2026/07/21 by Francesco Tortorici, Sandro Flore, Tara D. Gariépy +8 · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Hemiptera Insect Studies #Insect-Plant Interactions and Control #Beetle Biology and Toxicology Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.3897/neobiota.108.193683
openalex publication_date 2026/07/21 · openalex created_date 2026/07/22 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Erthesina fullo (Thunberg, 1783) (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae) is an emerging invasive pest outside its native Asian range, yet little is known about its egg parasitoids. Egg parasitoid assemblages were surveyed from field-collected egg masses of E. fullo in its native range in China and invaded range in Albania, and from egg masses of Apodiphus amygdali (Germar, 1817), a related European pentatomid sharing a similar ecological niche in Greece. Field-collected egg masses were examined for parasitism, and parasitoids were identified using morphology and DNA barcoding. Parasitoid body size was also compared among host species. In China, 53% of E. fullo eggs were parasitized, with Trissolcus japonicus (Ashmead, 1904) (Hymenoptera, Scelionidae) and Anastatus japonicus Ashmead, 1904 (Hymenoptera, Eupelmidae) recovered, providing the first field evidence of these species from this host. Trissolcus japonicus emerging from E. fullo was larger than conspecifics emerging from Halyomorpha halys (Stål, 1855) (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae). In Albania, parasitism was lower (13.1% of eggs), and only native European species, Trissolcus saakowi (Mayr, 1903) and Anastatus bifasciatus (Geoffroy, 1785) were recovered, representing the first records of parasitoids attacking E. fullo eggs in its invaded range. Trissolcus saakowi also emerged from A. amygdali in Greece, supporting the hypothesis that ecological similarity between native and invasive hosts may facilitate adoption of non-native hosts by native parasitoids. These results show that both the adventive egg parasitoid T. japonicus and the native egg parasitoids, A. bifasciatus and T. saakowi , may contribute to the biological control of E. fullo in Europe, although their current impact appears limited.