Thermal limitations to the biological control of Gonipterus sp. n. 2 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in South African Eucalyptus plantations

Climate significantly influences the efficacy of biological control agents. Differences in thermal tolerance between herbivores and their parasitoids can limit the success of biological control due to asymmetrical impacts of extreme temperatures in winter and summer. The resurgence of the Eucalyptus weevil Gonipterus sp. n. 2 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), in South Africa, is geographically variable in ways that have been hypothesized to reflect differential patterns in winter mortality, favouring early-season growth of beetle populations. The aim of the study was to examine evidence for local adaptation and climatic mismatching between Gonipterus sp. n. 2 and Anaphes nitens (Hymenoptera: Myrmaridae) across elevations in the summer rainfall area of South Africa. We examined the upper lethal thresholds (ULT; at which 50% of the insects died), the lower lethal threshold (LLT; the supercooling point), and development time at 15, 20, and 25 °C of Gonipterus sp. n. 2 and its biological control..., , , # Data from Thermal limitations to the biological control of *Gonipterus* sp. n. 2 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in South African *Eucalyptus* plantations

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.mw6m90677](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.mw6m90677)

## General information

1\. Date of data collection: 2015 - 2016

2\. Geographic location of data collection: Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

3\. Information about funding sources that supported the data: This work was supported by the Tree Protection Cooperative Programme (TPCP) based at FABI, University of Pretoria.

## SHARING/ACCESS INFORMATION

1\. Links to publications that cite or use the data: Schroder et al. 2025 Thermal limitations to the biological control of *Gonipterus* sp. n. 2 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in South African *Eucalyptus* plantations. Agricultural and Forest Entomology.

2\. Links to other publicly accessible locations of the data: none

3\. Was the data derived from another source? No

4\. Recommended citation for the datase...,