Submission of DNA barcode of an important biological control agent of the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys

Authors: BON, MARIE-CLAUDE - European Biological Control Laboratory (EBCL); Hoelmer, Kim; GUERMACHE, FATIHA - European Biological Control Laboratory (EBCL)

Submitted to: Genbank
Publication Type: Database / Dataset
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/4/2022
Publication Date: 8/4/2022
Citation: Bon, M., Hoelmer, K.A., Guermache, F. 2022. Submission of DNA barcode of an important biological control agent of the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys. Genbank. accn OP136000.

Interpretive Summary: The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), which originated in Asia, has spread during the last decade throughout North America and Europe. This pest attacks a wide variety of economically important tree fruits, vegetables, and field crops, and potentially impacts trophic interactions among beneficial native insects, including bugs and parasitoids. Because of the limited efficacy of currently available pesticides, classical biological control by releasing the samurai wasp, Trissolcus japonicus, an important natural enemy of BMSB eggs in Asia, is a favored solution for managing the stink bug outside its native range. Although adventive populations of the samurai wasp have been fortituously recovered in different states across the U.S., this agent is still under consideration by regulatory authorities for release in the United States. Prior to large-scale releases, the agent collected in the native range is initially maintained in U.S. quarantine laboratory colonies for host-range testing to assess its potential impact on nontarget insects. For this pre-release research, the colony has to be correctly taxonomically identified. We analyzed the DNA of several individuals from the colony and confirmed that the colony consisted of a single species, Trissolcus japonicus, hence preventing the risk of unintentional introductions of an other species in quarantine testing and ultimately in the United States.

Technical Abstract: The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is an important invasive agricultural pest of Asian origin, causing severe damage to U.S. agriculture. Because of the limited efficacy of currently available management strategies (primarily chemicals), the application of classical biological control by releasing Trissolcus japonicus, an exotic egg parasitoid which co-evolved with the pest in Asia, appears to be the most suitable solution for pest control. A colony originally collected in Bejing, China, where climatic conditions match those where T. japonicus is expected to be deployed in the U.S., was established in quarantine in the U.S. for studies to assess its potential impact on nontarget insects in the United States. In order to release this colony in the U.S., it was crucial to identify the colony at the species level to prevent unintentional introductions of undesired cryptic species. It was also important to investigate the genetic diversity of this Chinese population of T. japonicus at the intraspecific level to identify genetically distinct biotypes. By sequencing the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gene in a few individuals of the colony and blasting against public databases including Genbank, we confirmed that the colony maintained in U.S. quarantine consists of a single species, Trissolcus japonicus, and we did not detect the presence of genetically distinct biotypes. The consensus sequence has been deposited in the Genbank database under accession number OP36000.