ophiomyia camarae has significantly improved biocontrol of lantana along the hot and humid coast of KwaZulu-Natal, but it is sparse inland, and cannot overwinter on the highveld.

Table 1. Relative abundance of each Lantana camara biocontrol agent (and other lantana-associated insect species) in each lantana-infested province of South Africa during 2004/2005

EC: Easten Cape; GP: Gauteng; KZ: KwaZulu-Natal; LP: Limpopo; MP: Mpumalanga; NW: North West; WC: Western Cape. Data ex Heystek (2006)

Lantana control

The shocking truth is that the 'generally very healthy' state of lantana in South Africa is 'with' or 'after' biocontrol. The lantana biocontrol agents currently established are simply unable to stop the weed densifying and spreading. To control lantana, one has to resort to very thorough and persistent mechanical plus chemical treatment. . Lantana biocontrol is nevertheless of value, because it reduces the rate of growth and reproduction of the weed, which reduces the frequency and cost of applying other control measures.

Reviews of this biocontrol project were published in 1999[pdf] and 2011[pdf].

The following fact sheets can be downloaded:

• Lantana, Lantana camara
• Coelocephalapion camarae, the lantana petiole-galling weevil
• Aceria lantanae, the lantana flower gall mite
• Ophiomyia camarae, the lantana herringbone leafminer

Contact: David Simelane, Email: SimelaneD@arc.agric.za

>>>Specific IAP Species and their control according to common names
>>>Specific IAP Species and their control according to botanical names