New Zealand calls for submissions on a biocontrol application

The New Zealand Environmental Protection Authority is calling for submissions on an application to import and release the beetle Colaspis argentinensis as a biological control agent for the weed moth plant Araujia hortorum. The application is being made by Waikato Regional Council.

The moth plant forms a heavy mass of foliage that can breakdown and kill underlying trees and shade out regenerating seedlings. Waikato Regional Council says that moth plant poses a significant threat to the integrity of reserved land, is a problem weed in the urban environment in New Zealand and can also have an adverse effect on kiwifruit and other orchard industries.

The moth plant has also caused gastrointestinal illness in humans in New Zealand, and the latex sap from the weed can cause skin burns.

The application states that the larvae of Colaspis argentinensis burrow down to feed on the roots of the moth plant. Waikato Regional Council expects that root damage from the larvae will reduce the survival rate and abundance of the plant, reducing its competitive abilities with valued plant species.