Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Juli Gould, current president, opened the meeting by introducing Phil Roberts, the administrative advisor. Phil pointed out the strengths of the group: its size and mix of academic and extension practitioners. He emphasized the importance of cooperative working relationships, integrating the various workers within the member states. He stated that people could become formal members, now being a good time to join since the program is going through a revision. Anyone collaborating could attend the meeting, however. The project has the option of petitioning to renew the project, or let it terminate. It terminates September 2002.

Juli introduced Rich Green, director of International Programs for USDA-ARS. He oversees stations in Montpellier, France, Brisbane, Australia, Buenos Aries, and Beijing, China. He stated that Floyd Horn worked hard to obtain a 10% increase in funding for overseas programs. Concerns about invasive organisms helped provide support for this increase. Rich sees W-185 as a means of increasing partnerships between overseas programs and projects in the United States. He thanked Mike Pitcairn (CDFA) for organizing a tribute to R. Sobhian, as he soon retires from service with the European Biological Control Laboratory in France.

M. Johnson reported that members of the ESCOP Biological control Working Group met with representatives of several agencies and organizations in Washington, DC, in March 2000 relative to issues in biological control. Areas in which the Association of Natural Biocontrol Producers (ANBP) would like for BCWG (and Regional BC Committees) to work to obtain were discussed.

Mike Oraze (USDA-NBCI) spoke on current organizational changes within USDA-APHIS in relation to NBCI. Schwabe is currently acting director of the center for Plant Health Science & Technology. NBCI resides in this division, which has five directors. Mike discussed the grants program for systematics  supporting postdoctoral researchers. He mentioned that results from non-target projects will be available at their web site. There will soon be a new Plant Protection Act. This will separate Biocontrol agents from plant pests. APHIS will no longer have authority over entomophagous organisms. The new law will soon be published and available for public comment.

Dave Thompson of New Mexico State University was voted in as a new member.

Russ Messing initiated a discussion on the use of electronic mail for distributing annual reports. Having reports available as both hard copies and electronic versions was discussed. Mike Oraze volunteered to explore the use of CSREES web site for posting these reports. John Obrycki is now acting in place of Steve Yaninek at CSREES.

The floor was opened for discussion on new projects:

Joe Balciunus discussed Cape Ivy. Jack DeLoach opened a lengthy discussion on Tamarisk, current accomplishments on new introductions.

Peter McEvoy opened a discussion on Spartina. TAG has approved the importation of a leafhopper to the Pacific Northwest for control of this coastal weed pest. The project could be a topic for next years meeting.

DeLoach discussed the impressive impact of an eriophyid mite for bind-weed control.

Gary Piper mentioned that skeletonweed is under good control in Washington, but not in southwest Oregon or California.

September 17th, 2001 is the date for the international IPBC meeting in Hawaii.

Discussion on Critical Review:

Phil Roberts: renewal is used for completing old objectives and build on previous accomplishments. Submission date is 1/15/02. Website has revised guidelines. A draft proposal should be completed by the end of next year. In short, the renewal should include the following: 1) summary of accomplishments, 2) degree of accomplishments, 3) incomplete work. It is important to describe impacts with respect to objectives. Matrices are important for showing interactions.

Discussion on Objectives for the next 5 years:

It was suggested that only top pests be covered in the critical review. Others can be placed in an appendix.

After much discussion, the following objectives were changed to the read as follows:

Objective 4: Determine environmental safety of exotic candidates prior to release.

Objective 2: Foreign exploration and ecological studies in known range of pest.

Objective 14: Evaluate the environmental impact by the biological control agent.

Objective 15: Evaluate the economic impact of target pests and their biological control.

Objective 7: Characterize and identify pest and natural enemy communities and their interactions.

Volunteers were identified to represent different taxa, with C. Pickett to coordinate insects and M. Pitcairn to coordinate weeds.

Volunteers for the new proposal were identified.

Juli Gould will gather information on target pests using her mailer and send the list out to members for ratification. Juli can make recommendations based on cross relations of matrices.

A Panel Discussion was held on practicing good biological control

Marshall Johnson suggested that we invite 15 young, new potential members from across the country into this organization.

Presentations were made on new technologies for biological control

A Panel Discussion was held to commemorate Rouhollah Sobhian.

Due to space limitations, accomplishments from only the first 3 Objectives are included. A full report of all 15 Objectives is available from the Administrative Advisor.

GOAL A: Import and Establish Effective Natural Enemies
Objective 1. Survey indigenous natural enemies
Arthropod pests. Comprehensive surveys of aphids and associated natural enemies, emphasizing hymenopteran parasitoids, have been scaled back to monthly examinations of parasitoid release sites. Personnel from Northern Marianas College on Saipan and from the Department of Natural Land Resources continue to survey aphids and aphid parasitoids from Saipan, Tinian and Rota. (U. of Guam, Miller).

A survey of the parasitoids of native leaf miners of southern California was completed. Hosts were represented by 16 species in 8 different families with Agromyzidae and Gracillariidae being the most common. Leaf miner parasitoids are abundant with 25 species in 10 families currently documented and Eulophidae by far the most abundant. The parasitoid community overall is similar in diversity to that of the citrus leaf miner elsewhere in the world (U. of California-Riverside, Heraty).

Eggs of the two-spotted leafhopper, Sophonia rufofascia, were found to be parasitized by Chaetomymar sp. nr bagicha Narayanan, Subba Rao, & Kaur; Schizophragma bicolor (Dozier); and Polynema sp. Haliday (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) in Hawaii. Baseline parasitism rates of Aphis gossypii by Lysiphlebus testaceipes were determined in vegetable crops in Hawaii (U. of Hawaii, Johnson).

Weeds
Field survey of indigenous arthropods and diseases on yellow star thistle continued in 1999. In 2000, specimens were sorted by taxa and sent to experts for identification. A survey of indigenous arthropods and diseases on Scotch broom in Californias central Sierra Nevada foothills was initiated in 2000 (Cal. Dept. Food & Agriculture, Pitcairn).

Native and exotic Cirsium thistles were surveyed in N. California and S. Oregon for the past three years. Several species of seed head infesting insects emerged from the thistles. These include the weevil Rhinocyllus, tephritid flies Orellia and Paracantha, and the sunflower moth Homeosoma. The project leader has been providing guidance and advice to students at Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo (supervised by Dr. Dave Hendricks) in their surveys of insects feeding on the pest vine Cape ivy in California (USDA-ARS Albany, Balciunas).

Scotch broom, Cytisus scoparius, has been surveyed in Oregon to determine which species of natural enemies may be present. Several pathogens have been found that are killing many plants, young and old, and determinations of species and impact are being made. (Oregon Dept. of Agriculture, Coombs).

Objective 2. Undertake foreign exploration
Arthropod pests.
Peristenus stygicus has been collected by EBCL and sent through ARS, Newark, DE, and released in California against mired plant bugs by CDFA. The wheat stem sawfly has been collected in China and Uzbekistan; diapausing specimens are in the EBCL quarantine-awaiting emergence of potential candidate agentsichneumonids, braconids, and nematodes. Fifty-five species of parasitoids have been collected from tortricid pests in 3 different fruit producing areas of France; some of the parasitoid species are new to science and are awaiting identification. Hymenopterous parasitoids of the pink hibiscus mealy bug were collected in Asia for potential biological control in California. Over 50 samples were collected from Asia, the Middle East, and Australia for genetic characterization and development of a phylogenetic tree of species in North America and elsewhere. Egg-infecting disease and parasitoids or clover weevils were collected in France by a New Zealand cooperator for identification and biological characterization. More than 1000 living gypsy moth parasitoids (6 spp. in 3 families) were shipped to the ARS quarantine in Newark, DE for research and use as biological control agents. Field studies verified the potential of the parasitic fly, Blepharipa schineri, as a very promising agent in periods of low host density. (USDA-ARS, European Biological Laboratory, Chen/Herard/Hoelmer/Kirk)

Foreign exploration and importation of Lygus nymphal parasites in Europe was initiated in 1998. Parasites have been collected in France, Italy, and Spain. Foreign exploration is being conducted in collaboration with the USDA-ARS (Newark, Delaware; EBCL, France) and CABI Bioscience (Delemont, Switzerland). (California Dept. of Food and Agriculture)

Parasitoids of the tortricid leaf roller complex attacking apple and associated deciduous trees and shrubs were examined at sites in France to identify species that may be suited for neoclassical introductions against Pandemis limitata and Choristoneura roscaceana in the apple production regions of Central Washington and for classical introductions against a growing exotic leaf roller complex in Western Washington which includes Archips fuscocupreanus, Archips podana, Pandemis heparana and several minor tortricids (USDA-ARS Yakima, Unruh).

Three strains of Aphidius transcaspicus were collected from mealy aphids from Spain in May 2000. Parasitoids of the codling moth were collected from the Xinjiang Province of China and leaf roller parasitoids were collected from Kazakhstan in June 2000 (U. of California-Berkeley, Mills).

Several parasitoids were reared from collections of arabica coffee in Kenya infested with tephritid fruit flies: Diachasmimorpha fullawayi (Silvestri), Fopius ceratitivorus Wharton, F. caudatus Szipligeti, F. silvestrii Wharton, Psyttalia cosyrae Wilkinson, and Psyttalia cf. concolor Szipligeti, Bracon celer Szipligeti (Braconidae) and Tetrastichus giffardianus Silvestri, T. giffardii Silvestri (Eulophidae), Coptera sp. (Diapriidae) (U. of Hawaii, Johnson).

Hymenopterous parasites of Rhopalosiphum padi and Schizaphis graminum have been collected and imported to California from Morocco, Syria and Iran. These have been evaluated in laboratory and field cage trials in California and in Egypt. Aphidius matricarae, a population of matricarae from Abu Kamal (Euphrates River Valley in Syria) has provided best results against R. padi and S. graminium in California and Egypt trials. (University of California  Riverside, Gonzalez)

Weeds.
Field tests in the Republic of Georgia with North American biotypes have trapped several fungal pathogens and a leaf miner (probably Agromyzidae) of skeleton weed. Identification is in progress. A non-aestivating type of Diorhabda elongata with potential for biological control of saltcedar has been found in Tunisia; it was active all summer long in 2000. (USDA-ARS, European Biological Control Laboratory, Sobhian/Kirk/Coutinot/Alexsidze/ Widmer)

The project leader spent 4 weeks in South Africa visiting Cape ivy collection sites, reviewing the findings of the cooperating scientists, and will help with initial testing of the previously identified potential Cape ivy biocontrol agents (USDA-ARS Albany, Balciunas).

IIBC (UK) and Land Care Research, (NZ), are conducting cooperative foreign exploration surveys for natural enemies of scotch broom, Cytisus scoparius, to identify and test possible biocontrol candidates. (Oregon Dept. of Agriculture, Coombs).
Objective 3. Determine systematics and biogeography of pest and natural enemies

Arthropod pests
Samples and the pathogens/insect fauna associated with giant reed were collected from many sites in southern France and Nepal. Plant specimens will be used for genetic characterization so a phylogenetic tree can be constructed for comparison of biotypes from the United States and elsewhere. In cooperation with CIRAD (France), 70 populations of diamondback moth were collected from crucifers in 19 countries. Parasitism ranged from 0% (Australia) to 100% (Ethiopia). The target specimens have been conserved in liquid nitrogen for genetic biotyping and matching with parasitoids. (USDA-ARS, European Biological Control Laboratory, Quimby/Kirk/Widmer/Carruthers)

Synopses of the comparative biology and systematics of the New World Chrysopidae and Hemerobiidae were prepared, and larval descriptions for species of Ceraeochrysa in the U.S.A. and Mexico were completed. The larvae, adults and biology of a new species of Chrysopa were described, and a key to the Chrysopa north of Mexico was published (NY-AES, Cornell U., Tauber).

The phylogenetic relationships of Encarsia (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) were studied using molecular information from the 28S-D2 region and morphological characteristics. A total of 67 strains and 24 species encompassing 10 species groups were surveyed and a robust hypothesis produced. The gene regions also proved to be useful in sorting morphologically indistinct species, E. formosa and E. luteola. The molecular studies coincided with completion of a project on the discrimination of species in the Encarsia strenua group, and publication of an online catalog of species. The citrus peel miner, Marmara gulosa new species (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), was determined through morphological, biological (crossing) and genetic studies to be the same species on willow, citrus, oleander and cotton, with willow determined as the original native host. Cirrospilus coachellae Gates (Eulophidae) is the dominant parasitoid in citrus, and it also has the potential to attack and possibly control the citrus leaf miner (U. of California-Riverside, Heraty).

Work by Fred Ryan, USDA-ARS, on the genetic variation in Russian thistle continued in 2000. Studies now show three genetic entities each with different chromosome numbers: Type A has 36 chromosomes, Type B has 18 chromosomes, and Type C has 54 chromosomes. In addition, examination of the related species, Salsola paulsenii, has revealed two genetic entities: a spinose form and a lax form with each having different chromosome numbers. A cooperative project with the USDA-ARS Foreign Disease Introduction Laboratory, The USDA-ARS European Biological Control Laboratory, and USDA-ARS Exotic and Rangeland Weeds Research and Management Program, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture was initiated in 2000 to examine the variability of yellow star thistle worldwide. Seeds of yellow star thistle were obtained in several countries in Europe and Asia and sent to the Foreign Disease Introduction Laboratory where the genetic and other molecular analyses are being performed. (California Dept. of Food & Agriculture)

WORK PLANNED FOR NEXT YEAR: In 2000, research addressed all fifteen objectives. Research will continue on all goals and objectives for a variety of target arthropod and weed pests throughout the Western United States and affiliated areas. Exploration for new biological control agents will continue, as will release, redistribution, and evaluation of establishment and efficacy. Improvements in conservation and augmentation methods and technologies will continue; these will provide better opportunities for incorporating biological control into integrated pest management programs. Increased emphasis will be placed on evaluating the economic and environmental impacts of biological control. Strong collaboration and communication among researchers in the regional project will continue to lead to significant advances in biological pest control technology. This will result in more environmentally and economically sound solutions to regional pest problems.

Due to space limitations, only the first 44 of 132 publications are listed.

Albuquerque, G. S., C. A. Tauber & M. J. Tauber. 2001. Chrysoperla externa and Ceraeochrysa spp.: potential use in biological control in the New World tropics and subtropics. In: P. McEwen, T. New and A. E. Whittington (eds.), Lacewings in the Crop Environment, Cambridge University Press (in press).

Amsellem, Z., N. Zidak, P.C. Quimby, Jr., and J. Gressel. Long-term dry preservation of viable mycelia of two mycoherbicidal organisms. Crop Protection. 1999. V. 18. p. 643-649.

Babcock, C.S. & J.M. Heraty. 2000. Molecular markers for the discrimination of Encarsia formosa and Encarsia luteola (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae). Ann. Entomology. Soc. Am. 93: 738-744.

Baker, J.L., K. Johnson, D.J. Kazmer, R. Richard, D.T. Taylor, N. Webber, and K. Zimmerman. 1999. Economic Impacts of Russian Knapweed in the Big Horn and Wind River Basins of Wyoming. In Christie, S. and M. Wille (eds). Proceedings of the Third Annual Conference of the Russian Knapweed Biological Control Consortium. U.S. Dept. of the Interior-Bureau of Land Management, Worland, WY.

Balciunas, J. K. 2001. A proposed Code of Best Practices for classical biological control of weeds. In: Proceedings of the X International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds, July 5-9, 1999, Bozeman, MT. (in press)

Ball, J., C. H. Picket & R. H. Messing. 2000. Introduction of an olive fruit fly parasitoid into Southern California. In: Biological Control Program Annual Summary for 1999. D. M. Woods, ed. CDFA Plant Health and Prevention Services, Sacramento, CA.

Chang, Y. F., M. J. Tauber, C. A. Tauber & J. P. Nyrop. 2000. Interpopulation variation in Chrysoperla carnea reproduction: implications for mass rearing and storage. Entomology. Exp. Appl. 95: 293-302.

Coombs, E.M., G.L. Piper, and L. Wilson. 2000. Biological control. In: Pacific Northwest Weed Control Handbook. pp. 3-5. R.D. William, D. Ball, T.L. Miller, R. Parker, J. P. Yenish, T.W. Miller, C. Eberlein, G.A. Lee, and D.W. Morishita (eds.), Extension Services, Oregon State University, Corvallis.

Coutinot, D., S. Katti, M. Saunders, K. Hoelmer, and M. Martinez. Introducing European parasitoids of tortricid grape berry moths into North America: evaluating the potential for a program in the U.S. IOBC / WPRS Bulletin. 1999, v. 22 (2). p. 10.

Coutinot, D., and K. Hoelmer. Parasitoids of Lygus spp. In North America. Assoc. Nat. Prot. Plantes, Proceedings. 5th International Conference: Pests in Agriculture. Montpellier, France. 1999. P. 641-648.

Craemer C., R. Sobhian, A. McClay, and A. James. A new species of Cecidophyes (Acari: Eriophyidae) from Galium aparine (Rubinaceae) with notes on its biology and potential as a biological control agent for Galium spurium. International Journal of Acarology. 1999. V. 25, (4). p. 225-263.

Daane, K. M., N. J. Mills & M. J. Tauber. 2001. Inundative controls. In: D. Pimentel (ed.), Encyclopedia of Pest Management, CRC Press (in press).

Dahlsten, D.L., R.L. Zuparko, A.E. Hajek, D.L. Rowney, and S.H. Dreistadt. 1999. Long term sampling of Eucallipterus tillae (Homoptera: Drepanosiphidae) and associated natural enemies in a Northern California site. Environmental Entomology, 18(5): 845-850.

Dahlsten, D.L., D.L. Rowney, A.B. Lawson, W.E. Chaney, K.L. Robb, L.R. Costello, and J.N. Kabashima. 2000. The red gum lerp psyllid, a new pest of Eucalyptus species in California. Proceedings 48th Annual Meeting of the California Forest Pest Council (Nov. 18-19, 1999, Sacramento, Calif.), S.M. Jones, D.M. Adams and J.E Rios, Editors. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, pp. 45-50.

Dahlsten, D.L., D.L. Rowney and W.A. Copper. 2000. Landscapes: Integrating biological control of the Eugenia psyllid into the day-to-day management of the landscape in Disneyland. Pp. 59-64. IN. Proceedings California Conference on Biological Control II. M.S. Hoddle, editor. (July 11-12, 2000, Riverside, Calif.). 205 pp.

Delvare, G. and A. Kirk. Potential of parasitic hymenoptera for the biological control of Plutella xylostella (L.) (Yponomeutidae): A review from past experience and recent exploration. Proceedings. Pests in Agriculture: International Conference. 2000. In press.

Diaz-Aranda, L. M., V. P. Monserrat & C. A. Tauber. 2001. Recognition of early stages of Chrysopidae. In: P. McEwen, T. New and A. E. Whittington (eds.), Lacewings in the Crop Environment, Cambridge University Press (in press).

Duan, J. J. & Messing, R. H. 1999. Effects of origin and experience on patterns of host acceptance by the opiine parasitoid Diachasmimorpha tryoni. Ecological Entomology 24: 284-291.

Duan, J. J. & R. H. Messing. 1999. Development of approaches to evaluating non-target impacts of introduced fruit fly parasitoids in Hawaii. in: Nontarget Effects of Biological Control. P. Follett & J. Duan, Eds. Kluwer Academic Pub., Norwell, MA.

Duan, J. J., R. H. Messing & R. Dukas. 2000. Host selection of Diachasmimorpha tryoni (Hymenoptera: Braconidae): comparative response to fruit-infesting and gall-forming tephritid flies. Environmental Entomology 29: 838.

Ehler, L. E. 2000. Farmscape ecology of stink bugs in Northern California. Entomological Society of America, Lanham, MD.59 pp.

Evans, E.W. 2000a. Egg production in response to combined alternative foods by the predator Coccinella transversalis. Entomologia experimentalis et applicata 94: 141-147

Evans, E.W. 2000b. Morphology of invasion: body size patterns associated with establishment of Coccinella septemptunctata in western North America. European Journal of Entomology, in press.

Feng, M. G., T. J. Poprawski, R. M. Nowierski, and Z. Zeng. 1999. Infectivity of Pandora neoaphidis (Zygomycetes: Entomphthorales) to Acyrthosiphon pisum (Homoptera: Aphidiae) in response to varying temperature and photoperiod regimes. J. Appl. Entomology. 123: 29-35.

Follett, P. .A., J. J. Duan, R. H. Messing & V. P. Jones. 2000. Parasitoid drift after biological control introductions: re-examining Pandoras box. American Entomologist 46: 82-94.

Gardner, K.T. and D.C. Thompson. 2000. Development and phonology of the specialist grasshopper, Hesperotettix viridis (Orthoptera: Acrididae). Environ. Entomology. (in press).

Gates, M. 1999. A new species of Cirrospilus Westwood (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) from the southwestern United States and Mexico. Proc. Entomology. Soc. Wash. 102: 58-61.

Glenn, D. M., Puterka, G., Drake, S., Unruh, T., Knight, A., Bahere, P., Pradeo, E. and Baugher, T. 2000. Effect of particle film of apple yield and productivity. J. Amer. Hort. Soc. (In press)

Goudegnon, A.E., A. Kirk. And D. Bordat. Statut de Plutella xylostella (L.) et de Cotesia plutellae (Kurdjumov) au Benin. Proceedings. ANPP VTH International Conference on Pests in Agriculture. 2000. In press.

Guillen, M. 1999. Bionomics of the citrus peel miner. M.Sc. thesis, University of California, Riverside.

Hagler, J.R. 2000. Biological Control. P. 207-241. In Jack Rechcigl (ed.), Environmentally Sound Approaches to Pest Management. Ann Arbor Press.

Hagler, J.R. and C.G. Jackson. 2001. Methods for marking insects: Current techniques and future prospects. Annu. Rev. Entomology. (in press).

Hasan S., R. Sobhian, and L. Knutson. Preliminary studies on Ramularia crupinae sp. nov. as a potential biological control agent for common crupina (Crupina vulgaris) in the USA. Annals of Applied Biology. 1999. V. 135. p. 489-494.

Heinz, K. M. J. R. Brazzle, M. P. Parrella, and C. H. Pickett. 1999. Field evaluations of augmentative releases of Delphastus catalinae (Horn) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) for suppression of Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring (Homoptera; Aleyrodidae) infesting cotton. Biological Control 16: 241-251.

Herard, F., K. Chen, and A. Cameron. Gypsy moth parasitism in the native range during outbreak termination and the subsequent latency phase. Proceedings. U.S. Department of Agriculture interagency research forum on gypsy moth and other invasive species. 2000. P. 81.

Heraty, J.M. 2000. Citrus Peel miner and Citrus Leaf miner [fact sheet produced for the Center for Exotic Pest Management and distributed by Citrus Research Board]

Heraty, J.M. & J.B. Woolley. 1999. World Catalog of Encarsia (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae). Formatted catalog available online at http://cache.ucr.edu/~heraty/Encarsia.cat.pdf.

Heraty, J. M. & A.P. Polaszek. 2000. Morphometric analysis and descriptions of selected species in the Encarsia strenua species group (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae). J. Hymen. Res. 9: 142-169.

Hoddle, M.S., Aponte, O., Kerguelen, V. & Heraty, J. 1999. Biological control of Oligonychus perseae (Acari: Tetranycchidae) on avocado: I. Evaluating release timings, recovery and efficacy of six commercially available phytoseiids. International Journal of Acarology 25: 211-219

Hoddle, M.S., Robinson, L., Jones, J. and Virzi, J. 1999. Developmental and reproductive biology of a predatory Franklinothrips n. sp. (Thysanoptera: Aeolothripidae). Biological Control 18: 27-38.

Hoelmer, K. Foreign exploration for sawfly natural enemies. Proceedings. XXI International Congress of Entomology, Iguassu Falls, Brazil. 2000. P. 203.

Hoelmer, K., A. Kirk, and G. S. Simmons. An overview of natural enemy explorations and evaluations for Bemisia in the U.S. Assoc. Nat. Prot. Plantes, Proceedings 5th International Conference: Pests in Agriculture. Montpellier, France. 1999. P. 689-696.

Hoelmer, K., J. Goolsby, A. Kirk, W. Roltsch and C. Pickett. Reviewing a multi-agency biological control program for Bemisia argentifolii in the southwest United States: foreign exploration, mass culture, and evaluations. Proceedings. XXI International Congress of Entomology, Iguassu Falls, Brazil. 2000. P. 999.