Dale H. Habeck

Education

• B.S. 1953 University of Wisconsin
• M.S. 1954 University of Wisconsin
• PhD. 1959 North Carolina State University

Employment

• University of Hawaii Asst. Prof. 1959-1963
• University of Florida Asst. Assoc. and Prof. 1963-present

Research

• Biological control of weeds, major concern - Brazilian peppertree infesting 1 million + acres in southern and central Florida. Also, involved in hydrilla and waterlettuce control and investigating potential for biological control of tropical soda apple. Two post-docs and 3 PhD. graduate students are involved in these projects.
• Identification and biology of immature insects, especially Lepidoptera. Involves collecting and rearing immatures found onvarious non-agricultural plants. Rearings have resulted in associating larval and adult stages of moths and other insects along with identification of parasitoids, host plants, etc. Involved is 1technician and 1 PhD. student.

Teaching

ENY 5611 Immature Insects. Identification of immature insects, primarily Holometabola to family. Emphasizes biology, morphology; use of keys and literature. Taught annually for about 25 years, now offered fall term of even years.

Graduate Students:

• Past advisor or Co-advisor PhD. 23 M.S.13
• Current Advisor or Co-advisor PhD. 4 M.S. 0

Extension

None, although I often assist in identification of insects, especially immatures.

Accomplishments

• Two insects have been cleared through quarantine for release against waterlettuce. The first, a South American weevil Neohydronomus affinis, is established throughout most of Florida. The second, an Asian noctuid Spodoptera pectinicornis has been released repeatedly in north and south Florida. The weevil has eliminated waterlettuce in some areas and has had little or no effect in others. The noctuid has not been recovered in north Florida but may be tenuously established at one highly manipulated site in south Florida.
• Attention is now focused on biological control of Brazilian peppertree Schinus terebinthifolius. Grants of $150,000/yr. are in place for 5 years terminating in 1998. Additional funding is being sought to accelerate the work. Two candidate insects, a thrips Liothrips ichini and a sawfly Heteroperryia hubrichihave been brought into quarantine for colony establishment and host-specificity testing. Several others are being considered and evaluated in Curitiba, Brazil.
• A three year study on the effects of the introduced ephydridfly Hydrellia pakistanae has been funded at about $65,000/yearthrough a cooperative agreement between the USDA and the University of Florida, Center for Aquatic Plants. Another 3 year cooperative program with Dr. Charudattan in Plant Pathology and Dr. Eliana Fontes in Brazil to work on biological control of mutually important weeds has been funded by NSF. It is just getting started. The possibility of controlling tropical soda apple with biocontrol is also being investigated.
• Studies on immature insects have resulted in a collection of more than 60,000 vials representing most families and orders. However, emphasis has been on Lepidoptera. The collection contains the most species and specimens of aquatic caterpillars anywhere. Keys have been prepared to the genera of aquatic caterpillars in North America and in China and work is proceeding on several papers on the Australian species.
• Drawings have been nearly completed on the known larvae of the Epipaschiinae (Pyralidae) for a Moths of North America volume with Dr. Alma Solis (SEL-USNM). Much work has also been done on the Lithosiinae (Arctiidae) and other lichen-feeding caterpillars. A key to more than 20 species of weevil larvae associated with aquatic and semi-aquatic plants has been completed. A graduate student, Deborah Matthews has completed a study of the Pterophoridae of Florida and is now doing descriptions and cladistic analyses for known North American larvae.

Grants and Contracts

$350,000 + over last 5 years from South Florida Water Management District, Dept. of Environmental Protection, USDA, NSF.

Career Publications 130+

• Books: 1
• Refereed Papers: 68
• Chapter in Books: 3
• Misc. Papers: 58

Selected Publications

• Habeck, D.H. 1994. Chapter 16, Lepidoptera. In Morse, J.C., L. Tian, and L. Yang (Eds). Aquatic insects of China useful for detecting water pollution. Kendall Hunt Publishers, Dubuque, Iowa.

• Habeck, D.H. and C.R. Thommpson. 1994. A key to economically important pectinicornis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) a biological control agent of waterlettuce (Pistia stratiotes). Biol. Contr. (in press).

• Fontes, E. M. G., D. H. Habeck and F. Slansky, Jr. 1994. Phytophagous Insects Associated with Goldenrods (Solidago spp.) in Gainesville, Florida. Fla. Entomol. 77(1): 209-221.

• Haag, K. H. and D. H. Habeck. 1991. Enhanced biological control of water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes, following limited herbicide application. J. Aquatic Pl. Management 29: 24-28.

• Bennett, F. D. and D. H. Habeck. 1991. Brazilian peppertree prospects for Biological control in Florida. Proc. Symp. on Exotic Pest Plants, Miami, Florida, 2-4 November 1988. (in press)

• Habeck, D. H., F. D. Bennett and J. H. Frank. (Editors). 1990. Classical Biological Control in the South. Southern Cooperative Series Bulletin 355. 197 p.

• Habeck, D. H. 1990. Insects associated with poison ivy and their potential as biological control agents. pp. 329-337. In Delfosse, E.S. (Ed.) Proc. VII Int. Symp. Biol. Cont. Weeds, 6-11 March, 1988. Rome, Italy.

• Habeck, Dale H. 1982. The potential of Parapoynx stratiotataL. as a biological control agent for Eurasian water milfoil. J. Aquatic Plant Management 21: 26-29.