Volkovitsh M.G., Dolgovskaya M.Yu., Reznik S.Ya., Markin G.P., Cristofaro M., Tronci C. 2008. Sphenoptera foveola (Buprestidae) as a potential agent for biological control of skeletonweed, Chondrilla juncea. In: Proc. of the XII Intern. Symp. On Biological Control of Weeds (eds. Julien M.H. et al.). CABI, Wallingford, UK, pp. 227-231.

Skeletonweed, Chondrilla juncea L. is one of the most important invasive weeds in USA, Australia, and certain South American countries. With the aim to find new potential agents for biological control of this weed, extensive surveys have been carried out in 2004 - 2005 in its native range in Southern Russia and Kazakhstan. Among other phytophagous insects, the bronze skeletonweed root borer, Sphenoptera foveola Gebler (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) was repeatedly collected from different Chondrilla species. According to literature and our own data, this buprestid is widely distributed in sandy deserts of Southern Russia and Kazakhstan. Locally, it could be rather abundant. Observations in natural conditions suggest that both larvae and adults of S. foveola feed exclusively on plants of the genus Chondrilla. Adults feed on green stems, larvae feed externally (within latex case) on roots. At high population density, larvae could cause significant damage to attacked plants. Thus, it seems that S. foveola could be considered as a potential agent for biological control of skeletonweed, although further studies (particularly, host specificity tests) are necessary to prove this hypothesis. Sphenoptera (Deudora) clarescens Kerremans, another sphenopteran species attacking Chondrilla in Iran and Turkey has different root-boring strategy and also invite further investigations to evaluate its perspective as potential agent for biological control of skeletonweed.