Characteristics of the meconia of European egg parasitoids of Halyomorpha halys

By

Sabbatini Peverieri, Giuseppino
Giovannini, Lucrezia
Benvenuti, Claudia.
Madonni, Luca
Hoelmer, Kim
Roversi, Pio Federico

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2020

Original Publication

Journal of Hymenoptera research

Volume

77

Pages

187--201

Subjects

Acroclisoides sinicus , Biological control , Hyperparasitoid , scanning electron microscopy (SEM) , Trissolcus japonicus , Trissolcus mitsukurii

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Washington, D.C International Society of Hymenopterists

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/jhr.77.52904

 

Abstract

Halyomorpha halys is a severe invasive Asian pest worldwide and classical biological control is foreseen as the most promising control method. Egg parasitoids appear to be the most important natural enemies of this pest, especially the Asian hymenopteran Trissolcus japonicus. In the invaded areas, only a few egg parasitoid species have been able to adopt H. halys as a host. Anastatus bifasciatus is the most common native egg parasitoid of H. halys in Europe, but reaches only low levels of parasitization, while several other native species are only occasionally found. Recently, adventive populations have been found both in the USA and in Europe of T. japonicus, and in Italy of a second Asian species, Trissolcus mitsukurii. Species identification based on morphological traits by specialists or by molecular analysis is a crucial step in the management of biological control programs. The ability to identify the genus or species within a narrow guild of egg parasitoids based on adult emergence holes and meconium features can be a simple and useful method to support management efforts. We present here detailed descriptions of the meconium of the most frequent parasitoid species attacking H. halys in Europe and the characteristics of their emergence holes of the adult wasps.