Collecting Non-target Wood-boring Insects for Host-Specificity Testing of Natural Enemies of Cerambycids: a Case Study with Dastarcus helophoroides (Coleoptera: Bothrideridae), a Parasitoid of the Asian Longhorned Bettle

Authors: GOULD, JULI - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); AFLAGUE, BREANNE - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); MURPHY, THEREASE - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); MCCARTIN, LUKE - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); ELKINTON, JOSEPH - University Of Massachusetts; Duan, Jian; RIM, KAITLIN - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

Submitted to: Environmental Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/26/2018
Publication Date: 9/15/2018
Citation: Gould, J.R., Aflague, B., Murphy, T.C., Mccartin, L., Elkinton, J.S., Duan, J.J., Rim, K.A. 2018. Collecting Non-target Wood-boring Insects for Host-Specificity Testing of Natural Enemies of Cerambycids: a Case Study with Dastarcus helophoroides (Coleoptera: Bothrideridae), a Parasitoid of the Asian Longhorned Bettle. Environmental Entomology. 47: 1440–1450. https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvy121.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvy121

Interpretive Summary: The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is an invasive wood-boring insect pest native to Asia. To develop a classical biological control program against this pest, the specificity of potential biocontrol agents (parasitoids) from the pest's native range in Asia need to be first determined. Scientists from USDA APHIS-PPQ, USDA ARS and University of Massachusetts developed approaches to address the perennial challenge of collecting diverse groups of non-target insects for host-specificity testing of potential candidate natural enemies for ALB biological control. Using multi-funnel and intercept traps, retrofitted to maintain live insects and baited with longhorned beetle specific pheromone lures, they collected 1,288 adult beetles comprising 56 species of native North American longhorned beetles, and subsequently and tested the larvae of the collected longhorned beetles with the most common ALB natural enemy (a parastic beetle) from China. Results showed that this parasitic beetle from China was capable of attacking many native North American longhorned beetles, and thus should not be considered for release as a biocontrol agent in North America. These findings will help risk assessment for future biocontrol introduction of Asia natural enemies against ALB.

Technical Abstract: We describe approaches to address the perennial challenge of collecting diverse groups of non-target insects for host-specificity testing of candidate natural enemies for biological control of invasive wood-borers such as the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky). Multi-funnel and intercept traps, retrofitted to maintain live insects and baited with cerambycid-specific pheromone lures, were deployed in diverse forests in southeastern Massachusetts. We collected 1,288 adult beetles comprising 56 species, mostly from the sub-families Cerambycinae and Lamiinae, which were the two groups targeted by the lures. The type of trap and the tree species in which the trap was hung did not seem to affect the species caught. Methods used to induce egg laying and techniques to rear cerambycid larvae are described. Dastarcus helophoroides (Fairmaire) is the most common ALB parasitoid in China, and we conducted tests to determine if cerambycids native to North America would be at risk if this species were released. Dastarcus helophoroides attacked all six species tested: (Monochamus scutellatus (Say), Monochamus notatus (Drury), Apriona rugicollis Chevrolat, Enaphalodes rufulus (Haldeman), Graphisurus fasciatus (DeGeer), and Neoclytus acuminatus (F.). Parasitism of native cerambycids was not statistically different than parasitism of ALB, except for N. acuminatus, which is a considerably smaller species than ALB, and for M. notatus ¬ and M. scutellatus, which attack pine trees rather than hardwood trees like ALB and the other native species tested. Our testing indicates that many native cerambycids would be vulnerable to D. helophoroides and we conclude that D. helophoroides should not be considered for release as a biocontrol agent in North America.