Biocontrol introduction
Target pest: Coleophora alcyonipennella (Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae), small clover casebearer
Agent introduced: Scambus brevicornis (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) = Ephialtes brevicornis
Imported:
1952, 1955
Import source:
Near Montmédy, France
Import notes:
Cameron et al. (1989) - Scambus brevicornis was imported in August 1952 as parasitised Coleophora trifolii host larvae collected near Montmédy, France. No hosts were available for emerging wasps and hibernating Coleophora spp. larvae were collected from the field for them. These were included in the unemerged material [presumably along with originally imported C. trifolii - in all several hundred host larval cases, presumably including S. brevicornis-parasitised individuals] placed in the field in March 1953. [Cameron et al. (1989) reported the New Zealand pest species of Coleophora, targeted by biocontrol programmes, as C. frischella and C. spissicornis. However, it is now considered very likely that it is C. alcyonipenella rather than C. frischella present in New Zealand - see Taxonomic note (22 September 2025) entry below in 'General comments' section - and Coleophora spissicornis has subsequently been synonymised with C. mayrella - see the introduction entries for the agents imported against C. mayrella for details.] From a 1955 importation of 5,000 parasitised C. trifolii from Montmédy, seven female and six male S. brevicornis emerged; some of these were used to initiate a laboratory colony on Plutella xylostella, but there were no releases from this importation.
Released:
1953
Release details:
Cameron et al. (1989) - in March 1953 several hundred parasitised Coleophora spp. [apparently a mix of locally-collected Coleophora spp. and imported C. trifolii - see Cameron et al. (1989) entry in the 'Import notes' section] containing S. brevicornis (amongst other species) were released, probably near Nelson.
Establishment:
Cameron et al. (1989) - there have been no recoveries of S. brevicornis.
General comments:
Taxonomic note (22 September 2025) - Coleophora frischella has been reported present in New Zealand as the white-tipped clover casebearer by Cameron et al. (1989) and many other authors. However, it is very likely that the species reported from New Zealand as C. frischella is, in fact, C. alcyonipennella. Dugdale (1988) does not report C. frischella from New Zealand. He notes that the name frischella has been used for Coleophora specimens here, but he regards these as misidentifications of C. trifolii, and regards Coleophora alcyonipennella as a synonym of C. trifolii. However, Stubner (2007), in his revision of the C. frischella taxonomic group, considered C. frischella, C. alcyonipennella and C. trifolii all to be valid names (i.e. valid, separate species). Coleophora alcyonipennella, but not C. frischella or C. trifolii, is reported to be present in New Zealand by Biota of New Zealand (Landcare Research Biota of NZ - accessed 22 September 2025) and the New Zealand Arthropod Collection (Landcare Research SCNZ - accessed 22 September 2025).
References
Cameron PJ, Hill RL, Bain J, Thomas WP (1989). A Review of Biological Control of Invertebrate Pests and Weeds in New Zealand 1874-1987. Technical Communication No 10. CAB International Institute of Biological Control. DSIR Entomology Division. 424p.
Dugdale JS (1988). Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa. Fauna of New Zealand, 14 https://doi.org/10.7931/J2/FNZ.14
Landcare Research Biota of NZ (). Biota of New Zealand. Landcare Research website https://biotanz.landcareresearch.co.nz
Landcare Research SCNZ (). New Zealand Arthropod Collection: Systematics Collections Data. Landcare Research website https://scd.landcareresearch.co.nz/
Stubner A (2007). Taxonomic revision of the Coleophora frischella species group (Coleophoridae). Nota Lepidopterologica 30 (1): 121-172 https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/bc78/ab9b0a5889d02036f0d79ac1b4ce6f334582.pdf
