Add Germany to the List-Adventive Population of Trissolcus japonicus (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) Emerges in Germany.

Abstract

Simple SummaryThe brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, is an invasive pest species of global economic importance. It has a very broad host range and causes severe damages in agricultural, horticultural, and fruit crops. Control measures, including available chemical and mechanical options, have often proved insufficient. Surveys of natural enemies in the newly invaded areas have also shown that natural biological control is generally too low to control H. halys populations in the long run. In its native Asian range, egg parasitoids in the genus Trissolcus play an important role in controlling H. halys. Since the mid-2010s, adventive populations of Trissolcus japonicus, a dominant egg parasitoid of H. halys in Asia with a narrow host range, have been reported from several countries with prior establishment of H. halys. Here, we report the first discovery of T. japonicus in Germany. This finding corroborates a northbound expansion of the range of T. japonicus in Europe, along with H. halys.The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, is a polyphagous pest species of worldwide economic importance. Since the mid-1990s, it has invaded and become established in various countries outside its native Asian range. In the newly invaded areas, biological control by native natural enemies has been shown to be insufficient in the long-term control of this severe pest. Adventive populations of Trissolcus japonicus, an important biological control agent of H. halys in Asia, have been reported from North America and some European countries since the mid-2010s. This egg parasitoid species seems to follow in the wake of the establishment of H. halys populations outside their native Asian range. Here, we report the first discovery of an adventive population of T. japonicus in Germany. In 2020, adult T. japonicus were recovered from parasitized H. halys egg masses (naturally laid and sentinel egg masses) and collected in ruderal areas using an insect suction sampler. The arrival of T. japonicus in Germany, unintentional through pathways yet unknown, corroborates a northbound expansion of its range within Europe. Further field surveys will show the extent of its dispersal and establishment capacities within this new distribution area.